Monthly Archives: October 2013

Photography: After the Storm

I have been looking forward to showing you the photos from my photo shoot, After the Storm for a throwback Thursday post.  It was a creative collaboration with my friend and model, Pua in Hawaii.  It was a conceptual fashion photo shoot that really spoke to me about the challenges and struggles we go through in life.  When we overcome the periods of darkness and the adversity, the healing that comes after the storm.  I also wanted to give another shout out to my model for this photo shoot because she brought so much to making it successful.  My favourite time to shoot is early in the morning after sunrise and she on top of it being early she put up with the elements.  Since we could not plan on a rain shower, I had my husband assisting with a water hose and the water was quite cold. This shoot really makes me miss doing a lot of creative work in my photography field and I aim to be doing more of this in 2014.  Here are my favourite photos from my shoot:

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I cannot say enough good things about my sponsor this month, Brittany Ruth.  I was so happy to have her join my side bar this month and look forward to sharing more about her blog and her adventures in Europe with you all.  As today is my photography post day I wanted to share one that I loved from the Rococo Roamer: Capture Colour Photo Blogging Challenge.  Definitely check it out to inspire your upcoming photo shoots! If you take part let Brittany Ruth and I know so we can check out your posts.  Theres more…I have a soft spot for all bloggers who visit places I grew up and Brittany has been sharing posts from Naples, Capri, and Pompeii! Want more?  Check out her blog and let her know I sent you. 😉 


 

Image Map
* Photography belongs to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

Bath Drama: A Letter From The General

Yesterday was a milestone moment in my life.  It was the first time in ten years that I had been on stage.  The last two days I had been involved with Bath Drama for a rehearsed reading of “A Letter From The General” by Malcolm McLoughlin.  Monday night we did the first read through with the cast from Bath Drama and Tuesday for an audience.  I really enjoyed doing this reading with the wonderful group of talented actors here in Bath and it solidified my decision to get back into theatre. 
ABOUT THE PLAY
“The play is set in a Mission Station for orphaned children in “an Eastern Country” during the year 1950. A new Communist government has taken over and there has been persecution of Nuns and Priests throughout the province. The Mission has been cut off from the local village and the orphaned children have been removed. A group of five Irish Nuns run the Mission and their resident Priest, a German national, has been captured and tortured by the Communist regime. The Priest manages to escape and a group of soldiers headed by Captain Lee are sent to the Mission because it is suspected that the Priest will make his way back there. Unbeknown to Captain Lee, the Reverend Mother is already hiding the Priest who managed to reach the Mission before the soldiers.  In the meantime the British Consul for the area together with his wife Ruth visits the Mission. The British consul has exit visas for all of the Nuns and, due to the fact that he is unaware of the hidden Priest, cannot understand why the Reverend Mother is reluctant to leave. Ruth begins to suspect that the Nuns professed lack of knowledge regarding the location of the German Priest may not be as truthful as they would have her believe!”
WANT TO ATTEND A READING?
The next play reading will be The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, directed by Judith Howard. The rehearsed reading is on  the 19th of November at 730pm in the Hut.  Come and enjoy a glass of wine, good company and fine entertainment. Entry is open to all and free. 
PHOTOS
As I was in the cast for the rehearsed reading, I did not get any photographs of the play but managed a few candids before and after the show. It was a really fun night and look forward to future productions. Enjoy! 

 *photography belongs to Bonnie Rose of Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 | All Rights reserved – www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

Revisiting the Peter Pan Statue 23 Years Later

It is Tuesday and you know what that means…Travel Tuesday! Make sure to link up with us all below and then have fun hopping around to visit the other travel and wanderlust posts for the week.  Next week I will announce our theme for the first Tuesday in November.  I was feeling a little nostalgic today and wanted to show you how traveling back to places we went to before can be so much fun!  The Peter Pan Statue in London is one of those places for me. It is great to compare not just how much I have changed but the trees around the statue as well. Time keeps moving and and still so many people come every day and take their photo next to this landmark in London.  We visited this summer while my family was in town for our Vow Renewal and took photographs to remember it by:

My sister and I lived in England when we were really little.  It was my second time to living here after being born in Oxford.  I cherish this photograph of us when we were little and since moving back have been longing to recreate the photo.  I attempted in 2012 but since Zoe was not with me it was just not the same.  This year we made it a mission to both be in London together to make it happen. We also got a photograph of the boys on the statue with their Zia Zoe too.  It will be great to see how tall they become as adults to recreate this image again! 

Share your Travel stories and wanderlust addictions.
HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:
1. Share a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!
2. Grab the lovely button. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie in a link! 😉 
3. Linkup goes live every Tuesday at 8 am GMT.

4. Hop around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Link up will be open for a few days, make sure to check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!

5. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!
6. The First Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in!

*photography belongs to Bonnie Rose of Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 | All Rights reserved – www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

My Expat Life: The WWII Evacuee | DIY Gas Mask

This month my son had a field trip to the museum in Swindon where they would be learning more about the children in WWII.  They had been studying in school about the evacuees from London who were sent to the countryside for safety.  The parents were asked to dress our kids up as WWII evacuees and to prepare a lunch that would be appropriate for that time.  With my theatre background I jumped right on this to help my son look the part.  
HIS WARDROBE: The folded up the trouser legs of his school trousers so that they came right below his knees and put on a blue button up shirt.  My mum had knitted his brother this lovely yellow vest and since ‘smaller sized clothes’ would go with the whole ‘they wore what they had’ criteria it worked out just perfectly.  He then wore a black blazer over it to keep warm and his father leant him his hat.  

HIS LUNCH: After doing a little research we settled on a corn beef sandwich, an apple, a few biscuits, and some chocolate as a special treat (well…i am sending him away!) I had originally bought him some come evaporated milk after reading it somewhere online but it seemed inconvenient and heavy. I ended up filing an empty honey jar with water for his drink.  His whole lunch went into a little box that I wrapped up in brown mailing paper to look like a parcel, which he wore around his neck.  
HIS ACCESSORIES: I also made him a placard which was basically a name tag with all his details.  It was fully filled out though I took those off for sharing online.  He also had a ration card book that I made him which he kept in his lunch box.  He chose a teddy bear to carry and I attached the note to the bear like a placard.  The note was to the ‘sir or madam’ who would be taking care of my child while I stayed in London. 
HIS GAS MASK: Ideally this would fit in the parcel he carried, but it was too big and way cooler to wear anyways as part of his costume.  I have decided to include a DIY on how I made it for future parents who will be doing this with their kids at schools here in England.  I did not do this when I was in primary school in England and as an expat now I had to do some digging to find ideas online. So I hope this blog post is very helpful.  
DIY: GAS MASK
 Gather Your Supplies.  I found a file, some kid science goggles, a cadbury tin, a shower head, and other items just from what we had in the house.  I did not spend any extra money to make this cosplay item.
 I glued the inside of the file to make the gas mask extra sturdy. I drew out the shape of it from hand and used the cadbury can to make three circles for the eyes and mouth.  All three will need to be cut out but I recommend cutting the mouth as show with ‘teeth’ so that it can attach well to the can. 
 I  covered the can with black scrapbooking paper and left the gold metal rim that came on the cadbury tin.  Seemed like a perfect detail for an accent piece. 
 The shower head I realized would fit nicely in the lid of the cadbury tin since the lid has portion of space that indents.  All I needed to do was put a little bit of duct tape between the lid and the shower head for it to stick nicely in place.  
I used some extra black fabric from an old  cape to ver it up and then replaced the lid on the tin.  It showed just enough of the shower head to give me the look I was going for with the gas mask.  
This is what it looked like when I finished this part. Now I am ready to attach it to the gas mask. 

See how the teeth can now be bent over on the can?  

I used super clue around the can first and then pushed the gas mask in place.  

I folded down each teeth and then secured with super glue and duct tape.  I let it sit to dry for a bit to make sure it was secure. 

I realised my son would be huffing on super glue because the smell was strong. So I found a scent disc for the car and cut it to the right size. I covered it up in the same black material.

Here you can see how I used duct tape again and then attached it on top of the space.

As seen in this photo. So now he can smell ‘new car smell’ and not super glue. 

The last part was cutting out the plastic circles for the eyes. and taping them well on the back side.  I attached cord on each side of the mask so that we could tie it around his head or to wear around his neck.   This is the finished back side. 
This is the finished gas mask from the front. It was really easy to make and very fun. Plus there are so many different ways you can customize it just by using what you have from around the house. 
Q: Are you aware about the children who were evacuated during WWII in England? How about the children who were rescued out of mainland Europe to England?

*Photography belongs to Bonnie Rose of Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All rights reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk 

Sunday Motivational #1

Self Portrait by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk 

It is the state in which you dwell‘, were the words spoken by photographer Sue Bryce this weekend.  She said that statement several times and though I had written it down in my notes after the first mention it continued to impact me with each repetition.  Before you read any further, ask yourself what that statement means to you.

   ‘It is the state in which you dwell’

For me it made me think of what I want out of life.  My needs, my goals, my dreams.  What am I doing today to help make all of that a reality.  What am I doing or what am I feeling that is stopping that from happening?  There are so many facets in my life where I could apply this statement but let us look just at blogging.  How many times have we let ourselves become discouraged in our blogs?  Are we blogging for ourselves or too meet someone else’s expectations?  Are we blogging from the heart and putting ourselves into our work or have we lost sight of our inspiration? Do we get caught up in the social media world of comparing ourselves to other bloggers and seeking validation for our efforts? Or are we blogging to give ourselves and the knowledge we have to others without needing anything in return? 
I think blogging, like so many other things in life, will have it’s ups and downs and we will need to work at keeping ourselves on track. To focus on they why and what it is we have to give.  No body can hold you back…we are the ones with that control.  I teach my sons that they are the only ones who can decide how they react to situations.  Why stress over what we have no control over.  If we want happiness, we give out happiness and surround ourself with happiness.  
I describe myself as a creative and a free spirit with a chameleon soul.  When I think about ‘It is the state in which you dwell’, it resonates in how I raise my boys.  We create at home together.  We all share the love of photography.  It has made me hope to find a place to live where I can have my own studio, a creative space where we can act on our inspirations.  I want to dwell in a creative world.    
I would love to know how you feel this statement can apply to your life.  Feel free to share a comment below. 

*Self Portrait by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

The Sunshine Award – Expat Style

[source]
I was tagged recently by Marielle Green for the Sunshine Award.  As a first time recipiant of this I really wanted to participate so have taken a week off from my Self Portrait challenge (to resume next Saturday).  Here is the general procedure:

  • Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you. 
  • Share 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
  • List bloggers.
  • Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate and let them know they have been nominated.

11 Random Facts (of my life as an expat)

  1. I have not driven a car in a two and a half years, since moving abroad.
  2. I am technically a dual citizen living in the country where I am an expat. 
  3. I have more books about travel, languages, or that take places in other countries than I do anything else on our book shelves. 
  4. I get my food delivered to the house from local organic farms. Which means I’ve swapped waiting in long queues and maneuvering around busy grocery stores for cleaning the dirt off of my vegetables and enjoying raw milk. 
  5. I do not like Starbucks.  I have never liked their coffee because I grew up drinking ‘real’ espresso in Italy as a teenager, and find the taste to come off like burnt coffee beans.  I find their drinks that contain syrups way too sweet.  With that said I used to go there all the time as our ‘meet up’ place with my military wife friends.  I used to love getting their ice tea in Hawaii but now that I live in England I would rather go somewhere for tea where I feel like I am treating myself to a nice day out with service that includes sitting down with a menu.  I will say I appreciate people who go there so much they bring their own reusable cup to help the environment.  I have my own Starbucks reusable tumbler from Hawaii that I still use at home. 
  6. I dread package slips. Before expat life a package slip was exciting and it was followed by excitement over who it is for, who it is from, and what could be inside.  If I am excited now it is because solely it made it to us and did not get lost in the mail. However a package slip now means that it was delivered while we were out of the house and either too big to fit through the mail slot in our door or that it has to be signed for and so it went back to the post office.  While we have a post office on our high street in town, a mere five minutes away it is not where our packages go when they need to be picked up.  They go into town and that involves either a forty minute walk into town or I need to shell out the £ for bus.  A taxi is about £10 one way so to just pick up one parcel is not worth that option. So that is why I dread package slips.
  7. I miss my american sized dryer and being able to dry my clothes quickly. It is the one thing of my specific expat life that I would change if I could.  The last three places we have lived at here in England have had a washing machine (small like an american dorm sized fridge) but no dryer. Which means if it is sunny and warm enough we dry our clothes outside and if now we dry them inside. This involves clothes on our radiators at all times and on clothing racks that take up a lot of space in our house. The laundry is never completely finished and I find myself fantasizing about throwing in a large load of laundry in a dryer to have it dry within the hour. 
  8. I never liked ‘domestic’ beer in the US but would drink imported beer from Germany or Belgium.  Here in England I still like a good beer or ale but I tend to drink cider more often.  It is my favourite weekend treat!
  9. I love planning new trip and journeys. At any time I have several trips in the planning stages. Some nearby in England and others in the world. I am looking forward to Christmas 2014 where my family has talked about going to Austria or Munich, Germany. 
  10. I can always find new things to document and take photos of where I live in England. It makes being an expat always exciting especially living in a place that has seasons.
  11. I am fluent in English but have known Italian and German at different times in my life. I am now trying to work on German with my boys with the hope that one day I can say I am fluent in two languages. 
The Interview
  1. What do you plan to do today? I am going house/flat hunting with my family as we are moving out of the place where we live this Christmas.  
  2. What fictional character do you most identify with? Vianne Roche from Chocolat.
  3. If you wrote a novel, what would it be about? A group of people from different backgrounds who challenge the ways their societies have formed their worldview by the relationships they form with each other. 
  4. What’s something your readers might not know about you? I wear glasses. I tend to not wear them when I photograph myself. One day I will go back to contacts again. 
  5. What album could you play on repeat all day? It really changes every day as my music selection can be quite eclectic. However, Lana Del Rey and High Flying Birds has been playing quite a bit recently. 
  6. What color(s) do you wear most and why? I am trying to wear more ‘Angelina Jolie’ inspired shades of monochromatic and neutrals with colour saved for special occasions or nights outs. 
  7. Do you like watching crappy movies? Modern ones probably a no…but I love watching films from the 80’s and early 90’s that I watched as a kid.  
  8. What’s your favorite for a good laugh? Captain Ron with Martin Short and Kurt Russell. 
  9. Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Both.
  10. Opera or musicals? Both. 
  11. Classic films or classic lit? I like to read the book first. 


The Eleven Questions

  • Something you are looking forward to in the next fortnight (two weeks)?
  • What is one thing your readers may not know about you?
  • What is a short time goal you are currently working on?
  • What is a lifetime dream you would love to achieve?
  • If you were to have a dinner party what celebrity would you invite?
  • Favourite comfort food?
  • If you were to have a quite night in what film could you watch over and over?
  • Is there a book you have been wanting to read but have not yet?
  • Your next dream vacation will be to where?
  • If you wrote a book (fiction or non fiction) what would it be about?
  • Favourite item you own?

A list of bloggers I have tagged for the Sunshine Award. No worries if you are busy or have already been nominated.

B.Lux Photography Courses | Register for B. In Focus

I am pleased to announce that the premiere course for B.Lux photography courses is now open for registration!  
As of now there are six other courses in the works to be added to the B. Lux family at Bonnie Rose Photography. 
The photography 101 course, B. In Focus, will begin on the 21st of October, 2013.  

Introducing B. In Focus, the premiere course by Bonnie Rose Photography

B. IN FOCUS: What is in a name? As photographers we want to capture with our cameras what we see with our eyes. The goal for this course is to make shooting in manual not intimidating or overwhelming. B. In Focus teaches you how to take control of your equipment and your creative eye to produce work that keeps inspiring you to carry on!

Course Details: This course is for anyone who wants to learn how to get their camera to do what they want it to in manual. Whether you shoot with a SLR or a Point & Shoot, if your camera has manual settings you can take this course.

This course is for beginners to intermediates who either:
  • shoot only in automatic 
  • have no clue what they are doing in manual 
  • rely on ‘training wheels’ like Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes 
  • want more confidence with a refresher in manual settings
In this course we look at both the technical side of using your camera and the creative side of being a photographer. 
Two aspects that put together will improve your photography skills.
www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

Your Online Class Includes:

  • Four weeks of online lessons on www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
  • Log-in details that will be emailed on the Sunday before your course begins. 
  • Lessons begin every Monday which include text, images, and video. 
  • Assignments which are given on Monday and due every Sunday. 
  • Mentoring with Bonnie Rose through out the fours weeks. 

B.Lux | Mentoring:
Beyond a course of online information, B. Lux photography courses include a mentoring program with your instructor, Bonnie Rose, through out the four weeks. Get the ‘in person’ feel of a live workshop in the convenience of taking the course on your own time where ever in the world you live. Mentoring includes: 

  • Email correspondence 
  • Feedback on assignments 
  • Weekly image critiques 
  • Submit questions for answering

WHAT WE COVER IN THE FOUR WEEKS:

  • Making the switch from auto to manual 
  • Four steps to shooting in manual 
  • White balance and colour control 
  • Aperture, depth of field, background blur and bokeh 
  • ISO and controlling grain 
  • Shutter Speed 
  • Metering Modes 
  • Working with different types of lighting 
  • Working with shadows and finding your light 
  • Reading your camera’s histogram 
  • Composition 
  • 10 Ways to Create Interest in a photograph 
  • Unleashing your creativity 


BONUS:

If that was not enough on top of the four week instruction you get an extra week for catching up and review. There is no assignment in this week although a final project for the course is due at the end of this period. 

  • A bonus week to review. 
  • Final project with submission into the B.Lux Alumni album. 
  • Membership to join the B.Lux private Facebook group. 
  • Optional B.Lux Instagram hashtag project

GEAR NEEDED Students will need to have a digital camera for this course, which can be a SLR or a point and shoot with manual capability. No specific lenses are required for this course. Access to a computer with internet will be needed to do your lessons and complete your assignments.

COURSE COST  Originally £65.00   £55.25 per person / if purchased before 3rd of November, 2013
* Offering everyone a special introductory rate for the course if you purchase before the 3rd of November. B. In Focus will be starting on the 21st of October and the 4th of November. Lock in this special price for either two course dates!

CANCELLATION POLICY A full refund is available if the cancelation is made 36 hours before the beginning of the course. Cancellations within 36 hours to the beginning of the course will be issued a credit for a future course. No refunds or credits will be issued once a course begins. If the B.Lux course is cancelled by Bonnie Rose for any reason, full payment will be returned.

COURSE START DATES The B. In Focus course begins twice a month for new students on the first and third Mondays. There are five dates for B. In Focus for the rest of 2013.
2013: 21 Oct | 4 Nov | 18 Nov | 2 Dec | 16 Dec

REGISTER FOR B. IN FOCUS

PINKCAM

*B.Lux are photographic services offered by Bonnie Rose Photography | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk