Do What You Love

  I wouldn’t go so far as to say I am afraid of heights, but I am definitely not a huge fan. But so much fun stuff happens high up, that I just had to go for it in Bretton Woods, zip lining across the forest canopy 150 feet up and 800 feet across the mountainside, walking skyread more >>

  Places are filling up fast – have you secured yours yet? Register now!  In the words of previous participants, this is not just another e-course that you take. It is an e-course that you live, and which continues to live in you beyond the classroom. They have described it as “revolutionary“, “awe-inspiring”, “life-changing” andread more >>

  *** Today’s *shared stories* come from artists Amy Russell and Diane Rooney, and coach Loralee Hutton *** Amy Russell To me, ‘doing what you love’ means carrying on regardless – through ups and downs, when it seems like it might not be a good idea.  It might not be possible or practical to throw it all inread more >>

It was actually a wedding invitation that took us out to the US in the first place. One of my man’s old school friends fell in love with a lovely girl from Bow, New Hampshire, when she came to England to help develop the game of lacrosse.  They decided to get married at the bride’sread more >>

So I tried, and I didn’t like it very much.  You may remember a couple of months back I signed up for a running e-course, and tried to get going with running.  It was something that has long had an appeal from a distance (thoughts of racing across a beach barefoot, wind in my hair,read more >>

  (handmade book by Rachel Hazell) … until the Do What You Love e-course kicks off for the last time this year. In the words of previous participants, this is not just another e-course that you take.  It is an e-course that you live, and which continues to live in you beyond the classroom.  Theyread more >>

I normally steer clear of tours, but I couldn’t resist the tour around Harvard University in Cambridge.  Led by a current student, we were given a glimpse into life at one of the world’s most famous colleges.  It is a beautiful campus which undoubtedly inspires academic curiosity.  It was fascinating to hear stories of former students -read more >>

  I have always loved the ocean.  I grew up by the sea, and I find aquariums a kind of blissful escape from the city.  While on our recent roadtrip around the US we visited the big aquarium in Boston. It drew us in with its huge central tank that runs over several floors (full of all sorts of ominous creaturesread more >>

These past few weeks, stitched postcard flowers have been blooming across the world.  180 people in 20 countries joined in the fourth Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap, creating handmade gorgeousness like this to the theme ‘Bloom’.  And here is my little card… To make it I printed a photo taken on my iPod using theread more >>

  Love the ‘beware of moose’ sign at the side of the road – we don’t get those in England! For the past 2-3 weeks I have been on the road around the Eastern part of the US and up into Canada with my man.  We travelled 1800 km (a third of the flying distanceread more >>

*** Today’s *shared story* comes from papercutting artist Jonathan Chapman, aka Mr Yen *** Jonathan Chapman   To me, doing what I love means I’m excited about what I do everyday. I’m excited to wake up first thing Monday Morning as I’m constantly thinking about how to develop my ideas into papercuts. I’m excited toread more >>

I received a very interesting email yesterday from Erin Glass, an Associate Producer of a new documentary series on New Yorkers with Big Dreams.  Erin is working with Morgan Spurlock (30 Days, Super Size Me, A Day in the Life ) on this exciting new fly-on-the-wall documentary following various people as they overcome their fear of failure and strive toread more >>

  Thank you for joining me for Photography Fortnight, and for sharing your own thoughts and tips.  If you missed any of the posts, here are the links… Tips for taking better photos Tip 1: Rule of Thirds (the classic!)   Tip 2: Take part Tip 3: Seek out colours you dislike Tip 4:  Look up read more >>

   Today I am excited to bring you this interview with illustrator, licensed artist and textile designer Monica Lee (who, as you can see from the photos above, has the most adorable little dog!).  As I talked to her she was busy wrapping up two new fabric collections for Timeless Treasures.  Monica’s work can alsoread more >>

Before I wrap up Photography Fortnight I wanted to share links to a few of my favourite photographers.  Flickr is an endless source of inspiration and a brilliant way to discover new talent – and get noticed yourself.  Use Flickr’s powerful search tool and you are likely to fall down the rabbit hole into aread more >>

Trying new things is the best way to get better! New subjects, new places, at different times of day, or even with a different camera.  I absolutely love the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone – it is only £1.99 and can produce stunning photos.  Look what it did with this dripping water (above)!  Due itread more >>

*** Today’s *shared stories* come from photographer Catherine Just and artist Kat McNally *** Catherine Just When I was 18 years old I was a senior in high school with a raging drug and alcohol addiction. I was deeply depressed and lost, and had no understanding that I had anything of value to offer the world.read more >>

By ‘colour in shadows’ I mean capturing how the contrast of bright light and shadows can project many shades of a colour onto and around an object.  Shades of grey can be good! *** How closely have you examined the shadows around you? *** Come back tomorrow when photographer Catherine Just shares her story, andread more >>

This is the one drummed into me by my Dad, and oh so important.  However close you are, you could probably be closer.  Look at the difference between these shots – closest doesn’t always mean best, but it is always good to try it out:     *** How close do you dare to go? ***read more >>

We are surrounded by shapes – in nature, and in the man-made world.  If you choose a shape and make a point of seeking it out, it is amazing where it turns up…  *** What shape are you going to look for? *** Come back tomorrow for more tips! *** “Life-changing”, “Revolutionary”, “Awe-inspiring”, “Transformative“ –read more >>