♣ Commemorating my dear lover Marlon Brando's death day by watching the Godfather trilogy. The above is my absolute favourite Brando portrait; a 1951 shot by Richard Avedon. One day I'd like a HUGE print of it in my bathroom so I can gawp & stare whilt I brush my teeth and remember all the awesome times we had together when he was still alive (& I was less of a fibber...)! ♥ Oh Brando ♥
♣ Tabling at the Riverfront Arts Centre at their very first Summer Sessions - a boutique market and indie crafts fayre with an open mic session on the terrace. Come along next month! More pictures on my flickr (but something has gone terribly wrong with the colours so I'll have to sort that out in the morning).
♣ Celebrating Summer Solstice at Stonehenge! Immediately after Photomarathon I came home, pulled on a
few extra layers, packed some snacks & whiskey & ginger beers
into a bag, piled the car with sleeping bags and drove off to
Stonehenge with C for the Solstice. Absolutely no-one else was up
for going, probably assuming there would be little else there than a
few old hippies and some stones, but I'm so glad we went anyway because it was incredible! We arrived just
after 1am and joined an endless line of cars, streaming into a field
for carparking (apparently nearly 40,000 people attended!). Everyone
was playing music & dancing & emptying picnic blankets &
bottles of wine from their boots. We took a short fifteen minute walk
in the dark through fields, people around us singing or playing
drums - it was like a festival without any bands.
The stones were fascinating! The sheer size of them was astounding enough but then you
think about how they came from Wales, the distance they had to
travel, how they're still standing today and it seems supernatural almost. And all around were thousands of people curled up in
blankets on the floor, smoking, eating, drinking, anticipating the morning. The
stone circle itself was crazy loud... full of druids and drummers...
everyone dancing, touching the stones. I made it til around 3am before
falling asleep on the grass but woke up again in
time to get right in the thick of it for the sunrise.
The vibe was awesome. I think it's
beautiful how so many people can gather together for a new age event
like this, to celebrate life and being alive, the earth, the sun and change. After daylight came we left the celebrations and joinied the
crowd to walk back to the car for a sleep, past those that didn't quite
have the energy to make it back to the car park and had dropped off,
huddled in groups at the edge of the high grasses of the surrounding
fields. It was only 5am and already the Hare Krishnas had started serving free
breakfast. I love the Hare Krishnas.
Some people think that celebrating these kinds of things is
just for hippies and it's a shame because we all go mental for Christmas & Easter, regardless of how spiritual or religious we are. It's a shame how selfishness and greed is looked
on as more acceptable and 'normal' than having a connection with the
earth or an understanding of the self and a gratefulness of being alive. That's my little rant for the day! Anyway, moving on...
♣ Having a studio full of models, hairdressers, stylists, makeup artists, assistants... phewf! You can see the pictures in my COMMERCIAL section if you haven't already.
♣ Photographing John Barrowman, on horseback, in tights, in the grounds of Cardiff castle! He was promoting his new pantomime at the New Theatre. Afterwards I sat in on an interview and was impressed at what a genuine and hardworking guy he is. He said something which made a lot of sense; that if more people were honest and true to themselves then we would all have a much better time of it. I couldn't agree more.
♣ Photographing a Hundred Cannons gig at LePub. Gig photography is not usually my thing but it was fun to do something a bit different and where else can you drink bourbon & work simulatenously?!
♣ C & I were on the guestlist for the Kasabian gig at the Eden project so after a long drive down to Cornwall fuelled by M&S ice lollies and Kraft cheese bagels (yum yum), we found a campsite that let us sleep in the car and made our way on foot through the lanes to find some biodomes! Security were evil buggers who tried to take my camera off me despite the fact that I was on the press list. My crime? Having a 'detachable lens'. Hmm. Still, fun times, Cornish pasties & cider were had by all!
♣ I've also been interviewed by Mizz magazine journalist and author Lisa Clark for her blog's 'Girls on Top' feature. You can read the interview here.
♣ Amber Farthing has reviewed my zine Girl Photographer 2 on her blog, Hello Amber. You should check it out as she gives fabulous in depth reviews on so many different zines. I've already got a wants list as long as my arm just from reading her most recent page!
♣ Oh and finally... Penblwydd hapus i mi! I had a birthday! Here I am, with my friend Adam, being 24 years old and drinking a mojito I made in a saucepan.
