Eleanor Jane

Ffoto Week 02.02.12

Hello hello! This time last year I was sunning it up on the road in California so January 2012 was always going to be a bit of a plod-along month in comparison. For me anyway... Peabrain still flew out to Los Angeles to work for a week while I was left home alone. I consoled myself by planning our next trip (why is Tombstone so far away from everywhere else?!).

1. He did bring me back this awesome repro Elvis poster from Amoeba Records though. Love it! I'll have to get a frame asap.

2. New year, new business cards! Amazing customer service from Moo after my order arrived all muddy coloured & wrong. They dispatched a new batch the following day and they were perfect.

3. Some of my Zakk Wylde shots from last year are in (& on the cover of, yay!) the new Rock Guitar Heroes book from Guitarist magazine. He's in good company between Jack White and Angus Young so I'm well pleased.

4. I've been so obsessed with my new pedometer I've even had it clipped to my pyjamas and accidentally worn it to bed several times. My inspiration? This study. My mission? To beat the Amish! Yesterday I finally succeeded but I'm still fixated with it and need a new challenge.

5. The most exciting thing to happen is that one of my brides from last year, Emma, is starring in the new Simple skincare advert in America... and so are my photos - woohoo!

Goodbye Christmas

I absolutely love this time of year (I’m even happy to let the blatant lack of sunshine slide for a few days) and this has been one of the best Decembers ever. I partied & indulged my way through Christmas & Winter Solstice with family, friends and sickening quantities of tinned chocolates. I’ve been for blustery winter walks, ate lots of picnic teas instead of proper dinners (my favourites!), had several last minute rushes with my knitted presents (will start much earlier next year), met with old friends for champagne cocktails, unwrapped some amazing gifts (Peabrain & I were totally spoiled with a giant stack of books & lots of lovely, thoughtful little things) and my Mum made me a giant Hello Kitty cracker which we had to cut open to get the prizes out so that I could preserve it for future Christmases (she also made crackers for the Queen this year, fancy!).

As fun as it’s been, I’m impatient to put my plans for 2012 into action and am itching to start working already. In fact, I have already done a sneaky bit today and once my new diary turns up I will be unstoppable, mwaahaahaa! Until then, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas & HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in 2012!

Ffoto Week 05.12.11

1. YAY, CHRISTMAS! I really wanted a bauble wreath but didn't fancy paying £20+ so using this tutorial i made one! Mine is a little wonky and needs some tidying up but I'm still pretty impressed with it. I'm going a bit craft mental at the moment...

2. There's something very wrong about getting up at 4:30am, driving to the airport and not even getting to go on holiday. My poor body was tricked into thinking we were going somewhere exciting this morning as after half an hour on the road I started to get mad cravings for maple & pecan pastries, my traditional i'm-going-on-an-adventure breakfast. But nope, I was dropping Peabrain off for an early flight to Scotland for work (where he reports it is snowing!) and sadly I didn't get to join him. Boo!

3. I know it's only been a few days since I posted about Em & Marc's wedding feature in Wedding Ideas magazine but I've been very fortunate that it's had a lot of coverage recently. This latest press appearance is thanks to Chepstow florist, Catherine Gray who used one of my favourite images in a full page ad in the latest issue of Tiara magazine. Love this photo!

4. It's about as far away as you can get from wedding photography but I've also been on tour with Swedish prog-metal band, Opeth, shooting a backstage feature for an American magazine. I had an amazing time hanging out at the various venues, meeting some awesome people and going behind-the-scenes with the band at Kerrang radio in Birmingham (which was quite exciting for me as I used to get Kerrang every week when I was a teenager). Opeth were lovely guys and lead guitarist Frederik Akesson is freakishly talented. While we were at the O2 in Birmingham I went into the deserted balcony area to shoot the sound check but ended up sat above Frederik's side of the stage totally mesmerised! The mag should be out in February so I'll share more pictures then.

Links 25.11.11

♥ Three photo projects to try on your next road trip. Sigh, If only I could cartwheel!

♥ Wedding photography in the midst of a natural disaster.

♥ The Dumpster Project. I can’t believe I haven’t shared this video before. Makes me feel a little less guilty about all the "treasures" I’m hoarding in my gas cupboard.

♥ In case you were ever in any doubt, this clearly illustrates that the difference between professional models and non-models is incomparable. I debated with myself for ages about whether posting this was inappropriate incase it came across as a cheap dig at the girl's appearance, which I don't mean to do. I'm sure she is attractive. But a model is so much more than a pretty face. I'll remove if it offends though.

♥ Portraits of gay couples just married in New York City.

♥ Two cheeky photographers bluffed their way into the Governer’s Ball after the 61st Academy Awards and snapped some amazing candids of the Hollywood elite. I'm impressed by their nerve!

♥ When you're feeling blue, Hyperbole and a Half is instant happy. Even the bleak posts.

♥ I want my face on the side of an airplane!

♥ Poetry bombing. Augustina Woodgate sews lines from her favourite poems into clothes at the thrift store. It's kind of the sartorial equivalent of finding a love note scribbled inside the musty pages of a second hand book.

♥ Here's a stylish photography cheat sheet for beginners.

♥ & finally, Dear Photograph is a bittersweet reminder that time passes far too quickly and there is never long enough to say goodbye.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I’m back from the happiest place on Earth (that’s Walt Disney World, Florida, in case you were unaware)… and beyond! We knew Florida would be amazing when we flew in to the sunshine through a rainbow! This part of the world may be a little lacking in breathtaking natural beauty and historical landmarks but Disney is one of the most fun places I have ever been in my life and I would urge anyone who thinks they’re too cool or too clever to stop being a miserable old Grinch and go.

I’ll spare you the photographs as to be honest, after a very hectic season, I was having a bit of a photo break. Most of them are just typical tourist snapshots of me in Minnie Mouse ears standing in front of rides I liked or holding hands with Mr. Potato Head with an inane grin on my face as well as endless pictures of giant beverages and filthy vegetable-free meals (macaroni cheese pizza anyone?!).

Highlights of the trip were; the warmth & the humidity… Florida is hot hot HOT! All the intricate details and the wonderful music at the Magic Kingdom, eating pineapple dole whips in Adventureland, the Haunted Mansion and riding Big Thunder Mountain to see the park lit up at night after the fireworks. The Walt Disney museum, the Aerosmith Rock & Rollercoaster (of course!), Tower of Terror, Test Track and actually managing to score some points on the new Toy Story ride as usually I suck at those shooting games. The beautiful theming in the Asia area of Animal Kingdom (my favourite Disney park) where I spent hours in the Maharajah Jungle Trek and conquered Everest 11 times (6 times in a row). Standing face to face with a hippo in an underwater viewing area where I could see his every wrinkle and all the little hairs sticking out of his face, amazing. Staying at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal where they really do make every effort to make you feel like a rockstar (you can even order room service for your pet!) and lounging around the stunning pool with a tropical cocktail. Driving out to Anna Maria Island on the gulf coast where we saw dolphins swimming oh so close to the beach (it was here that we had a minor incident with the car which meant we also got to meet a policeman who wore many weapons on his belt!). One of the Blue’s Brothers tipping his hat to me as he got out of their car in Universal Studios (such an immersive park, just like being on a variety of film sets – loved it). Riding crazy rock & roll rollercoasters where they blast ZZ Top in your ears as you go, being too scared to even scream and then getting to view the hilarious video of myself at the end – I really wish I’d bought it as I looked like a girl who was most definitely having the worst time of her life! Watching events unfold in a horrific battle between a lizard, a cockroach and a man on a bar stool which I didn’t really enjoy as such, being a nice compassionate vegetarian, but was transfixed none-the-less and had to be forced to leave by Peabrain (it’s probably best I don’t share the photographic evidence of that one!). And finally, Halloween Horror Nights – which took a while to get into but eventually I began to enjoy being chased around in the dark by chainsaw wielding maniacs!

But our absolute best day was the NASA trip. Kennedy Space Center is fascinating and unexpectedly moving too. I loved the rocket garden, the Saturn V Center, the launch pads, seeing the enormous vehicle assembly building, the Astronauts Hall of Fame and all the various space travel memorabilia. We were there from opening til closing time and towards the end we were running around like crazies trying to make sure we’d seen everything.

Florida is a beast of a holiday to plan as there is so much to do & see & so many options but if anyone fancies visiting and needs some planning advice, just ask. Also, if you need a travel buddy I would totally go back with you!

Backstage at Bon Jovi

Do you remember in my last Ffotoweek I mentioned that I’d been backstage at Bon Jovi’s Ashton Gate gig to shoot an Access All Areas for MusicRadar? No? To be honest I’ve blocked most of it out too after my horrendous experience fighting against the Bristol city centre traffic later that day! But anyway, the website have run the feature now so I’m free to share some of my behind the scenes snaps. Sadly there are no shots of Sambora, Torres, Bryan or the man JB himself (I guess they were helicoptered in later!) but if you’re a musician, a tech nerd or simply incredibly nosey you might find it interesting all the same. Check out the MusicRadar article here for more pictures and detailed info, facts & stories from the techs.

I couldn’t believe how much stuff they’d brought for a one off gig. There was a whole extra layer of backstage beyond the actual backstage area! It just went on & on forever; flight cases & crates & cables & boxes & monitors & strange bleeping gadgets. The techs told us that for every item they had, there was a spare waiting out back in case of disaster! The techs were such fantastic people… I wish it was 1985 and I was the official photographer for a touring rock & roll super band.

Snaps from the Big Chill festival

Aaah, where is the time going? I meant to get this blog up on Monday yet somehow Friday is here already, my holiday is fast approaching and I still have a tonne of work to do… how?!

The Big Chill festival at Eastnor Park the other weekend was a welcome break for Peabrain & I from what has been an endlessly hectic summer. The vibe this year was kind of different to when we went previously (& the comedy tent was nowhere to be found!) but still good times. This year Big Chill was all about delicious cider cocktails from the Somerset Cider Bus with fresh mint and raspberries. Standing almost right at the front for Robert Plant & The Band of Joy. AMAZING! I saw this photo yesterday of Led Zeppelin at the height of their fame and they seem so huge and unreachable. I could hardly believe just a few days before we watched Robert Plant from such an intimate distance. His Band of Joy were legends too which is more than can be said for Kanye West… hmm. Laying in the grass in the sunshine tasting my very first jelly nut before the appearance of dramatic black skies and the obligatory summer festival downpour. Abandoning the tent in favour of my cosy warm car... I love sleeping in my car. Tents are rubbish! All the complimentary chocolate puds, yoghurts & cereals we could eat (and a strange Honey-I-Shrunk-The-Kids style experience in a giant cereal bowl) at the Alpro Breakfest bar. Late night wanderings through the ferns on the art trail watching trippy performances, video installations and mysterious floating neon lights in the woods. We saw the festival out shivering hard and spilling paper cups of hot tea all over ourselves but we fought the cold to catch Rodrigo y Gabriela who were incredible. How do they not lacerate their fingers and bleed everywhere?! I love Rodrigo’s metal riff stances and Gabriela’s sweet uncertain swearing!

Thanks for inviting us along, Alpro (& an even bigger thanks for the puds)!

The Big Chill Festival

Packing the essentials for a weekend away at the Big Chill festival tomorrow – camera, little stumpy (that’s my 50mm lens), couple of rolls of the good stuff, crown of flowers, copious amounts of pink Alpro soya milk… what else could a ffotogirl possibly need to have fun in the sun?! Actually, it’s all thanks to my obsession with the pink milk that I’m going to the Big Chill this year at all. Somewhere along the line Alpro saw me raving about it on Twitter and as they’re hosting a stand at the festival this year, they invited me along as their guest! See, it’s good to have an obsession some times.

(I have also recently rekindled my 12 year dormant obsession with David Duchovny - ♥♥♥ - to the point where last night I even dreamt I was helping him buy furniture. So if there’s any scope there for Ikea to set something like that up for real I would really appreciate it.)

Anyway, I haven’t been to Big Chill since August 2009 and remember it as being super relaxed, spacious (being able to stretch out on GRASS at a festival = heaven) with a friendly vibe. To be honest last time I went I hadn’t heard of many of the bands and spent most of my time between the comedy tent, the falafel van and the stall with all the glittery fairy things! But this year I’m really looking forward to seeing Rodrigo & Gabriela, Robert Plant and Janelle Monae and I’m sure we’ll stumble across all sorts of madness along the way. I’m also looking forward to shooting on film for the first time in weeks & weeks, eating some massive veggie burgers, sampling lots of tasty Alpro goodies (I hope they have the chocolate puds) and having free massages!

Anyone else going? See you there!

Ffoto Week 08.07.11

This week (and last week & the week before that & the week before that…) I have mostly been sat at my desk editing wedding pictures, which sadly doesn’t make for a very interesting Ffoto Week post. Sometimes I have a different mug by my side, occasionally there’ll be a plate with a biscuit on it and some afternoons I go totally wild and sit on the sofa instead. I have had a few adventures but my films are still sitting undeveloped on the bookcase (is it getting harder & harder for everyone else to have films developed without a drama or is it just me?!). Until then, here are some of the few things I have done recently that I have snaps of:

1. I was super lucky to be asked to photograph at last week’s Bon Jovi gig in Bristol and even got to go backstage to take pictures of gear and technical bits and pieces. This was awesome! All the band’s technicians were such great, down to earth guys and I left feeling as though they could all be my buddies in another life! I got to mess with all the instruments (including Richie Sambora’s amazing glitzy guitars), see how everything works back there and one of the techs even gave me some plectrums (I didn’t really squeal like a big girl…). Unfortunately thanks to the horrors of Bristol traffic (I hate Bristol) it very quickly became a nightmare. After I’d finished shooting backstage I thought I’d pop back into the centre to run an errand and pick up a peabrain from the station (a ten/fifteen minute drive) yet three hours later I was still sat in traffic having achieved nothing. Oh my gosh, I can't even explain how frustrating it was. I had to give up on collecting Chris and turn around but the roads were gridlocked in all directions. I nearly didn't make it back in time and there was nowhere to park so I ditched my car in an Aldi and ran to the venue (in my sunglasses because I'd had a complete stress overload and turned into a puffy red faced mess - so professional!). Luckily the PR person was lovely and waited on the gate to let me into the photo pit with one minute to spare before the band came on. I didn't have a ticket as the she was just going to let me straight in from the pit after the first two songs, but because I hadn't been able to give Chris his ticket beforehand I had to forfeit my freebie and leave straight after. Boo Bristol! I vow never to drive on your horrible roads ever again!

2. I placed a full page ad in a wedding magazine and it looks amazing! It's about the most extravagant bit of advertising I've ever purchased so I'm hoping the return is good.

3. I grew some very tiny strawberries (thank you Peabrain for the use of your giant man hand) and then I ate them with lots of yummy vanilla Alpro soya yoghurt. Ooh, actually I do have some exciting soya yoghurt based fun (honest!) on the horizon, courtesy of Alpro, which I will be sharing very soon!

4. Kevin Meredith's 52 Photographic Projects has been reprinted so I've managed to get myself a copy at last. It's so easy to get stuck in a photographic rut, especially in a small city like mine, where you easily feel like you've already photographed everything there is to see. There are lots of creative little projects in here and I can't wait to get started. Maybe I should get a bit of a photo group together and we could do one a month? Hmm, an idea!

5. YES! They make Hello Kitty spaghetti now. It's the best shaped dinner ever!

6. In 75 days, 3 hours, 59 minutes and 27 seconds I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD IN FLORIDA! Wooooo! I've already started filling my suitcase with the essentials (I bought that bright orange pumpkin t-shirt to wear to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. It was reduced in the Topman sale to £1!) and have been dreaming of Orlando every night since I booked it. Last night I dreamt that instead of looking for a nice new house I decided to rent the Haunted Mansion! My friends are wondering how I'll possibly be able to keep the excitement up til September... easy :)

I Miss California

But my heart cried out for you, California
Oh California, I'm coming home
Make me feel good rock & roll band
I'm your biggest fan
California I'm coming home.

I miss Hollywood… Stepping off the plane at LAX straight into the spaghetti of motorways at the mercy of a crazy taxi driver. (From above Los Angeles looks like it was designed on Sim City by an insane person. It certainly doesn’t feel much different once you’re on the ground!) Our incredible hotel, Hollywood Heights, with its tasty buffet breakfasts - yay for pancakes & watermelon every morning - and lovely staff (stay here if you’re ever in LA). Hiking the Hollywood sign and meeting an important person at the top. Smoggity-smog. All my oldie favourites’ signatures in the concrete outside the Chinese Theatre. Worshipping at the altar of Al Pacino! Trawling sleazy Hollywood & Vine for hours searching for Marlon Brando’s star (only to later find out we were literally steps away from it when we eventually gave up.). Scientologists! Off-menu mojitos at Mel’s '50s drive in. Seeing THREE movies/programmes being filmed. Shisha in some sort of open fronted garage on Sunset Strip. The most incredible vegan junk food at the Veggie Grill; crispy fried not-chicken with lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, southwestern spicy vegan mayo and loads of delicious kale with ginger-miso dressing and toasted sesame seeds…. mmmmm! Oh my word, I miss the Veggie Grill!

I miss driving in our lush lush lush hire car… Arizona plates (I LOVE Arizona – it was meant to be). Jet lagged early morning starts (I like being jet lagged on holiday, it makes me feel super efficient!). Navigating with a giant paper map & a compass. Driving up Highway 395 – Sierra Nevada to our left, desert to our right. Supermarket stop offs to fill the cubby hole in the boot with strange American foods, fresh avocados & vanilla Cokes. Straight endless roads, hot tarmac, hazy horizons, spectacular scenery. The lovely firemen who helped us when we were lost in the mountains. Unscheduled stop offs at strange little hotels in one street towns with odd signs on the hot tub telling you that the water might give you cancer or inhibit your ability to reproduce!

I miss Death Valley… Warily exploring a ghost town called Darwin which was mostly deserted bar a few freaky hippies still hanging around nailing mannequin heads to sticks and letting their crazy dogs chase tourists. The heat of the desert. Ears popping as we climbed up & down through the valleys before the big one. Precarious cliff edge roads. Sand dunes. Salt flats. An early morning alone at Badwater Basin, 282ft below sea-level, crunching the salty floor of a great lake that evaporated tens of thousands of years ago. Fighting against the wind (& Peabrain’s fear of heights!) a further 5757ft up at Dante’s View where you can see both the highest & lowest points in the USA at once. Sitting under the stars and lighting fires in the campsite. Packs of Coyotes howling at night.

I miss Nevada… A brief journey over the border to the spooky ghost town of Rhyolite with its crumbling, smashed up shells of buildings. Signs reminding you where not to shoot your gun (!) and a ‘Welcome to Nevada’ sign full of bullet holes! Wishing we had more time to spend in Beatty with all it’s small time local businesses and cinematic American appeal.

I miss the Mojave Desert… Taking the wheel and tuning in to the hair metal station we found on the radio – YES! What a perfect soundtrack for an American road trip! Small ‘towns’ consisting of a handful of mailboxes on the side of the road and a few old shacks. The distant rumble of military testing. Sand dunes and snow capped mountain peaks. Railroad crossings and Indian reservations.

I miss Joshua Tree… Popping a few dollar bills in a little yellow envelope and posting it in a metal tin (a cute, trustworthy system for a campsite). Hiking to a palm tree oasis, tucked away deep in the desert. Prickly cactus gardens. An authentic American diner breakfast experience with the locals. Sleeping in the prehistoric landscape of the Jumbo Rocks. Huge big cuddly rocks, like a Flintstones style playground, that lull you into a false sense of security. (They look so smooth and round, you can’t resist climbing all over them, bouncing from rock to rock. It's difficult to remember that jumping around like a fool on them is dangerous and you will probably die if you fall off & bash your head. Rocks, no matter how appealing, are not bouncy!). Cooking a three course (& delicious!) meal on a one ring stove in super high winds in the dark dark night! Playing cards in the back of the car, tucked up in our sleeping bags all cosy underneath the stars.

I do not miss the harrowing drive back to the coast along the Ortega Highway. Driving into the sunset on the way back to LA little did we know that we had were about to face a four hour ordeal of pitch black, cliff edge driving & crazy local motorists. I'm not even scared of heights and looking over the edge at the teeny tiny town lights below had me on the verge of insanity! After we emerged from the darkness and found ourselves back in civilisation we made an unscheduled stop at the first hotel we found to recouperate. I do kind of miss this… we had a hot tub & a flat screen television in the bathroom AND a view of the Pacific Ocean! And the fabulous desk staff gave us a discounted rate. If you ever find yourself frazzled and shaken in Dana Point, stay at the Holiday Inn Express. It’s fancier than you would imagine.

I also do not miss Malibu much which we reached after a stilted journey up the Pacific Highway (traffic lights every few hundred yards do not make for a smooth or exciting road trip). The campsite was creepy, poorly managed and unjustly expensive and the beach was covered in flies. The hiking trails at Malibu Creek State Park were badly signposted and the map was incomplete. Everything was run down & rusty. Malibu is for celebrity grot bags!

I miss Santa Monica… Watching all the beautiful tanned healthy people work out in the sun at Muscle Beach. The BEST strawberry ‘milk’ shake ever at a raw vegan restaurant called Planet Raw (nut milk shakes = incredible but I have to boast that the famed kale chips were nowhere near as good as my own!). An afternoon on the sand in the blazing sunshine watching the surfers and listening to the crash of the waves. Feeding coins into parking meters. Musicians on the end of the pier. Finally making our way back to LAX, reluctantly giving back the car of dreams and sitting in the sky bar with sad faces watching the runway staff prep our plane.

So absolutely gutted to be back in dreary old Wales.
I miss California.