Amateur Eye

12 for 12 for February

2012-02-13T06:13:00.000Z

12 on 12!

Sunday: spent watching Gok Wan over coffee, eating rather messy pitta bread for lunch, then evening: a CSI marathon on 5*, with the creation of a little animation for my dad's birthday thrown into the mix (to the Beatles' When I'm Sixty-Four...), and chatting to my mum on the phone (daily ritual).

Oh and making beef stew with sweet potato mash. Yummy!

Two hours are missing from being in church (when I think it would have been frowned upon had I whipped out the Nikon during the introit and post-communion hymn...

12 for 12 (on the 21st?)

2012-01-21T23:43:00.000Z

OK, so it's the 21st -- same numbers in a different order. Forgive me.

I've fallen in love.

With Pinterest. Well, with pinning, and with having little notifications come through to my email saying that other people have Liked or Repinned my pins. It's extremely validating! But it's also gratifying to find a community of people with strong opinions on what floats their artistic, aesthetic boats, and a strong direction for their lives. (I'm feeling profound -- forgive me?)

So to that end, here are the last 12 items I pinned, for your enjoyment!

12. Jessie J | Who You Are [Boombox Series]

Source: youtube.com via Beth on Pinterest

11. Envelope journals | part II

Source: blackeiffel.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

10. Envelope journals | part I

Source: blackeiffel.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

9. Cocktail umbrella wreath

Source: pinkpatentmaryjanes.com via Beth on Pinterest

8. Bookshop Animation

Source: youtube.com via Beth on Pinterest

7 to 3 Tatty Devine necklaces

Source: selfridges.com via Beth on Pinterest

2. Upcycled notebooks | by ellie ellie

Source: ellieellie.co.uk via Beth on Pinterest

1. Sweet illustration | artist unknown at present...

Source: shannoneileenblog.typepad.com via Beth on Pinterest

12 for 12

2012-01-02T12:58:00.000Z

photo by Focus Photography via http://greenweddingshoes.com via Pinterest

There's something quite appropriate about this being 2012 -- it lends itself well to all manner of posting themes: 12 months in a year, 12 hours in a morning or afternoon. Over at a bit of sunshine, blogger Rebekah Gough has run a fantastic project every month for the last two years or so, named ten on ten: on the hour every hour for ten hours you are encouraged to take a photograph to chronicle your day, no matter where you are or what you're doing at the time. Have a look at Rebekah's blog to see some of the outcomes of recent months.

Of course I'll hold my hands up here and concede that it may be a little easier to execute this project if you're a stay-at-home parent, or if you work from home. (Which I don't.) Not so easy if you're office-based.

"Stop! Wait! Gotta pose for my hourly photo, team..."
via here

But! I'm sure there are ways around this: on 12ths-of-the-month that don't fall conveniently at weekends there's the opportunity to feature your top 12 pins on Pinterest or go back through your photo archives and find a photo from every month of the last year to feature.

So that's what I'll be doing this year, in between other little posts.

qb xx

Here's to 2012...

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000Z

2012 calendar by Matt Hunsberger | via here via here via Pinterest

It's New Year's Eve
and hopes are high;
Dance one year in,
Kiss one goodbye...
Another chance,
Another start,
So many dreams
To tease the heart.

The Perfect Year | from Sunset Boulevard (sung by Dina Carroll below), lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton

Let's hope 2012 is a vast improvement on 2011 for everyone.

qb xx

Celebrations and Migrations

2011-12-26T22:23:00.000Z

A few little scenes from my Christmas Eve and Day:

I admit it. Despite my bestest intentions this time last year, I have been a comparatively slack blogger here on AE, largely because I've become doubly critical of my own shots (some real blurrers of late due to my kit lens' autofocus function becoming, er, defunct).

I find it difficult to focus manually and I blame this on my eyesight -- I'm long-sighted but have had a squint since birth. Despite having a couple of operations to correct it when I was a kidlet sometimes I just can't focus through the viewfinder. Ergo blurgo.

Anyway... I've also been blogging over at Dater Overload, my account of the perks and perils (mostly perils) of dating, which has also been somewhat neglected only due to lack of Dates about which to Blog.

BUT! I'm determined to pull out my finger this year (from where, who knows) and blog a little more. Not that my life is a cacophony of excitement, but because I love being part of the blogosphere, I love all the creativity herein, and the inspiration, and the Pinspiration (LOVE Pinterest...). I just need to focus more, and find coherence.

This may, then, mean a migration from this 'ere site over to my other earmarked blog, quirky brunette, which I started, abandoned, deleted, recovered, and have kept on the backburner until such a time as I decide what the heckipeck to post on it.

Watch this space... or the other one. Not sure yet...

qb xxx

Salzburg Selections

2011-08-28T15:14:00.000+01:00

Soooo... on Monday I got back from five glorious and culturally-rich (OK, caffeine-rich) days of shlepping around beautiful, hot Salzburg and taking (about 80% of) The Sound of Music tour (the tour company forgot to pick us up from the hostel). Salzburg is a typographical geek's heaven with beautiful shop signs even for the most fundamental of shops.

I've uploaded most of these to my Flickr stream but just in case... here they are!

Moving sideways. Sort of like a crab.

2011-08-11T19:04:00.000+01:00

Just a short note to say that the Amateur Eye is having a "mid-year" identity crisis -- as if the New Year one wasn't enough.

Basically I'm still struggling to pin down a purpose for Amateur Eye as I do think it's segued a little into musiclove, 101%-justified Richard Marx appreciation, and just generally non-photography subjects of late.

Sooo once again I'm reining in the Eye a little, and shuffling sideways into a new blog I'm calling, well, quirky brunette. Please come and join me as I waffle on about things that aren't photography, recommend films, books, odd songs off Spotify, that crush on Richard Marx, and maybe even post more videos of doe-eyed 60s and 70s female singers.

AE will still run, but will have more focus on photography and photographers, and fewer, "well, strike me roan, maybe my nose isn't so hideous after all" musings -- that's what quirky brunette will be for.

Hopefully see you there!

qb xx

Change of Mood (Board)

2011-07-20T22:03:00.001+01:00

Had a small shuffle-round of the images on the inspiration board this evening (the blue pinboard that hangs above my desk as a little reminder of my fads of the week/month/year). Some are transient, some are more permanent!

Current prompts:

1. Business card for Woodtype and Font Shop originally in Brighton where I bought my printers' tray and two woodcut print letters
2. Tag from Girl from Blue City bourbon biscuit necklace (birthday present!)
3. Business card for my website, b seen photography, to remind me to update it now and then...
4. Postcard from amazing stationery shop in Brighton's Sydney Street, Pen to Paper

5. Mini chalkboard-clipboard, true purpose as yet unknown but here reminding me which eras I seem to be obsessed with at the moment... 20s and 60s...

6. Photo-postcard of actress Mona Maris by E. O. Hoppé

via here

7. Mick Jagger by Colin Jones, courtesy of the Guardian and Observer, also on display at the National Portrait Gallery

via here

8. Photo-postcard of Rebecca West also by Hoppé

via here

9. Postcard of Automat, Edward Hopper, originally featured here

10. Postcard of Le Jugement de Paris, George Barbier, also previously featured here

11. Photo-postcard of The Rolling Stones, by David Bailey

via here

12. Photo-postcard of Marianne Faithfull, by Gered Mankowitz

via here

13. "A terrier poses for the camera", © Ros Fraser Collection/Mary Evans

via here

14. Photo-postcard of Lily Cole, "Like a painting", by Miles Aldridge

via here

Have decided that the sublime Louise Brooks photo deserves a frame rather than a ladybird pin adhesion...

The Original Glamour

2011-07-15T23:34:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post ...
Had the chance to visit the Glamour of the Gods exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery [London] yesterday and it was beaaaaautiful. It featured photos from the John Kobal collection of photographs of Hollywood stars of the 1920s to the 1950s (including some candids) -- and was a real treat for the eyes.

It was startling to gauge how young some actors were when they were discovered, and how many names were changed along the way, notably, it seems, to "mask" ethnicity ... how beautiful/handsome and startlingly photogenic these individuals were (and had to be!), and how creative the photographers were in their framing.

...That said... it was alarming even in the pre-Photoshop years how many photographs were retouched and to what degree... Removing an actress's [I forget who...] expression lines and freckles (removing her expression lines = 1940s photographic Botox...) for instance, eliminated those tiny hints of "imperfection" and made the image of the Hollywood actress even more unattainable...

Anyway, enough of my misguided diatribe.

This was by far my favourite shot:

Louise Brooks, by Eugene Robert Richee // via here

So much is right with this. [Not the best reproduction here but you get the gist!]

Lose your dreams, and you might lose your mind...

2011-06-29T20:54:00.000+01:00

More interjections from an Amateur Ear:

(That said, just watching these absolute superstars perform could be classed as an activity for an Amateur Eye, no?)

In a bit of a Sixties/Seventies place today. Peace out and enjoy.

Ruby Tuesday // Melanie

As Tears Go By // Marianne Faithfull

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me // Dusty Springfield

Plus les choses que j'aime

2011-06-12T22:44:00.000+01:00

(More) things I currently love:

1. Love Soup series 1 on DVD

Come on, Alice, come on, Gil, get (it) together!

2. Decadent weekend breakfasts

(Coffee + waffles = cwoffles)

3. Typewriter stamp set

Fun and messy type effects from here

4. Being a Brighton Belle

Photo by my friend Jo Halstead; posed ridiculously by me in a very similar outfit to the one thrown together here...! (Trilby out of shot -- was too windy to wear it on the Pier!)

5. Playing DJ

Currently compiling a playlist for a church party next month! Cheesy pop and rock being the order of the day...

6. Seeberger cloche

From Mad Hatters, Brighton. LOVE it.

7. Making countless summer music playlists

Because aside from smell, music is one of the best triggers of memory. IMO. And if I ever want to recapture my happiness this summer, the music'll do it. Mostly Glee covers, bit of old disco, that sort of thing.

8. Richard Marx.

Bit in love right now in case my previous post didn't quite capture that. :-) Especially watching YouTube clips of him and Hugh Jackman hanging out together... ooooh...

And now, a segue into a sub-blog I like to call... Amateur Ear.

2011-06-05T20:01:00.001+01:00

...A few years ago now, I decided that before I shuffle off this mortal coil (and I'm 32 now and God willing not about to begin that shuffle quite yet) I wanted to see my three favourite singer-songwriters perform live.

In no order of preference, as I love 'em all:

3. Thea Gilmore
Seen her live three or four times now and she rocked out each time, even when she was massively, massively pregnant! She falls into the indie folk-rock category if she falls into a category at all, and her music is intelligent, often barbed and more often than not, just beautiful. Case in point: December in New York.

BIG TICK. DONE.

Mainstream, on TOTP2 in 2003,

first time I stumbled across Ms Gilmore while awaiting an episode of Buffy no less...

2. Beverley Craven
Saw her live about four years ago at my local theatre. She. Was. Supremely fantastic, talented and very funny too, which was wonderfully surprising.

BIG TICK. DONE.

Promise Me, old footage but timelessly beautiful song!

And then there's:

1. Richard Marx.

...Yep.

Sometimes we set ourselves ambitions, or goals, and in the back of our minds we think we know we'll never achieve them. And sometimes we're proven wrong. Which is a-l-w-a-y-s good.

Not sure how the love got in but somehow this guy's music got right under my skin. Yep. I think it started with 'Right Here Waiting' on a compilation tape and spread out to 'Hazard'. This was in the late 80s, early 90s when, let's be honest, my loyalties were still divided between Kylie, Jason, Craig McLachlan, The Beautiful South and... Big Fun.

Who?

Oh yeah. These guys.

Princes in pastel. (Hey, I was ten, you're allowed to be that musically fickle when you're a child.)

Then... in 1993 there was 'Silent Scream'. And 'Now and Forever'. And Richard Marx came back into people's consciousnesses over here.

I came by a tape of Paid Vacation -- think I bought it a couple of days before a family holiday to 'sunny' Exmoor.

image via Amazon.co.uk

I fell head over heels over head over heels in musiclove. I played the album on a loop for ~~hours days weeks months~~ years and it still rocks my socks nineteen years later. I'm not sure when I decided on my musical ambition but it was some time back, and since then I had convinced myself that seeing Richard Marx live would never happen. These days it's all about Gaga, or Clapton, prominent artists whose shows are sold out in seconds (I'd imagine).

And then … flicking through the Metro one morning on the train into work I happened upon The Ad.

Yep. Richard Marx was coming to play live in London on 31st May*... AND I WAS GOING TO BE THERE, APOCALYPSE OR NONE!!!

The ticket rocked up a few days later, and on 31st May, I tipped up at the Royal Albert Hall for the last leg of Richard Marx's 'Stories to Tell' tour.

It was, without question, one of the best nights of my life. It's always a danger seeing one's idols live as there is always a margin for disappointment. Not so here. My expectations were exceeded -- Mr Marx rocked my socks yet again with a phenomenal setlist of acoustic tracks, some with string accompaniment, and then some with full band, and oh my word it was amazing. AMAZING. He played all the tracks the crowd would expect -- 'Hazard' (acoustic: haunting and beautiful!), 'Endless Summer Nights', 'Should Have Known Better' and, to my utter delight, 'The Way She Loves Me' from Paid Vacation! My teenage self, and my thirty-two year old self, were rocking out in tandem at this point.

I was reminded of why I'd chosen Richard Marx as a music idol all those years ago -- his voice is fantastic, just as strong and lyrical and edgy as it was over twenty years ago. He had fantastic banter with the audience, had some very funny anecdotes and some lovely ones about his family too -- the composite video of his three sons playing and singing the backing track to 'Save Me' was just too clever: a very talented family -- making the night perfect for the die-hard fans. His tribute to his father, through the song 'Through My Veins' actually had me in tears -- it was beautifully orchestrated, starting off with RM on the piano, then with the strings kicking in, then halfway through the full band joining in, and it was just... aaaah. Powerful and extremely moving.

...And yep, he finished on 'Right Here Waiting'.

Musical perfection.

I can watch this recording from last week and still have the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, no joshing.

I was on such a high leaving the venue afterwards -- I had my gig t-shirt and was completely wired... I tweeted manically on the way home about how much I'd loved the gig and also how I was one of the die-hard fans who did own a copy of his album My Own Best Enemy -- there's a completely breathtaking, high-energy track called 'Colder' on the album that propels me along on a power-walk like no other tune can.

...And to add to all of this, RICHARD MARX RETWEETED ME THE NEXT DAY!

It's the little things.

I fell in musiclove all over again. And a little bit of lovelove as well.

BIG BIG BIG TICK. DONE.

* again: somehow I'd missed him playing at Shepherds Bush last year -- how?!?!?! Epic Fan Fail.

RIP Jeff Conaway

2011-05-27T23:30:00.000+01:00

OK, I try to avoid schmaltz (though somehow it always catches me up) but... p-r-e-t-t-y dang sad about Jeff Conaway passing away.

During a ~~very earnest~~ all-consuming Grease ~~phase~~ obsession in the 1990s I cultivated the mother of all crushes on this guy for the best part of three or four years (hey, that's a long-term crush when you're a teenager with escapism tendencies!). Hey, I even watched Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for him. And an episode of Babylon 5. And Ghostwriter.

And Celebrity Rehab. Which was exploitative, futile and sad. The man was in a lot of pain. Nuff said.

Best to say, RIP Kenickie...

via here

A Sea... of Me*

2011-05-22T19:34:00.000+01:00

'K, so, just over a year ago I wrote a somewhat defiant blog post entitled "When I have a brand-new hairdo..." in which I tried to give a little boost to those of us who don't fit the category of classic beauty... whatever that is.

And... it's safe to say that despite that defiance I've spent a good part of the last year blaming certain failings in my life on the fact "I'm not pretty enough". Never mind that "not being pretty enough" (for what, exactly?) didn't hold me back from a much-wanted promotion, but in certain situations (such as being "ignored" when emailing folk to organise social events, seeming to be demoted as a friend, or receiving no valuable interest on a dating site) my default complaint is always "I'm not pretty enough". Which... yuh, I know, it's crazy-talk, but once the negative voice chimes in there's no stopping it.

(...Let's not gloss over the fact that this congenital negativity, folks' general busy-ness, or a mistake I made in that friendship shortly after Christmas, might be factors!)

...But I turned a corner lately. And this lass (in a well-timed episode of Glee) helped no end.

Glee's Rachel, Born This Way screenshot via here

Only very recently have I reconciled myself with my own schnoz and my Heidi-the-psychic-possum boss-eyed look. A friend used to tell me until I was blue in the face that if I changed my nose then my face wouldn't be my own and it wouldn't look 'right'... but it took this ever so slightly kitsch episode of Glee to make me feel completely at ease with what I'd been given.

As I ruthlessly quoted, from High Art, on 5th February this year, "...the ugliest quality in a woman is vanity", I have to admit that like many women in the western world in possession of functioning eyes I'm quite very critical of, say, how I look in photos, so... yeah, vain to some degree... I saw a picture of myself taking shots at a work event lately and cringed; it was NOT flattering; too many chins, a heinous "snapper sneer"... not purty in any sense of the word!

...So I decided to go Cindy Sherman and play about with some self-portraits. Maybe it's vain, but when I've taken shots of friends of mine in the recent past, they've been equally self-critical of how they were portrayed so, armed with a new hairdo, a tripod and a shutter-release remote, I decided to be my own photographer. And these are some of the results:

On a slight -- but only minuscule tangent -- I've crafted a spring/summer look I want to rock, just as soon as I can acquire the trilby, and the eBay satchel rocks up (it's been shipped, woot!).

PS This post title* comes from something my friends and I used to say to each other if we were about to talk relentlessly about ourselves in an email... but if you can't swim in a Sea of Me on your own blog then where can you, eh?

qb x

"Florals, for Spring. Groundbreaking(!)"*

2011-04-27T17:11:00.000+01:00

...But so pretty.

My mother has been sprucing up her garden, and in the fabulous weather we've had the last couple of weeks it's looking beautiful. Not one of green fingers myself I can only appreciate the amalgamation of colour from a naive aesthetic POV. And make a mini movie montage out of it.

Untitled from Beth Harwood on Vimeo.

* Dialogue from: The Devil Wears Prada

Dies sind einige meiner Lieblings-Dinge ... *

2011-04-08T21:46:00.000+01:00

* Disclaimer: I don't speak German.
** Disclaimer: I am in a codependent relationship with Google Translate.
*** Disclaimer: It's supposed to read, "These are a few of my favourite things..." because, people... (person?) ...I'm very likely to be going to Salzburg in the summer for a coupla days of full-on Sound of Music immersion, Mozart appreciation, and Austrian coffee. YAY! Expect to see me doing this on a mountaintop!

via here

Odd decision given Salzburg didn't even make my list but... spurred on by my Swedish friend Caroline's suggestion that we meet there, and my propensity to jump on a bandwagon and make attempts to be more spontaneous, it looks like a PLAN. And I'm excited! I dug out my Sound of Music DVD and found a couple of documentaries on the second disk including Salzburg: Sight and Sound, presented by the then 22-year-old Charmian Carr, "Liesl" in SoM. It's fabulously dated (filmed in between Carr's days on set, in 1965 or thereabouts) but the city looks beautiful and inviting even now in shots.

all grabs from the Salzburg: Sight and Sound documentary
on The Sound of Music additional DVD

And in other news: I'm developing a music-crush on Doris Day. Having found some tracks on Jazz Online I'm absolutely hooked. Have taken to dancing spontaneously in the style of old musicals on my way to work to the likes of Que Sera Sera and A Bushel and a Peck. Full, full appreciation.

Share the love here.

Choses que j'aime

2011-04-02T15:17:00.001+01:00

Things I currently love:

(* aside from pretentiously giving my blog posts titles in French)
(** and aside from typography)

1. Kinder Surprises

Image (originally posted by Fla/bloody solution) found at we heart it via tumblr

2. Crackly jazz recordings of musical greats from the 1920s-50s from the Open Music Archive and Jazz Online

Image of Ella Fitzgerald found here at last.fm

3. Moleskines

Image from the official Moleskine® UK site

4. Hats – cloche hats have a special place in my heart

Image from US Vogue, September 2007, styled by Grace Coddington, shot by Steven Meisel, via Pink Patent Mary Janes

5. (Re)discovering Hitchcock films – see my previous post

Image: still from DVD, Rebecca (1940)

6. Animating little stop-motion/stills movies

Image: from Boogie Shoes, a little film I made... of dancing shoes. As you do.

7. Chalkboards

Image from IKEA UK

8. Stationery

Image of Sydney in Staples Stationery via pedestrian.tv

9. Geek chic

Image from elle.com via The Fashion Worshiper

...Just read on IMDB that the new release of The Great Gatsby (2012), featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, will be directed by Baz Luhrmann! Hurrah!

Marcel the Shell

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

Found out about this phenomenal little dude yesterday.
Now 900% in love.

via YouTube.

Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and voiced by Jenny Slate.

Lent...

2011-03-28T22:21:00.001+01:00

So...

I gave up Facebook for Lent.
And Twitter.
And broadcast television.
And suddenly I seem to have endless evenings in which to...

Watch films.
And make films.

But mostly watch them.

Why, just this evening I watched The Virgin Suicides while doing the ironing when usually I'd be catatonic in front of two episodes of Home and Away.

Anyway... I've recently started getting into Hitchcock.
I took a modular degree in film studies (with writing) 13 years ago (weep) and maybe watched Rebecca and North by Northwest. Rebecca stuck with me, NBNW not so much... except for the well-known bi-plane over a cornfield scene...

So. A few weeks ago I had a sudden urge to go back to Manderley... and revisit Rebecca.

Mrs Danvers. Creepy as.
Rebecca led to The Birds.

Which led to Psycho.

(Which, call me flighty, shallow and missing the point, led to "OK, his name is now a buzzword for psychopathic, but is it wrong to find Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates moderately attractive, vulnerable and misunderstood?" O-K.)

But seriously. What is a shame about viewing Hitchcock's films, now, as a contemporary viewer, is that while it's perfectly possible to see how suspenseful they could be, and how clever, and how advanced the visual technology (in The Birds especially), they may not have aged well... or rather we have not allowed them to. We are so used to having our films spell out in graphic detail the extent of the horror that we are likely not to be shocked when the violence is suggested.

That said... The sound of thousands of cawing birds, and the manic flapping of wings... that is genuinely terrifying.

And in other spurious film news... I also watched The Girl on the Train on Saturday night.

Quick plot outline: Jeanne is in her twenties, living with her widowed mother (perennially fabulous Catherine Deneuve) and rollerblading through urban Paris. She is reluctantly pursued by the charming wrestler Franck, and leaves the safety of her mother's home to live with him. But when the relationship is blown apart by deception, Jeanne makes a play for attention by claiming that she has been hurt in an anti-Semitic attack. The nation -- and the president -- make Jeanne a poster-girl for victimisation, but a perceptive thirteen-year-old Jewish boy, Nathan, and his grandfather -- Jeanne's mother's old flame -- are able to see through her lie.

Probably not the most radical film to come out of France in recent years, but it has a dynamism and a fluidity aided by the scenes of Jeanne and Franck rollerblading.

Boot Fair Booty

2011-03-20T16:42:00.000Z

My blogging and diarising are falling by the wayside at the moment... too much else going on. *sad, bag-eyed face*

However, I made it to a boot fair last Sunday with my friend who was visiting from Spain, and for a £1, yes, ONE WHOLE POUND, managed to pick up this little beauty, a Polaroid 1000 Land Camera!

Also managed to pick up a mini slide viewer, an instructional book on photography, a cute red ASOS blouse, and two vintage advertising prints -- one from the 1930s, one from the 1950s -- but this was my major coup. I have no-o-o-o-o idea if it even works (and nor did the guy selling it) but it's so flipping cute, what's not to love? Will pay a visit to The Impossible Project to pick up some film, methinks.

Give me somebody to dance for, give me somebody to be!

2011-03-10T00:08:00.001Z

(Lyrics: Let Me Dance for You | Chorus Line, 1985)

Finally, finally, I jumped on the Black Swan bandwagon on Sunday evening having wanted to see the film for a-g-e-s; and I really rather enjoyed it. I'm not saying it was the best film ever made in the history of fabulous films but there was a certain intensity and vulnerability to Nina that was consistently believable no matter how outlandish her imaginings became.

There were some sublimely ridiculous moments that only felt acceptable once it was clear these were figments of Nina's shattering imagination; there were also some moments of profound clarity. The theme of control was dominant; Nina was excessively controlled by her mother, by the ballet company, and by herself, although her grip on that control loosened dramatically; ultimately the element of her psyche that had given in to the Black Swan was her controller.

Incidentally the casting of Barbara Hershey and Natalie Portman as mother and daughter is smart and intuitive; the two look alike for a start, and have the same stony fragility that would lead one to believe that Nina has been forged in her mother's image.

And here is a lovely trailer, gleaned from the Casa de YouTube:

Black Swan got me thinking about another dance film I love...

Staying Alive.

Yes, Sylvester Stallone's seminal commentary on... staying alive; the sequel to Saturday Night Fever; set five years on from Tony Manero's first, legendary outing.

(Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in this tribute is borne of genuine affection!)

(uploaded to YouTube by chakasmoothjazz)

This scene is fabulous (and here it's dubbed in Spanish, awesome!) -- let's disregard the fact that the same dance steps are performed in the film in sequence over... and over... and over... sometimes in slow-mo.

Things to love in this scene especially:

Cynthia Rhodes' casually archetypal 80s get-up at the start of the scene (that beret!)

Screengrab from DVD

The kitsch cityscape stage set (I wanted this on my bedroom wall, no joke)
The kitsch city jazz score
Finola Hughes' hair-dancing
The line: "Got any messages? ...It's an inside joke."

And earlier, the line: "Guys like you aren't relationships, you're exercise!" from this hardcore rock chick with her simu-sartorial friend:

Screengrab from DVD

This film = the reason I love the 1980s.

Tray tray cool et tray tray chic

2011-02-26T22:20:00.000Z

OK, so I had a little break, had a little think, had a little confidence boost from a friend and am resurrecting Amateur Eye with the proviso that I don't feel compelled to post gratuitously every other day!

So... a couple of weeks ago I made a trip to IKEA for... I forget exactly: I'm determined to undertake a massive framing/reframing project at home so I was looking round the framing department when I spotted these absochuffing fabulous postcards:

Kort postcards, designed by Maria Dahlgren

These are rocking my designer-wannabe world at the moment. I had to make a return visit yesterday (yes, to IKEA... I have a Problem!) to pick them up, to ensure I had them. Am planning to frame Stockholm and Göteborg as two cities I've visited.

And then! And then! By some freakish coindicence today I was Googling "apple mugs" to track down some foxy little graphic mugs I spotted in Stylist magazine months ago... and ended up on the Hus & Hem store site where, lo and behold, all I could see were Maria Dahlgren prints on trays and tea towels, like this:

London tray designed by Maria Dahlgren from here

I think I'm in love.

(Lyrics cribbed lovingly from: Tres Tres Chic | Mocean Worker)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2011-02-12T12:53:00.001Z

Top 10 Tuesday #6!

2011-02-09T20:23:00.000Z

Me (during the ad break in Glee): So... what should I do as my next Top 10 Tuesday?
Friend Caro: Adverts! Top 10 adverts!

Top 10... Adverts

I actually avoid adverts whenever possible so... I don't have many favourites! Most of these are from the dim and distant past; adverts I didn't hide behind the sofa to avoid!

In no strict order!

10. Ohhh-ohhhh, Vitalite | Vitalite

9. Lionel Richie | Walkers Crisps (I was looking for the ad, in Swedish, with Ulrika Jonsson but alas. This is still pretty good though!)

8. Creature Comforts

7. Fruit and Nut Case | Cadbury's Fruit & Nut

6. Total Eclipse! | Jaffa Cakes

5. Yeah! Yeah! | Phones 4 U

4. Wyclef Jean, I'm Arrestin' You... | Virgin Mobile

3. Secret Lemonade Drinker | R Whites Lemonade

2. Mr Soft | Soft Mints

1. If You Like a Lot of Chocolate... | Club Biscuits (The Wizard of Oz)

[Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by any of these companies! I just like the adverts. 'K? :)]

Friday Photo Day #5

2011-02-04T23:32:00.000Z

...And now for something slightly different...

I'm having trouble streamlining this blog. It lacks cohesion at the moment and I think it lacks any sort of conviction or 'voice'. I called it Amateur Eye, after all, so I'm never going to impart any words of any great, profound artistic understanding but still... I sort of want to scrap the whole thing and start again.

But... until that day when my much-needed cohesion is found: today's focus (notice how I blithely use the word 'focus' having just ascertained that this blog lacks any?) is... this film: High Art (director and writer: Lisa Cholodenko, 1998)

It's not a photo... per se. But it's filmed in such a way that so many of its frames could be a photograph taken by, say, Nan Goldin (whose life and work has influenced the film). (Cinematographer is Tami Reiker.)

The leads are mesmerising: Radha Mitchell as the wide-eyed but ultimately ambitious editor Syd, the fabulous Ally Sheedy as Lucy, a formerly celebrated photographer now struggling to find her own focus (waaait, I see a theme here) and Patricia Clarkson as her lover Greta, a once-great German film actress, with some of the best, most barbed lines in the film: "I'm Greta. I live for Lucy. ... I mean, I live here. With Lucy." ... "You know, Fassbinder always told me, the ugliest quality in a woman... is vanity."

Also worthy of an honorable mention: Syd's "boss", Harry (played by David Thornton). Vile, misogynistic, self-serving... ugh. Ultimately brilliant. The scene where he bluffs his way through a meeting with photographic ingenue Dieter Schult (Rudolf Martin -- Buffy's Dracula!), is contradicted by his glacial colleague Dominique and goes on to belittle Syd... just perfect. Art-world-power politics.

But I digress.

The soundtrack is also astounding -- written by Shudder to Think; it's trippy, sultry and transcendent. A perfect fit.

Thanks Day Thursday # 5

2011-02-03T23:12:00.001Z

From A Year of Thanks

#005

Top 10 Tuesday #5!

2011-02-02T22:39:00.001Z

Yes, I know, it's Wednesday. Tuesday disappeared into the ether with the same rapidity as two bowls of Ben&Jerry's Phish Food disappeared down my gullet. But here is this week's...

Top 10 Places I'd like to visit

10. Dublin, Ireland -- for the craic

9. Barcelona, Spain -- for the architecture

8. Chicago, USA -- for the film connections

7. San Francisco -- for a second time -- because it's fabulous

6. Giza, Egypt... -- for the pyramids and the camels

5. Sweden -- again -- because it's incredible

4. Hope Cove, Devon -- for writerly inspiration

3. Tokyo, Japan -- for the bright lights and quirk

2. Paris, France -- for the heck of it/photographic opportunities

1. New York, USA -- for the ~~shopping~~ experience

All piccies are from Microsoft except no. 4. I took that one. :)

Friday Photo Day # 4

2011-01-28T23:05:00.000Z

Lily Cole, photographed by Nick Knight
Vogue, May 2007

The colours. The birdies. Dymchurch. Lily Cole. Fabulous.

Thanks Day Thursday # 4

2011-01-27T22:10:00.001Z

From A Year of Thanks

# 004

Top 10 Tuesday #4!

2011-01-25T23:04:00.000Z

Well, I wracked my brains to think of a list of Top 10 somethings for today (not a good sign if it's becoming a strain but, I persevere) and the best I could come up with is...

Top 10 Current Obsessions and Passions (aside from 1 and 2, these are in no particular order...)

10. Stylist Magazine

http://www.stylist.co.uk

9. D.I.S.C.O.

8. Very strong coffee

photo by me, qb

7. Paperchase stickers

Paperchase stickers, via http://www.supercutekawaii.com

6. Brittany and Santana

Cancelling out the tedium of Rachel

5. Raw jelly

4. Vintage posters

via http://flyergoodness.blogspot.com/

3. My rock choir

http://voiceroxchoir.com

2. The 1920s

First edition cover

1. Typography (and typography humour)

via ffffound.com

Friday Photo Day #3

2011-01-22T17:21:00.000Z

http://oliviab33.blogspot.com/2011/01/ohhh-light-today.html

Olivia Bee -- from her blog. Girl got talent.

Thanks Day Thursday # 3

2011-01-20T22:26:00.001Z

From A Year of Thanks

# 003

qb

Top 10 Tuesday #3!

2011-01-19T18:59:00.002Z

Oh dear. Looks like I forgot to factor in Tuesdays as rock-choir night. Got in much too late to upload my Top 10 of Tuesday.

So here it is, a day late.

TOP 10 Slightly Suspect Idols and "Style" Icons*

10. Willow Rosenberg | Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Alyson Hannigan)

Willow had serious quirky style in Seasons 1 to 4 before she got jessst a little too confident. Pah.

9. Satine | Moulin Rouge (Nicole Kidman)

Dear Father Christmas,
If ever a fool decides to marry me I would like to be wearing this dress please. Ta muchly.
qb

8. Penny | Dirty Dancing (Cynthia Rhodes)

...And she's married to Richard Marx. New echelons of cool.

7. Daphne | Neighbours (Elaine Smith)

6. Scully | The X-Files (Gillian Anderson)

5. Sarah | Labyrinth (Jennifer Connelly)

Dear Father Christmas,
I would like this dress too, please. And a Goblin King to go with it. Thankseverso.
qb

4. Laura | Babies (TV Movie, 1990) (Dinah Manoff)

OK, obscuro mention of the week. But, it was the hat. I loved the hat.

3. Rizzo | Grease (Stockard Channing)

Bad to the bone. But dang fabulous.

2. Chris Randall | The Flying Doctors (Liz Burch)

1. Mildred Hubble | The Worst Witch (Fairuza Balk)

First. Idol. Ever. (Probably.)

Honourable Mention #1

Rayanne | My So-Called Life (A. J. Langer)

Honourable Mention #2

Emily | The Devil Wears Prada (Emily Blunt)

* Suspect, as many of these I admired for their complete absence of style, or very of-the-moment quirk. If you've ever seen my wardrobe you'd think I'd stolen these folks' rejects...

Sunday Miscellany

2011-01-16T21:02:00.001Z

I think I want to make this into a postcard, or poster, and flyer my flat with it.

Friday Photo Day #2

2011-01-14T23:55:00.000Z

It's Friday, it's Photo Day... and I'm loosening the brief to Picture Day. Because of this:

Alphabeasties.
Sharon Werner and Sarah Nelson
Published by Blue Apple Books

Rather in love with the camel on the left there, made up of several letter c's in a typeface called Egyptian Extended. I'd happily have this page framed, as a print.

The whole book is a conceptual introduction to typography through the familiar forms of animals. We discussed the flash cards at work a few months back, and a couple of the parents among us expressed concern that very young children wouldn't recognise the monkey as a monkey but... I'm not so sure.

Thanks Day Thursday # 2

2011-01-13T07:36:00.000Z

From A Year of Thanks

# 002

qb

Top 10 Tuesday #2!

2011-01-12T07:35:00.002Z

Yep, it is Tuesday once more, which means another fairly oddball Top 10 from me, qb.

Today's List of Loveliness:

TOP 10 Wedding Films/Scenes in Films

(Apologies now for the language in the clips that aren't trailers!)

10. The Wedding Crashers

9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

8. The Wedding Singer

7. 27 Dresses

6. The Wedding Date

5. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. | Phoebe and Mike

4. Three Men and a Little Lady | (pardon the language)

3. Romeo + Juliet

2. Four Weddings and a Funeral

1. Neighbours | Scott and Charlene

Friday Photo Day #1

2011-01-07T21:27:00.001Z

It's Friday, it's Photo Day, and here is my choice du jour:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliekucken/5100411981/

I'm not able to show the picture itself (the photographer has, rightly, protected it on Flickr) but do click through the link to see it.

It. Is. Mindblowing. I keep having to go back to it just to LOOK at it. This girl (Natalie Kucken) is seriously talented. All these photography wunderkinds, I dunno. Makes me weep a little.

Thanks Day Thursday # 1

2011-01-06T23:07:00.001Z

From A Year of Thanks

# 001

qb

Top 10 Tuesday #1!

2011-01-04T23:12:00.002Z

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

No, really!
No? Oh, OK then.

Here's the first in the series of Top 10s on Top 10 Tuesday and I'm starting wiiiiiith...

TOP 10 TUNES by iTunes Plays (not counting Christmas!) -- complete with Spotify link where possible!

10. Ecuador | Sash --not sure why this has such a high play rating -- was a power-walk tune on the iPod for a while; that may be why?) No link
9. Sitting Down Here | Lene Marlin -- just a very cute ditty about being ignored by the one you're after. Sigh... Lene Marlin – Sitting Down Here (Original Version)
8. Each Day Gets Better | John Legend -- I can't hear the Once Again album without wanting to write a screenplay, just to feature this song on the soundtrack. Laid back, loose and romantic. John Legend – Each Day Gets Better
7. Rise | Gabrielle -- from the Rise album. Often cited as having an introduction inspired by Bob Dylan | Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Rather gorgeous. One of my all-time favourites. Fact. Gabrielle – Rise
6. Sunshine | Gabrielle -- yep, from the same album, which I played almost on a loop in the winter of 2000. Gabrielle – Sunshine
5. Dearest | Buddy Holly -- from the Juno soundtrack. Very stripped-back and innocent. And the film is great: good 'n' quirky. Buddy Holly – Dearest
4. Back to Black | Amy Winehouse -- arguably controversial (:-)), but musically, sound as a pound. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
3. Diary | Alicia Keys -- just love the softness of this one. Also love the imagery. This before she went a little more crazy-hardcore with the Jay-Z collaborations. Alicia Keys featuring Tony! Toni! Toné! and Jermaine Paul – Diary
2. Forever Autumn | Justin Hayward -- from the War of the Worlds (apparently). To me, this is an anthem of the late 60s, early 70s (yes, I expect I'm way off with the date!) and just evokes autumn. Played this continuously last season. Justin Hayward – Forever Autumn - Album Version featuring Justin Hayward from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of "The War Of The Worlds"
1. All I Want is You | Barry Louis Polisar -- another from the Juno soundtrack. Also from this Lotto advert which made me smile. Barry Louis Polisar – All I Want Is You

Staring into space...

2011-01-03T17:11:00.000Z

...is something I do less of these days because who has time? But with the new 'work year' (and subsequently, official blog entries) kicking off tomorrow, this QB has decided it's high time to update her inspiration board. (I <3 Bank Holidays!)

Here are just a few of the postcards currently gracing my pin- and magnetised boards at the moment:

From the top:

Automat, Edward Hopper (1927)
'Camp' Coffee advertisement (date unknown but WWII era)
Le Jugement de Paris, George Barbier (1923)
Only Boring People Get Bored, Diane Bielik (unknown but picked up at university circa 1997!)
Dusty Springfield at the BBC flyer from the 1960s? 1970s?

It's a slightly mixed bag but Hopper and Barbier are there to indulge my slight 1920s fetish at the moment, following my purchase of a little black cloche just before Christmas. It's the little things. The Camp Coffee ad just tickles me, and the Diane Bielik print keeps me in check if I'm ever prone to complain of boredom -- a rarity now but sometimes it happens...

And the Dusty Springfield flyer is just a bit retro cool. Managed to wangle this from my mother who couldn't quite understand why I wanted it in all its orange/sepia glory.

Last night I watched The September Issue on DVD and am now coveting the September 2007 Vogue itself to see first-hand Grace Coddington's gorgeous (albeit edited-down!) 1920s shoot, elements of which can be found here on the Swing Fashionista blog, and shot by Steven Meisel.

So... what to watch tonight for inspiration? Hmm...

Oh, by the way... Happy New Year! :)

A New Year deserves a New Look!

2010-12-30T22:30:00.001Z

...Gotta love the new Blogger templates!

Well, I had a little time over Christmas to assess what I wanted to do with this 'ere blog. Over recent months where time and inspiration have been prohibitive in equal measures, I have used the blog as a portal only, to view links from the blogs I've been following.

But this amateur eye is not yet ready to close, ohhhh no! Instead, I want to take a more refined look at the things that genuinely catch my eye and post only the photos I deem worthy from my own collection. I'm also hoping to run another blog in tandem, focusing on the things for which I'm thankful (very much inspired by Lindsey at a GreatFull day and Nikki and her girls' Month of Gratitude on WhiMSyLove. These blogs particularly inspired me to take stock of the everyday things I take for granted when I'm too busy griping about public transport and feeling neglected to realise that I'm lucky to have a job to travel to, and that I have friends in the first place. And so on.

So A Year of Thanks will hopefully run alongside Amateur Eye, and feature on here as well in part.

The weekly (manageable?) "agenda" for Amateur Eye will look like this:

Tuesday: Top 10... (could be the Top 10 of anything in my weird little mind -- songs listened to in August, typefaces, actors of the 1990s, websites... anything!)
Thursday: Thanks Day Thursday -- a direct link to A Year of Thanks
Friday: Photo Day -- either featuring a photo I admire by a fellow blogger or Flickr-er (!) or one of mine

Let's see how it goes...

A White Christmas!

2010-12-26T10:47:00.000Z

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

-- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas/A Visit from St. Nicholas (Clement C Moore)

Blush.

2010-10-28T08:08:00.000+01:00

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted on here. A long while, dogged with a dying PC and too many photos to sift through (don't ya just hate it when that happens? ;-)!)

But … trying to get back on track with a fully functioning PC so please do come back soon!

qb xx

Not going to get preachy on ya but …

2010-06-25T08:07:00.000+01:00

This is how I've been feeling lately (evidently mixed in with shedloads of self-pity, natch):

Image from the notebook doodles

This quote, paraphrased from my vicar's sermon on Trinity Sunday, struck a chord with me, too:

"We each feel lonely when someone in whom we had invested hope of love deserts us or lets us down. Loneliness comes from the gaps in our lives that people don’t seem to be able to fill.

Listen though to these words from an obscure mystic quoted by Henri Nouwen

Don’t surrender your loneliness so quickly

Let it cut more deep. Let it ferment and season you,

As few human or divine ingredients can,

Something missing in my heart tonight has made my eyes soft. My voice so tender.

It has made my need for God absolutely clear (Shams al din Hafiz)"

This has little to do with photography or anything strictly amateur-eye-ish; it's just something that has been preying on my mind lately, and I thought maybe sharing it here would help me to get over it! Fr. Andrew also spoke about putting people on pedestals, which also helped me make a big decision that I'm now glad I made. A little cryptic, I know, but to cut a long story short, I nearly contacted someone I don't know (on Farcebook/Fakebook), on the basis of having spent my adolescence (and some adulthood!) misguidedly idolising them, or at least the person I thought they were.

Anyhoo. I'll be back soon… been editing wedding photos from my first-ever (maybe last-ever, who knows?) wedding! 830+ … It's taken some time!

qb xxx

Yesterday I Received...

2010-05-21T19:52:00.000+01:00

... my very own postcard from Jill @ Today I Saw! It's fantastic! I won't give too much away as to which p/c it was for personal security reasons but it cheered me up, nonetheless. ;-) I've been following this blog for a while now and jumped at the chance to receive one of Jill's hand-drawn, unique postcards. It's currently sitting atop my bureau, waiting to be framed as I want to embark on a huge framing project, at some point, and upgrade my chintzy frames to smart, black frames.

But for now ... thank you, Jill, it has arrived and I am really pleased and proud to be a recipient!

qb

Come Dine With qb

2010-04-25T18:24:00.001+01:00

One of my latest obsessions (which has overridden the obsession with How Clean is Your House on a Sunday afternoon) is Come Dine With Me, the Channel 4 series that profiles four or five individuals as they attempt to cook and host a meal for the other competitors on the show... Not sure I've described this very well so check out this site for more deets.

I am a recent convert of the programme, anyway, and as with most fans the biggest draw is the very funny, sarcastic voice-over-man, Dave Lamb. Barbed genius. Aaaaaanyway. I decided to attempt a new recipe just for myself last week and ... here are the visuals. Pork and red pepper spaghetti bolognese from Sainsbury's -- I was dang proud of the outcome. Tasted magnificent. ...Vegetarians: look away, NOW.

Springtime and blossom in Kensington

2010-04-25T16:31:00.000+01:00

For anyone who doubts my sanity in favouring early mornings ... here's a good reason!

A coupla shots from the Easter weekend ...

2010-04-10T14:20:00.000+01:00

Step on it, driver…

2010-04-07T07:33:00.001+01:00

Spotted at a service station over the weekend. Heehee!

Please may I have a badge maker of my very own? Please?

2010-03-30T23:03:00.001+01:00

I borrowed a badge maker from a work friend for the weekend and my goodness I had some fun with it, to the point of somewhat embarrassing regression. Seriously

Five days later and these (above) are what I have to show for my efforts with the stampy-cranky machine which looks a bit like this. The Space Invader badge (perfect for provoking violence on a crowded train...) is a bit off centre (OK, very -- and how squiffy is the shot itself?! Bad. Bad.).

But I'm crazily proud of my WORD NERD badge, and the Craft Queen badge I made for my pal at the owl and the party hat! Less enamoured of my b seen badge but it's a start!

Oh and ... I should explain that "Fit as Biscuits" is a very arbitrary expression that a friend of mine invented about five years ago and which I rather took to. Takes some explaining as I'm not sure biscuits can possibly be fit (in the way that, say, Dominic Cooper or Hugh Jackman may be) but ... anyway. It makes a quirky badge, and with it I plan to bring the expression to the masses.

eye owe you

2010-03-28T21:48:00.003+01:00

Love love love this picture: the fairy lights, the avenging-angel look . . . everything.

Photo of comedian Laura Solon by Jake Walters for The Guardian

I was inspired by this and by a feature in this month's Digital SLR Photography magazine to do my own. Some of them just plain freak me out. These are self-portraits so I've technically just scared myself silly... Click on the image collage to view.

Devon must be missing an angel

2010-03-28T20:22:00.002+01:00

Long overdue: a snapshot of a short break to Devon . . .

amateur eye've neglected you!

2010-03-20T19:49:00.000Z

Aargh, I've really been neglecting this blog. I thought I'd make it an homage of all things purty but there are plenty of blogs out there doing that very thing and so much better than I could ever do it so... I'm going back to my roots (!) and posting my own photos on here ever so often. I have a backlog from the last three months including some more seaside-y pictures, but I've also been creating this website and holding a family photoshoot to raise some money for charity and for more equipment, and also to build up ye olde portfolio.

There aren't enough hours in the day for everything I'd like to do but I'm working on that.

Love,

qb x

iLove!

2010-02-24T08:08:00.001Z

These two were playing sweet music to each other all evening.

Though I suspect Silver wasn't so keen on Purple's playlist which contains … a lotta cheese. Hence why he's not plugged in.

When I have a brand-new hairdo...

2010-02-21T00:54:00.000Z

...with my eyelashes all in curls
I float as the clouds on air do
I enjoy being a girl!

A little thought on "beauty". I know that even in the c90 years post-suffrage we're still flagging somewhat in embracing a more eclectic spectrum of beauty. Magazines (the ones with less integrity) are constantly citing female celebrities as 'hot', 'gorgeous' and beautiful -- and I sometimes wonder who set the standards these women have attained. This song from 1933, Keep Young and Beautiful, covered by Annie Lennox in 1992 (when you'd think we'd be more progressive, though let's hope it was covered with tongue firmly lodged in cheek) embodies all that is wrong about the perception of beauty: that only those deemed to be beautiful will ever be loved. And beauty by traditional standards does not embrace imperfections.

But every once in a while, no matter how we feel 80% of the time (and recently "dog-rough" has summed me up), the moment we invest a little me-time and embrace ourselves, we too can feel beautiful. Remember this Gap advert featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, from a few years ago?

I dunno about you but I think, much respect to SJP. This advert featuring the song 'I Enjoy Being a Girl' from The Flower Drum Song is fabulous; and she projects the kind of self belief that actually we could all do with every once in a while. (If you listen to the whole song you get the feeling it's all just a little bit sexist -- it was written in the 1950s -- but still quite sweet really!)

So in short: today I got my hair cut back into a bob. Admittedly a lot of the credit lies with my hairstylist but -- it looks cute, it really does. It's tidy, I have the fringe I wanted; and to celebrate I invested in some new makeup; just some mascara (Maybelline Falsies mascara) and lipgloss (can't remember the brand!) and some new jeans (Emporio de New Look) and feel, though temporarily, fabulous. So am now singing the verse above in my head just to pep myself up. :-)

Because even quirkesses with distinct noses deserve to feel gorgeous every so often.

(Of course I'm possibly one of the least photogenic folk I know so pictures of said hairdo on self are being vetted as we speak. Vain, moi? Non...)

A place, where nobody dared to go...

2010-02-19T22:10:00.000Z

Hmm, OK, I think maybe when I said I'd post about all the pretty things I'd come across, I should have added the words "darn kitsch" after "pretty". Having stumbled upon some truly beautiful blogs since I've been in the blogosphere, I know that what catches my eye is not necessarily pretty but sometimes a little weird and, yep, kitsch! Like this Official Souvenir Programme for... XANADU! Pretty darn kitsch indeed.

Not sure how I came by this but I suspect I picked it up at a film collectors' fair somewhere, back in the 1990s (when I still thought that Grease was the pinnacle of all possible films, and nobody could tell me otherwise). I watched Xanadu again the other day and was struck by how absolutely bad it is (to the point of being good, of course); how much of a vehicle it was for ONJ and how Gene Kelly, you know, Gene Kelly of On the Town and, yuhuh, Singin' in the Rain, got involved in this project! (One final ponderance -- Michael Beck? Where'd he go after he and his implausibly short shorts skated off into the sunset? ...Ah. "Diagnosis: Murder" and "Nash Bridges", according to my beloved oracle IMDB.)

I admit, I do love the film and I love the 'Whenever You're Away From Me' dance sequence in Danny's huge old house... Oh and the 1940s/80s fusion 'Dancin''.

And I'm now old enough to appreciate just how darn kitsch the whole thing really is!

Happy New Year from Amateur Eye

2010-01-01T22:45:00.002Z

. . . In the spirit of change, Amateur Eye will be shape-shifting in due course, and my photos will be migrating to a new blog until my photo website is ready to go live! Thanks for following, and big hugs and wishes for health and happiness in 2010!

Amateur Eye will become the home of links to pretty things I've seen in transit - photos, crafty bits, clothes, inspirations, that sort of thing!

quirky brunette

. . . and by the sea . . .

2009-07-31T23:05:00.004+01:00

Not sure I got the contrast quite right on that first boat picture but hey - trial and error.

Holiday snaps . . .

2009-07-31T19:49:00.010+01:00

It's been a while since I've posted on here, and I still haven't migrated to the new Mr Site, er, site. So for now - here are a few Moments of Sun, Cloud and Quirk in Shropshire.

Kasia and a splash o' colour

2009-06-09T19:06:00.004+01:00

The fabulous Kasia works a summery vibe with a hint of attitude!
Oh for a studio with proper white backgrounds!

Nikki in the church

2009-03-23T08:51:00.000Z

Three Nikkis! Composite created in Photoshop Elements.

Is it Spring yet?

2009-03-02T21:06:00.000Z

Nearly...
Chez parents again. As I have a paltry window box, and a tendency to kill anything with leaves, roots or petals...

Best Friend!

2009-01-31T22:25:00.000Z

Looking fabulous!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T16:09:00.000Z

So this was Christmas...

Snowflake light atop the piano on which my mother and I played the carols we've played since I was old enough to find Middle C!

Festive berries in the garden...

A tiny, engraved pebble in my parents' garden, which looks quite prophetic in the frost!

Alice in Wonderland / Doll Parts

2008-12-20T14:47:00.000Z

Thanks once again to my fabulous models, Faye and Kasia.

Kasia's shoot was inspired by Tenniel's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland illustrations - we tried to emulate Alice's poses in the original illustrations, so they could be superimposed. Kasia makes a soopa little Alice!

Faye's shoot was inspired by poseable dolls, including thisisblythe.com - Blythe being a doll more edgy than Bratz could ever aspire to be, and Faye out-edging them all!

Photos taken in a spare meeting room in our office, no less! Gotta love quirky black wallpaper...

Y Viva Espana!

2008-11-04T22:12:00.000Z

I was very lucky to spend last weekend up in the hills of Chulilla, nr. Valencia, Spain, at the wedding party of a lovely friend of mine who moved out to Spain five years ago. She and her husband are in the process of renovating her third house out there!

Chulilla itself is a tiny village flanked by hills and canyons but is remarkably picturesque - especially from the castle on the hill, and especially at night!

Here are a few choice shots for your delectation!

Above, Chulilla by day

Above, moody tree on the hillside!

Above, living on the edge

Above, a prickly pear! (10x macro, that old chestnut!)

Left, Chulilla by night!

Early autumn

2008-10-12T18:38:00.000+01:00

The leaves are on the turn - out with the camera!

Taken in Tonbridge, a town that is not usually this colourful! I varied a kit lens (18-55mm) with a screw-on macro lens (10x), and adjusted the saturation only slightly - for the most part the colours speak for themselves.

And the cobwebs are rather marvellous this time of year!

(left) bad berries!

ROCK CHICK!

2008-10-07T20:18:00.000+01:00

Time: A chilly Friday afternoon
Place: London's South Bank
Model: The Fabulous Faye, working a quality rock chick look despite the cold!

(left) The album cover!

Beside the seaside

2008-09-28T21:10:00.000+01:00

Monologue for a Sunday in September:

"What to do... what to do...

But wait! What is this glowing ball of fire I see in the sky?

Why... 'tis the SUN!

Right. Forget the housework, I'm off to the seaside, and I'm takin' the camera with me."

---

Brighton was certainly bright this afternoon - maybe a little too bright but the West Pier was looking decidedly sorry for itself in its derelict state. So I took pity on it and took photos of it in its misery.

And then, to ensure the fully-functional Palace Pier didn't feel too left out, I took photos there, too.

Flower power

2008-09-26T19:06:00.001+01:00

Some more shots taken in my parents' garden on an uncharacteristically sunny but dewy morning, with the 10x macro lens again, on an 18-55mm kit lens.

Megan

2008-09-09T20:22:00.000+01:00

Megan is another of my willing volunteer models (thanks, Megs!).

On a grey, drizzly day we drove to Priory Park, Reigate, to hijack the playground (what is it with me and playgrounds?!) and got some fun shots, before setting up in our church.

Unfortunately the light is poor in the church building so many of the shots I took were blurred, but a few were definitely workable!

Here is just a small selection.

How does your garden grow?

2008-09-03T22:07:00.000+01:00

These floral photos were taken in my parents' garden, early August (with a 10x macro lens).

I'm all about the frames at the moment...

Nikki

2008-09-03T21:41:00.000+01:00

Nikki kindly volunteered to be my subject in Redhill - not the most picturesque of towns but Nikki was very amenable, spinning round on a roundabout while I tried to capture motion blur (of course my ISO setting was too high at 1600 so the motion blur has been added in Photoshop Elements, which I'm still grappling with - live and learn!) and posing naturally, despite the dizziness...

Frames also added in Elements, using templates from Digital Camera magazine.

Faye and Kasia

2008-09-01T19:58:00.000+01:00

These two lovely ladies (Faye, left, Kasia, above) are my colleagues and were kind enough not only to pose like absolute professionals but also to let me post a few of their shots here on Blogspot.

I'm getting used to the manual setting (although being boss-eyed inhibits the ability to focus somewhat - that's my story and I'm sticking to it...) and I'm thoroughly enjoying taking portraits. The trick is, of course, having willing subjects, and Faye and Kasia are game for another shoot in October!

Below: with thanks to Digital Camera magazine's free, downloadable frames - that's what ya get!

Bella Toscana

2008-07-21T20:31:00.001+01:00

Just a few shots from a holiday in Florence, Italy, around the city, plus visits to Fiesole, Siena and Pisa.

Some of these shots are experiments with the hallowed manual settings. Early days but - good practice.

1) Santo Spirito, Florence, at night

2) Moon over Florence

3) San Romolo, Fiesole

4) Il Campo, Siena

5) Alleyway, Siena

6) Passage to the Uffizi, Florence

7) Florentine sunset...

Street and Studio Exhibition - Tate Modern, London

2008-06-25T22:05:00.000+01:00

Went to see the Street and Studio exhibition of urban photography at the Tate Modern today and it fired me up completely - made me want to sit in subtle corners and take countless photos of passers-by and pay the extortionate price of a permit to photograph the London Underground (maybe one day...)!

Do go and see the exhibition if you have a chance. It's quite pricey at £10 a ticket (some concessions) but the exhibition is generous and jam-packed, with photos of urban and street life dating from the mid-19th century to today. Some disturbing WeeGee images of corpses in New York City but also some striking Diane Arbus shots (Child with Toy Hand Grenade) being one of them.

Meanwhile... below are a couple of my shots of the Turbine Hall - a wonderful, vast industrial-size space, in this building that was previously the Bankside Power Station (hence the huge chimney).

Also - the BFI (I think!) on the South Bank - not sure what the steel structures are but I like them!

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/streetandstudio/default.shtm

Dancing in the Moonlight

2008-06-08T00:16:00.000+01:00

My quest for night shots continued this evening with a rather impromptu shoot at my friend's birthday BBQ.

I took most of the shots with the camera on a night portrait setting at a high ISO (1600) - here are just a couple. The motion blur adds a wonderful, surreal element to the pictures.

Night Fever

2008-05-25T16:38:00.000+01:00

I took the camera up to London last night with the intention of capturing a shot of car headlights blurring, a real city scene. Of course London is so saturated by light now that everything around the cars would be too visible, and the effect would be lost.

I did, however, take a few shots, a couple of which I'm posting on here. I took them without the flash, and at an ISO of 200. In September, when the fairground comes back to town, I want to recreate the carousel shot (but without protective fencing and tree obstruction) - this was my favourite. I'm hypnotised by fairgrounds, their hypnotic gaudiness, the excess of light, noise and motion.

Holland Park (again), Friday afternoon stroll

2008-04-18T22:44:00.000+01:00

(left) Waterfall, the Kyoto Garden, Holland Park

(below), close-up of budding plant

Holland Park, constant source of photo opportunities

2008-04-16T21:17:00.000+01:00

Taken before work on an overcast morning. The peacock was an unexpected surprise - and a real treat. "I'm ready for my close-up - check out my iridescent plumage, woman."

Long time, no blog...

2008-04-10T19:47:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I posted on this site, so I may have to make up for it! I've been experimenting with my 10x macro lens, which has produced some fun results especially with close-up shots of plants... Predictable, but quite quirky.

Here goes...

Take one beautiful baby...

2007-11-22T23:43:00.000Z

This is my best friend's 8 and a half month old son, Cameron.

For one so young he is extremely comfortable and inquisitive in front of a camera and photographs particularly well - he has a wonderfully characterful face and is very animated now. Gorgeous!

Sacred Places

2007-11-13T22:16:00.000Z

"Centring"

"The Good Shepherd"

"Virgin and Child"

Holland Park - the sequel

2007-11-06T21:05:00.000Z

Taken in Holland Park, Kensington.

My baby

2007-11-03T11:33:00.000Z

I have finally taken the plunge and invested in my first SLR camera: a beautiful, full-of-potential Nikon D40, with 18-55mm lens.

Over the next few months I'll be posting more photos on here and hoping that in time they improve.

Instead of posting details I shall try to let the photos speak for themselves from now on.

Moody Shots

2007-09-19T20:24:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of the shots I took with a black and white film - I'm learning through experience that lack of light = shutter open longer = wobble...

These two shots were taken in and around Holland Park, Kensington.

Ventures into the realm of SLR

2007-09-14T16:42:00.000+01:00

I spent last weekend in Devon, armed with a Canon E0S 300 SLR (film - that's a blast from the past) on loan from a very trusting friend. Lens was a 28-105mm with a 58mm Hoya Skylight filter. I had a lot of fun with the autofocus facility and this experiment has resulted in a back catalogue of 'arty' seaside shots.

Used 400 ISO film which in retrospect may not have been the correct one but - these are the outcomes and I'm pleased with them!

My grasp of light is a little amateur at the moment, but the camera picks up colour extremely well, so I got some pretty good shots, I think, for a first trial with SLR.

The Purpose of Amateur Eye

2007-08-03T19:23:00.001+01:00

I am trying to become a photographer. A better one, anyhow. I have an archive of photographs from childhood and adolescence and I see them as a back-up memory.

I'm currently working with a compact Olympus Camedia that used to belong to my great-uncle. Its facilities are quite limited - 2 megapixels, 5x digital zoom - but it's a start. I'm currently shopping around for a digital SLR but am not sure exactly what I'm looking for.

At the moment portraits are my focus but I also like to experiment with coloured filters (at great expense - ironed-out sweet wrappers seem to blur but they'll do until I can afford a spectrum!)

Here are a few of my shots. Many of them could really benefit from

a) a steady hand
b) different perspectives or depths of field
c) cropping

but this is a learning curve!

Amateur Eye

12 for 12 for February

12 for 12 (on the 21st?)

12 for 12

Here's to 2012...

Celebrations and Migrations

Salzburg Selections

Moving sideways. Sort of like a crab.

Change of Mood (Board)

The Original Glamour

Lose your dreams, and you might lose your mind...

Plus les choses que j'aime

And now, a segue into a sub-blog I like to call... Amateur Ear.

RIP Jeff Conaway

A Sea... of Me*

"Florals, for Spring. Groundbreaking(!)"*

Dies sind einige meiner Lieblings-Dinge ... *

Choses que j'aime

Marcel the Shell

Lent...

Boot Fair Booty

Give me somebody to dance for, give me somebody to be!

Tray tray cool et tray tray chic

**UNDER CONSTRUCTION**

Top 10 Tuesday #6!

Friday Photo Day #5

Thanks Day Thursday # 5

Top 10 Tuesday #5!

Friday Photo Day # 4

Thanks Day Thursday # 4

Top 10 Tuesday #4!

Friday Photo Day #3

Thanks Day Thursday # 3

Top 10 Tuesday #3!

Sunday Miscellany

Friday Photo Day #2

Thanks Day Thursday # 2

Top 10 Tuesday #2!

Friday Photo Day #1

Thanks Day Thursday # 1

Top 10 Tuesday #1!

Staring into space...

A New Year deserves a New Look!

A White Christmas!

Blush.

Not going to get preachy on ya but …

Yesterday I Received...

Come Dine With qb

Springtime and blossom in Kensington

A coupla shots from the Easter weekend ...

Step on it, driver…

Please may I have a badge maker of my very own? Please?

eye owe you

Devon must be missing an angel

amateur eye've neglected you!

iLove!

When I have a brand-new hairdo...

A place, where nobody dared to go...

Happy New Year from Amateur Eye

. . . and by the sea . . .

Holiday snaps . . .

Kasia and a splash o' colour

Nikki in the church

Is it Spring yet?

Best Friend!

Happy New Year!

Alice in Wonderland / Doll Parts

Y Viva Espana!

Early autumn

ROCK CHICK!

Beside the seaside

Flower power

Megan

How does your garden grow?

Nikki

Faye and Kasia

Bella Toscana

Street and Studio Exhibition - Tate Modern, London

Dancing in the Moonlight

Night Fever

UNDER CONSTRUCTION