New York - Fisheye 4

For the last in the New York series I've included a few more favourite fish eye pictures. The time I spent in New York was so encouraging to me, not least because it was my first experience of waking up in the morning with the thought that "Today I need to go and take some pictures". That thought was a little scary at first but once the pictures started coming it was a challenge that I relished.

New York - Fisheye 3

While I was in New York I hired a fisheye lens for my camera. I got a special offer because it was Labor Day, or Yom Kippur, or both...I don't remember. Either way, I got 5 days for the price of 1, so it was a good start.

I [heart] fisheye.

Honestly, for urban photography, it's amazing! You can really concentrate on your foreground but keep the background visible. You can take a photograph that shows the view down two streets that are at right angles to each other! You can get close-ups of strangers without them realising that you're taking their picture! More than anything though, the wide, wide angle lets you fit more picture into the same space. I no longer had to choose to show people or buildings, I could show both, and do them justice! I could take much wider cityscapes (which are more interesting than general panoramic shots in my opinion). I had SO MUCH FUN with the fisheye lens!

That's probably enough words, here's a couple of shots:

New York - Black & White Street Photography 2

It's been a busy little while and blogging has, once again, fallen by the wayside. I am now returning to finish this series and follow it up with Iceland!

It took me a few shots to get this photo, trying not to alert this couple on their walk through central park that they were being followed and snapped by a random stranger! I'm happy with the result: soft focus, soft light, lots of leaves on the trees and two people just being together.

Mirrors are always great for seeing the world in a different way. This photo brings out for me the less glitzy, very ordinary side of New York life. It's not all about glass skyscrapers, there are second-hand stores with mirrors propped up outside and push bikes and there is space in the busyness, even if you can still see a taxi rushing past.

New York - Black & White Street Photography 1

I put up a bunch of my New York photos on Flickr the other day (Click the image below to go to my Flickr). While I was there I had the opportunity to try out a few different photography styles. One was street photography. I went mainly with black and white shots because my coloured shots tended to come out looking quite confusing. I think it's partly a composition thing and partly just because in a big city, there is so much going on, that it can be difficult to capture just one thing at a time. I found b&w helpful in drawing attention to the things I wanted to draw attention to.

This shot was taken just outside the Fashion Institute of Technology. SUCH a great place to go people watching in the city! I became comfortable with out-of-focus shots while I was in NYC and love the softness of this particular one. The tree is obviously young, but perspective makes it seem tall compared to the girl sat on the wall. To me, the bike, tree and girl all seem quite vulnerable but like they've found a safe place to just rest in the midst of all the activity.

As I look through my shots of New York, I see an appreciation of the scale and movement of the city, but alongside that, constant reminders that the skyscrapers are only context. It is the individuals, their stories and their struggles, which really make the city what it is.

All the virtues so necessary
Love to live well in the moment
Hope & Faith to spur me on to something more
and constantly Patience
knowing that waiting
even restlessly
is better than settling for now
simply for the sake of permanence
which my immortal self already has
and my mortal self never will.

August, September and Photography

I just had a look and it was January when I posted my last bonafide blog entry. I am now back from Spain, it was hard work but I got through it with a 77.73 average which I reckon will convert to a 2.i so happy days!

I am currently trying to sort through all the stuff I own (it seems to have multiplied while I was living overseas), storing, throwing out and finding place to put it all. I am also working on my dissertation. Currently, I'm writing my academic context chapter although I haven't got very far just yet! I will be looking into the creation of 'local' food brands, using a specific case study. I like to tell people I'm writing my dissertation on ice cream. So August is looking promising; working on my dissertation, organising all my stuff and seeing friends (not to mention a wedding or two and maybe even a camping trip in there somewhere).

As for September, I have been really, really blessed! I am travelling to New York to stay with a friend, visit galleries and take photographs (I got a gift of some unwanted travel vouchers and a grant from my university to do this). Later in the month I am heading to Iceland on a physical geography field course which I am not being assessed for, so I get to do all the field work and seeing Iceland with none of the worrying about my grades.

I am so looking forward to the photos I will take on both trips and trying to figure out just how much photography equipment I a) need b) can afford and c) can fit in my luggage (who needs more than 1 change of clothes for a week anyway?!) Both these trips should give me opportunities to take some great photos and I'm hoping to have a portfolio that allows me to really contrast these two very different landscapes.

In other photography news, I did my first photoshoot a few weeks ago. I took some engagement pictures for my roommate and her fiancé and I've put some of the best on Facebook. Hopefully I'll be doing a shoot for another friend and her fiancé sometime soon. Portrait photography is a little nerve-wracking for me, but good fun!

I [heart] cameras!

I'll see your photo of Ladybower reservoir



...and raise you two inches of snow

I know it's not easy for you...

"I know it's not easy for you to study in another language..."

Now just why is it that my first response when my friend said that to me was a twinge of hurt pride? I have got to get over this so here it goes,

No, it is not easy for me to study in another language.

I'm not looking for sympathy (I chose to come here and it's a brilliant opportunity and learning experience), I just think that maybe saying public that yes, I'm struggling, would be a good thing right now.

I'm used to being the person who understands everything in class and just knows what to write in essays etc. I'm also used to being the person who gets their work done, with an amount of natural motivation.

Here though, I don't understand everything in lectures (although I understand a lot more now than I did at first), I am regularly unsure of what is expected of my work and I seem to spend more time trying to motivate myself than actually doing any work.

But...I am learning new things. I'm not convinced that situations like this, where you are stretched to the point of being unable to measure up, are necessary for growth, but I am convinced that such situations are catalysts.

This year was never meant to be easy and no, I am not finding it easy. But I will continue trying knowing that the success will be in my attitude far more than in my grades.

Escape!

I quite like action movies and tv series. Especially if they have little comedy thrown in. Chuck is a current favourite. Anyhow, a couple of months ago I was thinking about how, in such shows, people often escape by climbing out of the trap door at the top of a lift/elevator.

So, I have made a habit looking at the tops of lifts I go in (what else is there to do in a lift anyway?) and so far, I have only found one that lifts up when you push it. Sadly, I was only going down one floor and was in an airport, so couldn't invistigate it further.

Please let me know if you have ever successfully escaped from the bad guys/the police (depending which side you're on) by climbing out the roof of a lift and how you did it. Thanks very much.

Oh, and happy new year!

A pinprick of light

A pinprick of light. You flew millions of years, avoiding asteroids and planets, meteors and black holes. Racing, racing to be here at precicely the moment where, in the shadow of my sun, I will glance so briefly and you appear in the corner of my view and fill my soul with awe. The purpose of another planet's renegade sunbeam.

Wordle

Click on the Wordle to make it big!

I just found this cool website, www.wordle.net (via www.twitter.com/therebelution) that'll make a cool graphic (like the one above) from a block of text or link that you give it. I made this by putting in the link to my blog.

I actually made one from my twitter first, but didn't like the words it came up with, and figured since the bulk of my blog is from my time on DTS, I might get something that looked a little more meaningful.

In fact, these 'wordles' challenge me. Do these words reflect my life? If they do reflect my life is that a good thing? It's great that 'God' appears as the biggest word here, but His name didn't appear at all on my twitter one. A lot of these words define themes that resonate with me (as I would hope coming from my blog!) it's interesting to see that concepts like 'time', 'want', 'witnessing', 'nervous' and 'encouraged' all appear. I don't think this goes by exactly how many times you use a word (there's a typo in there that I'm sure I haven't made that many times!). Anyway, I thought it was fun and looked cool.

Current Playlist

First Day of My Life: Bright Eyes
Broken Strings: James Morrison

Don't you love it when bloggers come back from a long silence with something short and seemingly insignificant? If there's any readers left out there...much love...I'll try and write again soon. Blessings!

Encouraging

I'm aware last week's post was a little on the down side. I truly have a much more positive outlook this week...my exams are over, I'm back at work and just generally looking forward to summer and looking forward to moving to Spain!

I just wanted to tell a little story. As the title of this post suggests, the story is one that encouraged me. Basically, yesterday someone told me that becoming a Christian changed their life and was a defining point in their making a career change into a career they'd always wanted but thought might be out of their reach or too stressful.

To be fair, it's not that unusual for someone to tell me that becoming a Christian changed their life. God changes a lot of lives and I know many people whose lives have been changed even quite dramatically by meeting Jesus. What was unusual in this case was that I had only just met this person and (unless God told them) they didn't know that I was a Christian. The comment he made was completely within the context of our discussion, simple and very honest.

I really felt for him in that moment because I know, for me, when the opportunity comes to share something like that there's so many mixed feelings - I'm excited, I'm praying silently, wordlessly, that I won't mess up, I'm nervous and often tongue-tied. I often feel very vulnerable in that moment because I have seen the times when the glaze comes over people's eyes or they don't want to speak to you anymore. That doesn't make me not want to share, but it does make me nervous and very aware that I just have to trust in God to look out for me.

But at the same time, I was encouraged. I still love to meet other Christians because it doesn't happen to me all that often outside of churches or church-related events. I was also encouraged just to see someone quietly sharing their faith - witnessing to the change God had made in their life and glorifying God when they could have easily left Him out of the story.

I'm praying that God will continue to work in me so that I can witness effectively to people I meet. At the moment I am praying about witnessing, rather than evangelism, because to me, witnessing is more about saying "I saw God do this" whereas evangelism is more specifically about sharing the Gospel with people. Both are great things to do and I do want to do both. Today though, I'm thinking about witnessing, and how I can share what I've seen and experienced God doing with christians and non-christians alike, to the glory of God. I don't have the answers, but I'm trusting that God will, bit-by-bit, build me up in this area.

Looking back on a year

I was a little unsure whether to write this post today, as the anniversary of my DTS graduation or on Tuesday, after I officially complete my first year of university by taking my last exam. I went for the date that's closer to my heart...

I can't believe it's been a year since I graduated, it feels like no time at all because my time in Australia continues to be in the forefront of my mind. Often though, it's not the lectures from DTS that stay with me as much as the community, the friendship and the time I spent with God over there. In all honesty, I miss being with YWAM so much. But that doesn't make me want to go back, because I don't believe this is a season for that.

University is a struggle for me in many ways. The learning style of university doesn't seem intuitive to me and I struggle to enjoy doing my work even though I find the subject interesting. The main issue I have with the work is the lack of interaction with others - I'm a social person and a verbal processer...I even enjoy watching TV more if I'm with someone else! WI'm doing the work to get a degree. I want a degree so I can get a better job, not neccessarily better-paid, but one that will allow me to use the talents I do have to their fuller potential. Sometimes I question that motivation but I only had a finite number of options and this was the best one at the time and it still is. I am interested in my subject, I have parents who support me personally and financially in persuing my education, I get to spend a year in Spain as part of my studies...I am truly blessed. And I am thankful.

So I try to make the most of it, remembering that sometimes the journey isn't all that fun, but I'm moving forward, and none of my other options would really mean moving forward. And then also remembering that actually, parts of the journey are great fun, even now.

In a couple of months time I get to move to Spain to study in Granada for a year. Again, this terrifies me, but also is exciting and an opportunity to face a challenge I really want to face - living & studying in a foreign language. One of my biggest hopes for this time is that I'll find the joy in the situation more than I have done this year, that it won't just be a challenge to be completed, but a season to be enjoyed.

I've not had a bad year, not by any stretch of the imagination. But remembering that the previous 12 months included doing the best job I've ever had followed by living in Australia and being a missionary for 6 months, it was going to be a struggle to match that!

So...here's to 09/10 and thanking God that He will continue to give me His joy, and His joy will be my strength!

Quit Project 365

That's right. I have officially fallen off the wagon. I've not stopped taking photos, I've just decided to go back to my old style of hobby photography which is to take no photos for a while then take lots all at once. It's what suits me. It's what I enjoy doing. I got to the point where it became a chore and I wasn't pleased with the results - there were too many half hearted images which I only took to tick off another day on the calendar. I still love the idea of 365 so maybe that'll happen one day, but 2009 was clearly not my year.

The photography continues...

Rising from the dead?

Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you're free to talk." They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth "rising from the dead" meant.
Mark 9:9-10 (The Message)

To me, this passage sums up perfectly the disciples inability to understand as Jesus prepared them for his death and resurrection throughout his ministry. It makes me aware of some of the times I've done the same thing - failed to comprehend what God means because I'm failing to believe what He's actually saying. I know I do that sometimes, and I wouldn't be surprised if I do it more often than I realise.

He is risen indeed! Happy Easter (again)!

Hot Drinks

I've recently got involved with a ministry to the homeless once a month. The basic idea is to take hot drinks and snacks to Big Issue sellers in the city centre on a Saturday morning. (For those that don't know, the Big Issue is a magazine sold by homeless people in the UK and various other countries to earn money).

I LOVE doing the project so much!

It's a simple idea and it doesn't take long, but it's great to be able to offer something to these guys (it's mainly men, but a few women). It's also good to just hear their stories and be reminded of the problems of poverty even in our own affluent society.

Today, we also got talking to a young mormon missionary, which was pretty interesting. He's just moved to the city and doesn't really know his way around yet. There's a chance we might be seeing him again, which would be cool.

Has anyone else ever noticed that when you go out with the intention of just meeting a simple need and talking to people, walls just seem to break down and conversation comes so quickly? And, with it being Easter, what a wonderful thing to know that Jesus has brought new life for each and every one of us! I'll be praying that the people I met today experience this new life with the God who created them and loves them so much.

Happy Easter & God bless you!

Twitter

Some people don't 'get' Twitter. I love it. It's basically the status function of Facebook with a 140 character limit per post. My twitter is on the side bar of this blog and as you can see, I post there more often than I post here! I haven't given up on this blog though, sporadic as it has undoubtedly become I will be posting again.

CADBURY DAIRY MILK GOING FAIRTRADE!

I am very excited about this.

Linkage (and more)

Cadbury are the first major chocolate company to provide a Fairtrade product. Not only that, but they are doing it by switching their flagship Dairy Milk bar. Certification should be reached by the end of summer this year.

I don't need to point out what a major milestone this is in the journey of seeing the end to modern day slavery. The cocoa industry is one that has been implicated time and time again in use of forced labour, child labour, poorly paid labour. Cadbury's decision to switch this one chocolate bar to Fairtrade will triple Ghana's Fairtrade cocoa market!

Furthermore, it is proof that consumer power really does make a difference, and a massive opportunity for consumers to put their consumer power into action. From the end of summer this year, almost every corner store, petrol station etc. etc. in the UK and many more across the globe will be stocking a Fairtrade chocolate bar. So here is my challenge to all (3) of my blog readers: If you haven't already - go Fairtrade, and challenge others to do the same. Stop buying any chocolate bars that are not Fairtrade. If the public get behind Cadbury on this, it won't be long before the other chocolate companies have to follow suit.

I think I've mentioned on this blog before that I don't see Fairtrade as the whole answer to the problems in the chocolate industry. For starters, it requires a very different production set-up than the one used by many chocolate manufacturers. But, at the moment it seems to be the best thing out there, though I'd be interested to see if the Rainforest Alliance is chosen as the certification of choice by any of the others.

Either way, this story encourages me afresh that things really can change. We can see the end of the constant injustice and oppression suffered by many around the world, injustice and oppression that so often occurs to provide us with cheap luxuries. Things shouldn't be that way. They don't have to be that way.

Bird on a chimney