for the love of dogs, travel and plant – based food…
Last week I did a shoot where my model, Isobella wanted to recreate a particular character. On seeing this weeks Photo Challenge, Inside, I thought some of the images I did on that shoot would be representative of the theme. If you’re interested in taking at look at other images from Isobella’s shoot, they can be viewed at jenniferhammerphotography
Once again, I had the pleasure of doing a shoot with the beautiful Isobella. This was quite different from our last (lingerie) shoot as Isobella wanted to recreate the character Ellie from The Last of Us, and enter the images into a CosPlay competition.
These are the results…
I’ve been so busy of late, busy trying to find a path in the road I travel. And in doing so, I’ve not found time to browse through WordPress and momentarily step into the lives of other wordpressers.
But that’s ok, they are still there and I like the idea that I can tap into their worlds, drink in their words, life and images, and in doing so, reconnect. That’s comforting.
I have however, had time to pick up my camera to shoot off a few images: a lingerie shoot for a friend who owns a boutique.
In doing so, I’ve taken the time to do what I love : and I love taking photographs…
Dogs can speak. Just as humans use sign language, I believe so do our 4-legged friends, but instead of using their paws, they use their ears. And if you take the time to listen to their ears, you’ll see they actually speak volumes.
With that in mind I decided I would write a post about doggy ear language. On deciding, I thought who better to demonstrate doggy sign language than my beloved Stanley? However there was only one problem with that decision: I needed Stanley to cooperate, but he was too busy sniffing, sleeping, catching a few winter rays or stopping to chat to one of his friends on our daily walk.
So please excuse the quality of the images, it was not an easy task to manipulate leads, IPhones etc to get that perfect shot. But I was persistent and did manage to capture a little of how his dogship communicates. Here goes, with a little caption ‘translation’…
And a final note: as Erica says; dogs definitely make everything better. ❤
My 15 year-old son Rob took his camera, his bike and his friend to the beach today: these are the images I found in the camera…
Yes I am a proud Mum, but I think his images are brilliant. And because of the ‘ripples’ he captured within his images, I felt they were fitting for Ailsa’s travel theme this week.
When settling into your seat to watch the flight attendant deliver the safety demonstration, have you ever thought about what life is like for that flight attendant?
Maybe you haven’t. Or then again, maybe you have. And if so you may have thought how they must truly travel in one of life’s fast lanes. Paris one week, Rome the next. Lazing on a Thai beach before curling up in fresh, crisp sheets on a king size bed in a 5 star hotel. Sounds like a dream right?
From someone who travelled in that lane for close to 25 years, it was life in the fast lane, or as we sometimes said, ‘we live the life of a millionaire, without spending any money – pretty much flying in a nutshell. Well the good bits anyway.
I enjoyed lagers in London, parties in Paris and slings in Singapore. And aside from enjoying the wonderful perks of a high flying job, being a flight attendant was also exciting, rewarding and at times, very humbling.
Sipping caprioskas whilst watching a Roman sunset is exciting. Watching snowflakes float amidst the skyscrapers of New York, before claiming the soil of Ground Zero as their final resting place, as did some 2000 souls on 9/11, is humbling. And seeing a child totally enthralled by the fact that you, the flight attendant have captured clouds in a teapot, is rewarding. (Dry ice + water = instant clouds).
But being a flight attendant can also be very comical.
For instance, try telling an Indian man that the sanitary napkin you gave to the woman sitting next to him was something he really didn’t need? My words were to no avail as his reply, with a swift roll of his head went a little like this. ‘No, I’ll be thinking you’ll be not understanding me madam, I’ll be saying that I’ll be wanting what she is having’ as his head again rolled from side to side. I repeated my words, but they were in vain for he seemed relentless in his pursuit, so in the end I gave up and gave him his much needed package, and as I passed it over I wondered just what he would do with the contents. On my next walk through the cabin, my question was answered. There he was, sitting ever so proudly, with a very large, very white sanitary napkin firmly placed across his eyes! He had peeled off the adhesive label and quite obviously decided that this strange white object was the latest design in airline eye masks. At that moment, between holding back fits of laughter, I was so thankful that he didn’t discover the little white numbers that were housed in the same package and decide to use them as ‘earplugs’.
Flying truly was a beautiful blend of the good, the bad and the downright ridiculous. And for those of you who have aspirations to try life in that fast lane, I strongly encourage it.
I lived in that lane for many years, and loved it. Then I began to question which lane was really the more important one to travel in, fast or family?
So now instead of sipping cappuccinos in Rome, seeing rhinos in the wilds of Africa and waking to the sounds of street hawkers in Singapore, I now wake to the sounds of my beautiful children starting the day and my beloved dogs panting excitedly and the prospect of going for their daily walk.
Yes, I was hostie and I lived in the fast lane and loved it.
Finding that quiet moment to escape the rigours of daily life. Or too many afternoon vinos.
Bliss.
Sometimes tough decisions need to be made. 
We weigh up what is really important and ask ourselves questions that require us to delve deep within.
What was I doing?
Why was I doing it?
And what purpose was it serving.
No purpose at all.
So I made a decision.
I am now following me.
Happily.
My son Max was studying in his room, the afternoon light filtered through his blinds casting strips of light across his hands.
My presence was not noticed, he was too engrossed in his music and study.
On seeing the Wild Weekly Challenge was B&W, I immediately thought of that afternoon when I captured my beautiful son in a quiet, contented moment.
I’m participating in the onlineadventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggersThis week’s Challenge is: Black and White!
Mountains: majestic, silent, protective and playful. I love them, their silent presence instils a sense of calm and I feel safe when bathed in their company.
For Ailsa’s theme this week I chose a collection of mountains that adorn the French and Austrian landscape. Their beauty a spectacular backdrop to my travels there with my 14 year-old son, Rob.
stanley & bear 