grounded

Whenever I gather with friends or family... I will reach for my camera, (more often enough it’s my iphone...) and photograph us together, feet on the ground.

I love how it tells the story of who is with me and where are are standing...

I know plenty of you out there do the same, I’d love to see your "grounded gathered together" shots, and if you’ve never done one before... why don’t you try one next time you’re gathered with your loved ones.

a happy place

Photo edited in RadLab.

This one of my favourite photos from our recent trip to NYC... my son leaping on the rocks in Central Park, I'm reminded of that happy place whenever I see it. I've printed it out BIG and it hangs in my kitchen so I can go back to this happy place when I glance at it.

Share with us today a photo of a place or time that makes you happy, and I'd love to prompt you to print it out, to hold in your hands, or display, so you can be transported back there when your eyes fall on it.

i love to jump

1. jump, it's my birthday, 2. jump, 3. jump, 4. 193/365 - i just like to jump, 5. 132/365 - bench monday - autumn sunshine, 6. bluebells!

I love to jump and leap...

I'm often drawn to take a jump shot if the location excites me... it almost demands it.

Do you like jump? have you tried it? I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea. But if you're tempted, why not have a go?

Here's how I do it - Place your camera, aligning the framing you want... fix your focus point... set to self-timer... move into position... and only jump when you see the countdown finishing, and just before the shutter releases, so you're in the air. Sometimes magic happens and it works. Sometimes you have to try again. It comes with practice and it's all about playing & having fun.

Do you have any jumps shots you'd like to share, we love to see them!

time capsule

As a photographer, I’m a memory gatherer... not just the big stuff like birthdays, weddings, holidays etc… but those everyday moments… the ordinary… the in-between moments… the little things we may not feel are that are important right now, but what we may look back on and realize were big things.

So I’ve been gathering memories, collecting the everyday moments in my life, and using video & photos packaged up into films and freezing that moment in time. I’m calling them time capsules. I know that time flies by, and what happens today, will be different to how life will be next year... in 5 years, 10 years and so on… and I want to remember the little things.

Today I’m giving away one spot on my first eCourse – Creating Time Capsules, where I plan to set you on a journey of discovery and inspiration so that you can make your own, delightful, memory-evoking time capsules... All the details are here.

For a chance to win, please comment below or show me a moment you’ve photographed… what memory have you frozen in time? big or little… something you would add to your imaginary time capsule.  

You have until Saturday 4^th Feb midnight PST and I will announce the winner in this post....

11.11.11 : part one : our morning routine from xanthe berkeley on Vimeo.

Updated - The winner is Mama-pan - Mary Frances Thank you to everyone who entered.

my monday word

Words... they’ve had a big impact on me this month... I’ve taken to writing them on stones and leaving them around the house... and I whisper the word as I pass by it. It may sound silly, but it’s really working for me.

Here’s the word I need today... calm... for a Monday, with a busy week ahead of work, needing to focus, and not get overwhelmed.... alongside all the life stuff that comes my way. I'd like to be calm.

What word do you need to whisper to yourself today? Please share with us today.