Saturday 31 August 2013

50/50 project #19-29 (Photography courses Cheshire with Picture It Big)

50 days with a 50mm lens

On our recent holiday in Pembrokeshire I had loads of opportunities to do the daily 50/50 shot and managed to keep it going throughout. Where I fell down was getting access to my laptop and precious WiFi - the kids won out each time so I hardly posted any of my shots. So here they all are - day 19 through to day 29, each with a brief commentary. It's been fun looking back on what we got up to - what would we do without photos to bring back those precious memories?

Day 19 Coastal Flora and fauna
The amazing colours, textures and smell of the heathers and ferns on the cliff tops and along the coastal paths remind me so much of childhood holidays in the UK.

Day 20 Walking (sitting) on water
We tried to balance days at the beach with more active days and all absolutely loved Heathertons Activity Park. They even let dogs in so Ferb got to watch us on the zip wire, go karts, golf, shooting, zorbing and more!

Day 21 Pebbles
What is it about pebbles on the beach? Sam and Nic loved skimming them across the surface of the waves and Ferb tried pointlessly to retrieve them (dumb dog!), whilst Abi and I hunted out special ones and built towers.

Day 22 Rusty mooring at Porth Clais 
A morning's kayaking instruction for the kids led to us discover a beautiful little harbour just outside St David's called Porth Clais. It was very sheltered, perfect for learning how to kayak and with a tiny National Trust cafe it was unspoilt and quiet. Whilst the children paddled off into the distance we watched families arriving to drop crab lines off the side of the slipway and read our books in the warm sunshine.

Day 23 Rusty railings in Solva
Solva is a lovely little port (best seen at high tide) with a clutch of shops and galleries and a very nice pub. A restaurant called the Old Pharmacy had closed down since we were last there and was on sale for £295k - we were tempted!

Day 24 Catching some rays in cool shades
We soon worked out that the boys got bored sunbathing whilst Abi and I were happy to sit for hours and people watch at the beach. My little girl is growing up fast.

Day 25 Early evening in Porth Clais
We headed up the coastal path to a rocky outcrop for a spot of early evening fishing but I feared for Ferb's life as he leapt across the rocks, so I took him down to safety of the harbour. This time the tide was out and we walked along the beach where boats were moored high and dry, waiting for the tide to turn.

Day 26 Meet Philippe Phlop
Family holidays are great for forcing you all to spend time together and I really enjoyed the banter and jokes. I can't even remember why we named my flip flops Philippe Phlop but it stuck and had us in hysterics (almost certainly one of those times when you had to be there for it to be even remotely funny!)

Day 27 In search of Dobby
Dobby the house elf was laid to rest in the dunes at Freshwater West so we went looking for his grave (as you do if you have Potterheads in the family). We expected at least a sign post or a gift shop with a few bits of Potter paraphernalia, but there was nothing apart from a spectacular windswept beach and a top beach deli.

Day 28 Surf's up at Whitesands Bay
Following a day of strong winds and driving rain (the only one in 14 days) the sky cleared in the late afternoon and we headed down to Whitesands for a walk. The high winds meant that the waves were big and the surfers were out in force. I could have sat for hours watching the waves with the sun and wind on my face.

Day 29 Doggy days
Taking a dog on holiday can be a bit restricting - many beaches don't allow dogs in the summer, you can't leave them in the car in warm weather, they can't be left in the caravan for hours on end and you have to sit outside pubs and restaurants with them. But Ferb went everywhere with us and looked as if he had an amazing holiday with his humans. He swam in the sea with the kids, dug holes on dog friendly beaches or just lay down to sleep next to us - Nic even used him as a pillow when he snoozed on one beach.

If you'd like to see more pics from our Pembrokeshire holiday watch out on the blog over the coming weeks as I'm putting a digital scrapbook together.

If you'd like to learn how to take great holiday pics get in touch to book a workshop or one to one class with me. Details are on the Picture It Big website.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Friday 30 August 2013

For the love of dogs (by Cheshire Photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

You’re either a dog person or you’re not - no halfway house nor sitting on the fence about whether you like them or would have one as a pet. If you’re in the “don’t like” camp, you probably see them as loud, dirty, smelly, messy, unruly, destructive, slobbery, hairy, a restriction on your freedom and possibly even downright scary and dangerous. Non dog lovers (I won’t go so far as to call them dog haters - they just don’t like them or “get” them) are usually more forgiving towards cute little puppies. That is until they leave puddles and steaming piles around the house and garden! I suppose if you look at all these negatives then it’s surprising that anyone even lets these nuisance canines into their houses, never mind on sofas and beds (53% of dog owners let their pet sleep on their beds*)!

But with approximately 23% of UK households owning at least one dog, and a UK dog population of around 8 million**, many of us must be willing to put up with their less pleasant attributes, feeling that they are outweighed by the benefits of sharing our homes and our lives with a dog.

We had a succession of pet dogs when I was a child - Copper, Jason, Muffin and Penny (two boxers, a springer spaniel and a golden retriever). I remember Copper being a bit fat and old, but very gentle, Jason farted for England, Muffin would bite your hand off if you went near her when she was eating and Penny shadowed you everywhere. Following a long period where I had to make do with visiting my parents’ and brother’s boxers - Chloe and Basil - we finally found ourselves in 2007 in a domestic and work situation which allowed us to have our very own dog at last! I felt I was immensely well prepared, having come from such good dog-owning stock and without hesitation we decided to choose a boxer - well it was in the family after all!

However, we were soon to learn that having a dog around the house to cuddle and occasionally play horsey on (as a child!) is very different to actually being responsible for all its needs and training! Boxers are notoriously boisterous and require a lot of hard work and time to train as we found out.

It’s easy to see why the campaign “Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas” is necessary. Puppies are simply irresistible and it’s so easy to fall head over heels in love with every single one. We fell  for Daisy from the moment we saw her aged just 4 weeks. She was like a little pot bellied pig with wrinkles of super soft skin everywhere. Her dad, Tom, put his front paws on my shoulders and peed on me - I assume he was giving his seal of approval for us to take one of his babies away. We couldn’t wait until she was old enough to come and live with us.

She came to us in August 2007 and immediately became a huge part of the family.

Apologies to Paul O'Grady and ITV for nicking their phrase but it's so apt.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!



Friday 23 August 2013

The RHS Tatton Flower Show - by Cheshire Photographer, Jane Burkinshaw



Take one look at my garden planted haphazardly with plants that are probably ill-suited to the soil type, aspect or location and you’ll know I’m not a skilled gardener. Those flowers that thrive do so in spite of my efforts. I don’t even particularly like gardening, limiting myself to bunging in some bedding plants, pulling up a few weeds and doing a bit of dead heading, whilst sipping a glass of wine on a summer’s evening. I do, however, love sitting out in the garden, admiring my efforts and am often found swinging gently in the hammock, enjoying a latte or aforementioned glass of wine, depending on how low the sun is in the sky!

Whilst gardening isn't a great passion of mine, photography is, particularly close ups of plants and flowers. I’ve visited many of Cheshire’s beautiful gardens and lost myself for several hours, engrossed in my favourite activity.

One of the many glorious show gardens - I love the quirky ones!



Going to the RHS Tatton Flower Show is an un-missable opportunity for me to indulge in my love for flower photography, enjoyment of other people’s hard work in creating beautiful outside spaces and, of course, some retail therapy. And did I mention drinking Pimms in the sunshine and nattering with Debbie, my sister-in-law? A day at Tatton isn’t always this idyllic – we’ve stood like drowned rats in the entrance to the floral marquee and fought vicious battles with pensioners over free tables and chairs in the sheltered eating areas.

But this year’s visit on Friday 26th July was absolutely perfect, with wall-to-wall sunshine guaranteed. The newly invented Ladies’ Day inspired us to switch jeans and crocs for sandals and frocks (neither of us do posh hats, we haven’t got the right kind of heads) and we set off on our grand day out in the Cheshire countryside.

Propping each other up!
Ladies day for young and old
One of the things I really love about our annual visit, aside from the awe inspiring gardens and floral displays, is that it is a wonderful place for endulging in people watching. I have a hypothesis that you can break down the visitors to Tatton into four main types (forgive me, these are a bit tongue in cheek):

The stalwart RHS members who take their gardening extremely seriously, as evidenced by their sensible walking shoes, rucksacks, picnic lunches, thermos flasks and those walking sticks that become little stools.


The Cheshire Set – posh summer frocks and big handbags, 3 course luncheon reservations in the formal dining room and jugs of Pimms in the afternoon. Ladies Day gave them the excuse for even posher frocks and big hats this year.



Weekend gardeners – that’s us! We’re there to enjoy a day out admiring the show gardens, pick up a few plants that are unlikely to see another season and buy some totally useless garden gadget. I’ve been known to arrive home with a rake that no one could use and a very expensive blender that is only ever employed to make smoothies these days.


And finally the photographers (me in spirit) who are focused (!) solely on capturing shots of the abundance of beautiful plants and gardens. Almost every visitor to Tatton has a camera in some guise but I’m talking about the true enthusiast or pro with cameras and bags hanging off both shoulders.


I would love to visit the flower show twice each year, once as a browser, shopper and sipper of Pimms and then again a second time armed only with my camera and a zoom lens. I’ve managed to combine both needs each year on one visit but I have to strike a compromise to ensure that Debbie wants to come along with me the following year!


This year I stood near the exit just before the show closed - in the lovely low slanting sunlight of early evening – and enjoyed watching people leave, dragging behind them trollies full of bobbing flowers, carrying long pieces of twisted metal trellis, occasionally smart designer carrier bags (the posh ones with string handles) and some just with a single plastic bag containing a few much sought after plant specimens. I think everyone leaves at the end of the day with a smile on their face (aching, possibly soggy feet aside), for there’s something very uplifting about being surrounded for a day by nature’s bounty. With bees buzzing around flower heads wherever you turn and butterflies flitting from one bloom to another it feels like a little bit of paradise, pure escapism for a day.


But not everyone loves Tatton!
This blog was  originally published on the Cheshire Life website. I've included more pics here.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!





Wednesday 7 August 2013

50/50 project #18/50 Simple fun (by Cheshire portrait photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 18. Simple fun

50 days with a 50mm lens
This little girl was playing in the shallows with a boat she had built using a piece of polystyrene and a stick, pulling it along on a piece of string. I watched her play for a while and then wandered back to the pub where my two would no doubt be fighting over who could play Doodle Jump next. I passed a family of four playing pooh sticks off the bridge and was tempted to advise them to make the most of it, as such simple fun wouldn't keep them occupied in years to come.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

50/50 project #17/50 Surfing (by Cheshire childrens photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 17. Surfing

50 days with a 50mm lens
The kids are old enough to play in the surf on their own now but I still feel the need to check on them periodically (at the end of a chapter in my Asa Larsson Swedish crime thriller). It's a challenge to pick out your own children out of all the silhouetted, wet suit clad kids throwing themselves fearlessly onto each wave. I cheered a boy in a black and red wetsuit as he caught a wave and rode towards me. As I gave him an exaggerated thumbs up I realised with some embarrassment that it wasn't Sam.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

50/50 project #16/50 ...and relax! (By Cheshire photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day16. ...and relax


50 days with a 50mm lens
After a marathon 6 and a half hour drive down to Pembrokeshire dragging our shed (caravan) behind us, we finally got all set up and felt as if we were on holiday. The caravan site is beautiful, just one mile from the beach and we are looking forward to exploring after a good night's sleep. That might be interesting as there are about a hundred very noisy crows flying from tree to tree on the edge of the site and they are making an almighty racket! Still nice to listen to as the sun sets and I sip a cold beer.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Sunday 4 August 2013

50/50 #15/50 Keep calm it's onesie time (by Cheshire children's photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 15. Keep calm it's onesie time

50 days with a 50mm lens

Abbie and I found this onesie today (bargain at £7.99!) and fell in love with it - pity they didn't do my size - or maybe a blessing? Still really want my own onesie before they've gone out of fashion!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

50/50 Project #14/50 Distressed denim (by Cheshire Photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 14. Distressed denim

:50 days with a 50mm lens

Technical stuff: Canon 350D, 1/800, f/2.5, ISO 100 Aperture Priority

After Sam's mud bath yesterday I rinsed his jeans off with the hose and left them to drip dry on the line. They are now as stiff as cardboard!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Friday 2 August 2013

50/50 Project #13/50 No more pictures! (by Cheshire children's photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 13. No more pictures!

50 days with a 50mm lens
This is what happens when I take pictures of my kids nowadays! They'll appreciate me one day. We were at Manley Mere adventure trail where it's a bit muddy after the recent rain...

(I think they were both doing victory V signs at me  but one of them got confused with doing it backwards!)

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Thursday 1 August 2013

50/50 project #12/50 New Converse! (by Cheshire photographer Jane Burkinshaw)

Day 12. New Converse!

50 days with a 50mm lens
Technical stuff: Canon 5D, 1/160, f/2.2, ISO 100, manual exposure

Abii has been waiting an age for these to arrive - a very late birthday present. They are custom designed and say "POTTERHEAD" up the back, homage to her love of all things Harry Potter / Daniel Radcliffe related.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!