Morning sun

The highlight of last week was 'We'll Take Manhattan' (pictured below), dramatised events of the 1962 fashion photo shoot in New York for Vogue. This film depicts moments when fashion photography was revolutionised and transformed our view on fashion photography.

I have read a number of reviews about this drama, some of which were not that flattering. My favourite one is that David Bailey simply could not be the one to decide who is pretty enough (or not) to go to New York for a photo shoot . The drama certainly suggests David Bailey putting a condition that the model would be Jean Shrimpton or there is not going to be any photo shoot (or at least not by him). 

To be honest, I utterly enjoyed the drama no matter what the reviews say. Everybody knows that any dramatisation needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The underlying point is that such events happened and even now fashion photographers still celebrate these achievements. David Bailey's approach to photography was influential and brought liveliness into then 'stuffy' portrayal of fashion.

What I enjoyed even more was the document afterwards about David Bailey. What has stayed with me the most is his comment about his subjects. Apparently, if the models arrive having a good day, they photograph 'good' atmosphere. Similarly, if they have a bad day, 'bad' is the atmosphere of the photo shoot. What this means to me is to decide on my subject, determine its settings and focus on photographing this. (I have noticed that my pictures have been turning more and more towards snapshots.)

This is why I got up quite early on Saturday morning and set off to catch the morning sun in Kensington Gardens. I have to admit, I was a bit late. However, I still managed to take a few interesting morning shots.

If I was not certain that this is morning I would argue that both these pictures could have been taken during sunset.

Here it looks that it was really dark when in fact some ten minutes later the light of the day spread fully all around.

Indeed, these two images together with the intro one above were taken before, on my way to the park. You can see how much daylight had been around at this point.

I could not resist to capture the signature of morning on architecture - lights left on from the previous night.

Successful or not, I am glad I have done this exercise. To get up early on Saturday morning was strangely satisfying and the images I captured fill me with a certain pride. And all this thanks to 'We'll Take Manhattan' and a documentary on David Bailey.

Italian Gardens

It is January yet the sun keeps popping out from beyond the clouds. The crispiness that is created makes the days more alluring then ever I would say. Take the fountains of Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens opposite Lancaster Gate Station as an example.

When the sun hits such subject all you what to do is to stop and observe. You just want to soak this spectacular atmosphere.

Looking at the image above, one starts to wonder if this is really a water creation captured at the moment of a flourishing beauty or a glass installation instead.

Similarly, both these pictures taken 'in the moment' reveal such a perfection in motion. You can see the individual drops thrown back up when the masses fall down.

The Italian Gardens is a small patch of Kensington Gardens that is certainly worth visiting. If nothing else it is the combination of what water can become and the sculptures standing silently around that create such a backdrop of tranquility.


The Italian Gardens have been restored and the stonework cleaned recently; right in time for us to use it for its peace and elegnace. Therefore, see you there. Kx

Joker

After last week's outing to Podspálov I can finally introduce to you 'Joker', a project of last year. 'Joker' is a sweater that came about as a combination of patterns and colourful yarns around winter time. Take my word for it, 'Joker' is a warm sweater ideal for late autumn, winter or early spring. And it would definitely be the right decision to wear in Podspálov (shame I did not bring it with me then).


At this stage, I bring in Elena to explain the 'Joker' project. The fun aspect here lies in the two-sided design. As you can see above, the front and back pieces were created and joined so that the entire piece can be worn on both sides.

All I have to do now is to decide weather to have a red or yellow day. Either way, I used the rest of the red yarn to crochet a short scarf that pleasantly covers the area around my neck to keep warm.

Below is a rather picturesque detail of my scarf.

There is one more detail I want you to turn to. Both sleeves are touch longer and so for comfort reasons have not been closed at their ends. This way I can either fold them back when I work or keep them straight to keep warm. Therefore, both sleeves have quite stylish openings attractive to the eye and touch.


Warm and colourful, 'Joker' is a joy to wear. I have certainly received looks of interest every time I wear it. To be honest, 'Joker' is a rather pleasant variation to the grey/dark standards of London business crowd.

Podspálov

This rail bridge was built in 1938. This was my first image taken on an extended family weekend that we spent in the Hotel Pod Spálovem. This hotel is situated some 400m above sea level at a base of mountains called Jizerské hory. When we were children we used to spend a lot of winter breaks here so visiting this area now, as grown-ups, brought back some pleasant memories.

Look at these two cottages. I simply love their look; the synchronisation of colours on wooden planks, the skill with which they were built. This is a typical look and mountains are full of houses of such style.



One thing you should know about my brother is that he is a culture/walks enthusiast who together with his family spends every weekend on a go; tours, castle visits,... And even this weekend he did not disappoint. He took us on an originally 4km tour that ended up being some 10km long. Images below depict the terrain we intended to conquer.

To start with, we enjoyed hills, rocks, trees and springs.

Walking through such scenery felt magical to a moment when rain and snow decided to show us who is the boss here.

Soon after, snow took over and we were shown a white face of mountains.

Since it was getting dark and we did not want to be caught up in the middle of nowhere, we sped up and walked briskly back to the hotel that was still some 4km away. I must admit that coming back to this kind of plate was irresistible.

It has been two days since we returned home and everybody still feels some aches and pains. However, this experience was worth it.

Welcome to 2012