Baby Steps

I thought it was about time I filled you in on what has been going on since my last post. If I'm honest I have been having quite a hard week; I have a lot of work on, deadlines looming and I'm feeling rather deflated. Sometimes life just sucks the air out of you and you just drearily flop your way from one week day to the next. Yesterday was quite a low point. You see I found myself getting excited about a falafel sandwich from Pret a Manger. Quite frankly I could have made a better sandwich myself and I'm not even that big a fan of brown bread nor am I vegetarian, but for some reason the chickpea and falafel filling got me somewhat excited, so much so I took a picture for you all. Before you say it, yes I do realize that my days are starved of excitement at the moment but please do not pity me, I have a plan of action. Upon looking at this picture, I noticed a random, lonely basil leaf clinging for dear life, to the edge of the bread; perhaps this was an arty food metaphor for my feelings that day. Oh dear. (you can enlarge the image if you wish to take a closer peak at said basil leaf).

Anyway, what excites me most about this picture now is just how much I love my 50mm lens. It's my little photo friend; light, reliable and it gives me sharp images with great smushy backgrounds. It's going to be most jealous when my new 85mm lens joins our family in a few weeks. This brings me on to some exciting news in my photography adventure!

I assisted at my first wedding on Sunday! I, of course was not second shooting, as I am nowhere near ready, but it was a great learning experience. I was assisting for a photographer who unfortunately (for me) has an assistant already but needed a back up/stand in for this particular wedding, so of course I happily obliged! This was just a one off opportunity so I'm not sure when I will find more assisting opportunities (soon I hope!). However, I must say I am being a bit choosy as I really want to assist a photographer whose work I admire and inspires me.

One of the most important things I got out of this experience was a reaffirmation that this is what I want to do, that I love it with a true passion and will put my heart and soul into it. You see, there is something so special about a wedding day and everything it represents; two people in love who are committing to each other, the joining of two families, the pride of a mother and a father, the next chapter in two people's lives, the start of a bright future; of new families. It's a lovely and emotional feeling that sets the tone and atmosphere of the day and without sounding like a mature and cheesy cheddar, I really loved being a part of that. It was really special being at the brides' home while she got ready with her family; seeing her full of anticipation and excitement about what was to come. I'm sure as a photographer, it's a great pleasure to be invited to share those intimate moments, and if it's something that I am lucky enough to do one day, then I will never take it for granted.

Following the preparations we headed to the venue for the ceremony. I have to admit I did cry a bit during the ceremony; not only because it was lovely, but it also brought back memories of our wedding day and the rollercoaster of emotions that went with it. What I love most about weddings, is that unparalleled feeling of happiness and love from everyone that is there. There aren't many occasions in life when everything is so positive, uplifting and simply a celebration of two people and their families. It's most definitely a warm and fuzzy atmosphere and I love that. More than anything, I would love to one day be able to document these special moments with my camera and pass them onto others who will hopefully cherish them for a long time. I guess I'm in love with love!

On a photographic side I realised how fast paced and down right exhausting shooting a wedding is. There is so much pressure on a photographer at a wedding; they have to get all those key shots in limited amounts of time, and they must do so amidst an obstacle course of staff, guests and changing venues. But all that excitement excited me and I loved the fast paced feeling of it all. I can't wait for the time when I am ready to tackle a wedding; for me it has become a sort of personal Mount Everest to climb and I have a lot of training to do before I'm ready, but I am so very determined. With that determination comes obscene impatience. I am having to learn to take baby steps, not to rush my progress and my learning, not to expect to be great straight away, and to take my time (I will have you know, I say this with gritted teeth). It can be quite frustrating trying to find opportunities to assist at weddings and practice at shoots, so hopefully along with my hard work will come a dose of luck and good fortune. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

In keeping with my photographic excitement, here is my new Kelly Moore camera bag. Well actually it's a shooting bag with compartments for your lenses and camera body and it makes me most happy to have a bag which I can carry all my lenses in.

I have a lot of blog posts planned for the coming weeks with lots of photos along the way, so stay tuned!

I thought I would end with a recipe for a great way to roast chicken. Obviously I am not the inventor of roast chicken but I do find this to be quite a reliable way of roasting it and it's loosely based on a recipe for roast turkey by Jamie Oliver. I am partial to the dark meat and work to keep it nice and juicy. If there is one rule I live by: there is nothing worse than an overcooked, juiceless chicken. It's a most sorry and unappetizing sight. I have varied this recipe with different stuffings etc, but I thought for the first version I would keep it simple. If you are feeling at all animal friendly and aware, please opt for free range. Not only does it mean the chickens were much happier before they copped it, but it also means the meat will have much more flavour. Better yet, try organic; we weren't meant to eat antibiotics with our food (I am starting to sound like Jamie Oliver here). I have to admit, I don't always practice what I'm preaching!


Roast Chicken Fuller Style
Serves 3-4
1x1.7kg free range whole chicken
2 big knobs of butter softened
Handful of hearty herbs such as rosemary and/or thyme finely chopped
1 lemon
Generous handful of dried cranberries and apricots (or even one or the other, just chop the apricots)
Handful of whole garlic cloves unpeeled
Sea salt-seasoning is key!
Pepper
Olive oil


Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius
1. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen towel (this will help the skin crisp up)
2. Add your cranberries, apricots and finely chopped herbs to the softened butter and add a good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper (this will help the flavour of the meat)
3. Very gently put your hand under the skin and rub the butter over the meat. You can rub whatever is left over the thighs, leg and skin. Be careful not to rip the skin as it will peel back while the chicken is cooking-a back of a plastic spatula may help to loosen the skin
4. Cut a lemon in half and add this to the cavity of the chicken along with the unpeeled garlic cloves and even a few whole sprigs of thyme or rosemary
5. Drizzle olive oil onto the skin to help colouring and sprinkle with a good seasoning of salt and pepper
5. Season the inside of the cavity really well with salt and pepper
6. Cook for 1hr and then check the meat. I find chickens don't need as long as you think (this size will probably take 1 hr 5min or so). Check by poking the thickest part of the bird (generally between the thigh and body) and see if the juices run clear (holding a spoon under the juices helps you to see them). If very pink, put back in the oven for another 5 or so minutes, if only slightly pink remove.
7. Cover the chicken loosely with tin foil and let it rest for around 10-15 minutes. This is SO important in keeping it juicy and allow it to finish cooking.


Enjoy!


Feel free to leave a comment and I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xxx