Winter Essentials

Winter is that time of year where Christmas is around the corner but so are deadlines and cold weather. Every year I pray for snow then regret it as soon as it falls and turns into sleet. 

I have put together a few things that I literally cannot survive winter without. My Winter essentials. 

I don't know about you but my skin gets so dry in winter so a good moisturiser is vital to keeping my skin baby soft during the harsh cold and wind. The one I have been using basically all year is Simple's cleansing lotion, I honestly love it, I put it on before bed and when I wake up.

A dark lip is essential to winter! This one was kindly given to me by my friend Beth Richardson as a "i'm visiting you at uni" present which was sweet and I wear it practically everyday.  Kiko - Intensely Lavish 06

 I mean... is it really winter without a cinnamon candle? I think not.

This Cinnamon Maple (Amy if you're reading this, I now know how to say it) one from Primark is my favourite, it burns really nicely and smells like Christmas plus its only £1. Win win really.

Cosy Socks. Enough said. Imagine being cuddled up on the sofa with your comfy socks, blanket watching a Christmas film. That is the life. - Primark £3

I do not suit hats but when I saw this in Primark I couldn't leave without it, it's so cute and christmasy I love it! But if you aren't feeling that festive any hat is fine but I feel like a hat is necessary to keep your ears warm in this harsh cold weather. 

That's all for today folks, once my assignments are finished and I'm back in Newcastle, I promise I will blog a lot more. 

Composition Photoshoot

As I mentioned in my previous post about the photo shoot I went on with Katie to practice composition photography I took a lot of photos that I wasn't 100% focused on balance and composition and I wanted to share them with you because I am really happy with how they turned out.

Due to where my university is located there is loads of cute paths and trees which makes it feel super autumnal. We walked for about 5 minutes until we came across this road that probably lead to private property but we'll just ignore that detail. Upon arrival we were greeted with blankets of golden orange leaves and it instantly felt like autumn. Back in Whitley Bay we don't get this many leaves around so it was so nice, since autumn is my favourite month. I am hoping it snows this year because it really will be breathtaking.

The only problem we had with this location was the sun was directly shining on us so it kind of washed Katie out a bit and no matter how much I changed the exposure and aperture it just wasn't doing anything, but we carried on because my main intention was to focus on composition.

As promised here are some of the photos from the shoot.

Composition

If you read my previous post you will know I have started working my way through the book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll. The first chapter of the book is all about composition and how you frame the photo.

From reading the chapter I picked up on a couple of important points:

• composition is the foundation to your image
• lines give structure and guide attention
• Landscape = eyes side to side
• Portrait = eyes up and down
• Harmony and Balance

The main thing to remember about composition is; its a guideline not a rule. 

Not every photo has to have perfect balance or fit the rule of thirds, in fact sometimes it looks better when it breaks these, be daring, make art.

I took all of this information into consideration when I went out and took photos with Katie. I was no longer thinking about what looked nice it was more what created balance and what gives my image structure.

I also tried to think about the rule of thirds and how that would make my photos draw attention more. Does that make sense? Lets just go with it.

Although not all of the photos I took are focused on composition, I did get a little bit carried away. Hey photography is my thing!

With this photo I really thought about balance and composition. Katie is centre frame and the lines created by the road and path really draw attention to her. Yeah it's not perfect but the intention is there.

For this close up I really thought about the rule of thirds and how it can help make a photo shine. When you first look at this photo you're immediately drawn to her eyes this is because they're sat on the grid line so it automatically draws your attention to it.

Also the background is out of focus which also makes Katie really stand out.

It's grid isn't too clear but if you look closely the second line of the grid flows directly through her pupil. This makes her look like she's looking into the audiences eye and creates a relationship with the viewer.

I hope you enjoyed the first post in my new photography series type thing. I felt like it sounded a bit like school work but it's okay because I don't care. I really enjoyed taking these photos and thinking a lot more about the composition of a photo rather than just point and shoot and hope for the best.

Primark Autumn Look

You may or may not know but autumn is my favourite season of the whole year as it's starting to get colder, the nights are getting darker and the festive spirit suddenly starts to latch itself onto me and every Christmas song ever sung gets stuck in my head. Put it this way, Jasmine is sick of me singing Michael Bublé already.

Since I love my new coat so much I decided to brave it and put myself in front of the camera for once. It was so strange having Katie take photos of me and for me to actually like a couple of them. I'm definitely a behind the camera kind of girl.

So without further ado here is a cute, cheap Primark autumn look. I was going to wear my Primark Chelsea boots it was rather muddy so I didn't put them on.

    

• Coat - £18
• Black super high wasted skinny jeans - £14
• Black crop for - £3
• Scarf - Topshop £14 (sorry it's too nice not to include)
• Shoes - Old Skool Vans £52
• Chelsea Boots - Primark £12