Brighton Pride 2018

A glorious sunny day, a riot of colour in Brighton. Here are the photos I took of this fabulous event.

This is a selection I took of the Brighton School of Samba - fabulous drumming. Really added to the electric atmosphere.

Will be back next year!

Brighton Jive

On a chilly afternoon while walking along the promenade at Brighton, I noticed a smartly dressed individual wearing a top hat. This dapper chap was on the Bandstand and, when I got closer, saw that he was dancing a jive with his partner. Couldn't resist taking some candid shots of this talented couple. With their permission, of course.

After they'd finished, I found out they were from Brighton Jive, run by Mr Top Hat himself, Colin Tenn. Colin has been dancing 1940s' & 50s'-style jive since 1994 and has a passion for dancing to the authentic Big Band Swing, Rhythm & Blues and Rock'n'Roll of the era. The reason why they were dancing on the Bandstand was that Colin had hired the hat and suit for an event the night before and was making the most of it. Was great fun shooting them.

http://www.brighton-jive.co.uk/

Impressions of Rome

During the recent Christmas holidays, I had the pleasure of visiting many museums & churches plus exploring the city. This included the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel), St Peter's, the Maxxi, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni,  Complesso del Vittoriano & the Museo Nazionale Romano. Works on display included those of Claude Monet, Piero Fornasetti, Ugo Rondinone, Edward Munch, Leonardo Da Vinci, August Rodin, Gian Lorenzo Bernini & Caravaggio.

From cutting-edge digital imagery to expertly carved marble hundreds of year old, there is just so much to see & take in in this culturally rich metropolis. Observing the streets & squares plus the people in them was just as fascinating. This is a selection of photos from my visit.

Bushy Reflections

With my next college project underway, I took a visit to Bushy Park to test out a newly introduced technique. Time lapse photography. Still getting my head round the concept as there's a lot to consider when undertaking this way of capturing movement.

Nevertheless, it gave me the opportunity to practice in my favourite spot & concoct these new abstracts.

Brighton Belles

Well, it's been a long while since I've put a post up. Life has been quite busy with my last term's work for my BTEC Level 3 Photography at Richmond Adult Community College.

I recently had the opportunity to whisk myself down to Brighton & spend a day on the beach. I didn't take too many photos as it was a day of chatting with a friend & cloud gazing, but I did capture a few shots which I've abstracted. Need to return there soon, even if it's just for blast for fresh sea air!

A kingfisher in Bushy Park!

The weather hasn't been too great recently, but on Sunday 15th January, I had to go for a walk in the park. It was dull and soggy, but great getting out into the fresh air after a few days cooped up at home.

While pottering in the Water Gardens by the Waterhouse Pond, I muttered to myself 'I've never seen a kingfisher'. Then, low and behold, guess what flitted past? Yes, a kingfisher! I've seen many different fowl in the park, but this little beauty had always eluded me.

What really struck me was how small it is - only about 6 inches high. I thought they were at least twice that size. It also moved very fast, so I was exceedingly chuffed to capture these images.

I then walked to one of my favourite spots and caught the rain splashes and reflections in the Longford River. The following is a selection of refracted abstractions.

Definitely a worthwhile outing, despite a very muddy pair of boots...

Bushy Autumn Colours

After a miserable and misty day, I was quite relieved to see this morning the sun returning. Just couldn't resist a soul-cleansing walk through the beautiful Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park.

Captured these lovely images and encountered a cheeky chap who probably thought there was something quite delicious in my handbag.

All of these haven't been edited, but one shot which was tweaked has to be my favourite.

Rooted in Nature

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Rachel Braine at a local The Athena Network Summer Party. This motivating organisation encourages women in business to inspire and support others for greater success.

Rachel is a talented interior designer who has been running her own consultancy for the last 14 years. When I won a two-hour consultation with her in a raffle at the event, I was very pleased. Having recently moved, I needed a touch of outside advice as to get my new abode looking as good as possible.

During my consultation, Rachel gave me some fantastic ideas and advice as to how I could do this effectively, both in style and cost. It also have me the opportunity to show Rachel my work and see if I could assist her with future projects. Rachel took a shine to one of my images and thought it would be ideal for her home.

Rachel said "I have been looking for a piece of art for my new bedroom for some months but hadn't found quite the right thing till I met Jennie Meadows recently and saw a selection of her abstract photographic prints.

I took a few small samples home to try and chose this beautiful print of a tree section in indigo blues printed on metal. I have had it enlarged to suit my wall area but the quality of the image is still very sharp with the metal background creating an iridescent effect which changes with the light. I like the fact that although it is essentially an abstract work it is 'rooted' in nature".

And here it is on Rachel's wall! Lovely to see my work in this size (60cm x 40cm). Fits in perfectly... another wonderful bit of work by The Print Foundry.

For further details on Rachel's services, please visit: www.rbinteriordesign.co.uk

In a reflective mood

With lovely sunshine, a pre-lunch stroll in Bushy Park was required today and a welcome break from the screen. Also, I need to get back to taking some photos and getting familiar with the camera again.

The sun today was quite strong and lower in the sky. You could definitely tell the season had changed and not just by the browning leaves.

No bark today as the light wasn't right for this, but caught the following abstracted reflections instead (none of which have been edited). Was quite pleased with these results.

I also caught a lovely splash of komorebi. Apart from the crop, this hasn't been edited either. A walk worth taking most certainly...

A glowing testimonial

A statement from my latest satisfied customer. Thanks to the lovely Judy Sarsby for her encouragement and support in my path to where I am now!

"I followed Jennie's journey through the trees of Bushy park with great enjoyment and became even more transfixed when the micro study embraced the bark only. Her images are stunning and a conversation point.

I recently bought a set of four prints which, with their modern twist and beautiful colours combined with the natural wonder of wood, I thought I'd put up in our mountain chalet. However, I've decided  I don't want to leave them there and will redecorate to accommodate them in the bedroom. Stunning, eye catching, vibrant and original work!"

These are the images Judy chose...

Bushy Park Stroll

After a morning of admin in front of the computer, I had to go for a quick stroll in Bushy Park before lunch. During my brief wander, I revisited the cut-down tree from earlier this year.

Fascinating to see how it's subtly changed over the last few months with the weather & insects having a go. The light also was nicely different, resulting in these abstracts...

Tate Modern Revisited

The Tate Gallery at Bankside in London is one of those places you always mean to visit and never quite get round to it. This week, however, I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend so thought this would be the ideal time to go there.

Certainly worth it - I haven't been there since the new viewing gallery was installed so it great to see a new London construction from the inside. Also, it was great being able to look over my home town and see how it had changed since I last took a sky-view from The Shard a couple of years ago.

The viewing gallery itself is quite a neat and precise place. It enables the visitor to scan the city's roof tops and ever-emerging sky scrapers without too much of a touch of vertigo. What did strike me was the amount of cranes, indicating areas of development. It was a reminder of how London is always evolving, developing, changing and growing.

I did take some photos of the skyline, which were quite predictable. Instead of sharing these, I'll post just one image from my trip. By taking a peek around to the right of the gallery, I noticed this particular view overlooking some offices. Thought I'd add my own touch to this lovely set of contrasting lines and surfaces. This is the result.

Pink sapphire & white topaz

Another beautiful evening, another stroll with the camera to take in that gorgeous late summer sun.

The Woodland Garden didn't disappoint last night with the Longford sparkling. The ducks also obliged by swimming past creating some lovely ripples to help with this image...

Also caught the sun through the tree at just the right angle to create this beauty...

Am certainly looking forward to the next couple of weeks of long shadows and the transition to autumn...

Exploring the spectrum

After a lazy Sunday yesterday, I had to get out for some fresh air. Only a short walk today, but a detour from my usual route brought a new subject to my attention.

As I've also been experimenting further with colour, I was quite pleased when I processed one of the original shots to create three different versions.

Back to Bushy...

After three solid weeks of re-examining, selecting, editing and formatting images for my website, it was wonderful to return with the camera to Bushy Park last Friday. I took the bike for an early evening ride, making the most of the glorious sunlight.

Bushy Komorebi 1

Couldn't resist capturing the light coming through these leaves with subtle signs of Autumn starting to show.

I also visited my favourite spot in Bushy Park, The Woodland Gardens, where the evening light was delightfully playing both the trees and Longford River.

Bushy Komorebi 2

One of my last shots of the visit caught the rays reflected off the water, enabling the original for my latest gallery edition. I also took the plunge and played a touch more with the colour balance in post production and came up with this. Will certainly be extending the colour range to get the full spectrum...

Bushy Jewels 17