After 14 hours of shooting my cousin's big, fat Greek wedding on the hottest, most humid day since we arrived in Cyprus, it should have been me and Lindsey that were asleep...
...I'll post more when I'm back in the UK...
In between packing, weighing my heavy suitcase, unpacking & repacking I've been checking my mail and doing a few last minute bits & pieces online. My stats came through for the blog for last month and I normally don't bother viewing them but I did this time and found it interesting to see where visitors to the blog were coming from ... Moldova? Kazakhstan? Panama? Ok, so they're only 1 or 2 hits!
Seems like the Americans like us more than my fellow Brits!! The point of this post isn't to go on about statistics but rather just to say a huge thank you to those that have bookmarked us & stop by to visit & especially to those that regularly leave comments. I hope one day we'll be able to meet up & put faces to the names :)
...I'm off to shoot it! I'm leaving for Cyprus on Wednesday morning and hopefully while I'm there I'll catch a few rays of sun because winter has definitely arrived here in the UK!
Paul is staying behind to dog-sit Tyson and I'm taking along an old friend & a fantastic portrait photographer, Lindsey Brooker, to second shoot with me. Should be a great wedding...
Cot Valley (Porth Nanven) & the Brisson rocks in the background:
Cot Valley (Porth Nanven):
Me, freezing my imaginary lil' pink socks off which was pretty much how the whole trip went - that and getting caught in storms:
You can't go to Cornwall or Devon and not have a cream tea (scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam and, obviously, tea) but the directions for this cream tea amused me:
Kynance Cove (YAY! We have clean beaches in the UK - ok, make that at least one that I've seen!) I love how the two people give a sense of perspective to the rock & how large it actually is:
Don't be fooled by that confused look...If there's one person out of me & Paul that can work a light meter properly, it's Paul:
Heather (I think!):
The windswept look at St Ives:
Paul after eating his lemon meringue pie:
Cornwall was strewn with remnants of derelict stone buildings and old mines:
One of the many old tin mines:
I can't help but shoot some flare!
Sunset at Pendeen (just before it started pouring with rain):
Around sunset time at Cot Valley:
And finally... waiting for Paul to take his photos:
More waiting:
Even more waiting:
And guess what? Yep... waiting...:
Yes, Land's End does exist. No, it isn't some fictional place from a C.S. Lewis novel!
Paul & I took a few days out and road-tripped down to the most westerly point of the UK, Land's End, as well as the most southerly point of the island (yep, the UK is an island which I keep forgetting!), called Lizard Point. Don't even ask where the Brits got the names from as I don't have a clue!
Paul was eager to do some landscape photography but the weather wasn't as eager to cooperate with us. We got caught in a couple of storms on rocky hillsides in Cornwall trying to photograph sunsets ... not my idea of a fun vacation! Paul was shooting with his Fuji 6x17 so it'll be a while by the time I post his shots as he needs to get the film developed & hire a large format scanner to get them onto the computer. I'm still catching up on emails (no internet for 3 days was painful!) & other bits & pieces so as soon as I get a few minutes to spare I'll post a few of my shots from Cornwall... don't hold your breathe though, I hate shooting landscapes!
In the meantime, one more tag for Jeremy Standley... how could I not tag one of the few photographers I know in Europe? Jeremy, maybe we can hook up & shoot a wedding sometime - either in Spain or Cyprus?!
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Sasha & Michael, two very personable kids who are refreshingly polite and intelligent for children of their age. Sasha is an up & coming actress having already starred in a movie called Chromophobia, with Penelope Cruz & Ralph Fiennes, & Michael has a great deal of potential in modelling as he photographs particularly well!
WOW! Last night was amazing! The acoustics were perfect, Sting was as good live as he is recorded & the lighting was stunning. They sung for about two hours and some of the best tracks were Don't Stand So Close to Me, De Do Do Do Da Da Da & Every Breath You Take but the one song that had everyone standing and rocked the stadium was Roxanne.
As much as I enjoyed last night, nothing beats a Bon Jovi concert or Bon Jovi fans :) As awesome as The Police are, the gig didn't match that adrenaline-rush feeling I get when I'm at a Jovi gig or, even more importantly, the intense & electric atmosphere generated in the audience. Nonetheless, it was an incredible evening & I bought my obligatory concert t-shirt which is my ritual whenever I go to a gig despite Paul's protestations that they're way over-priced!
Just a few pics below from my point & shoot camera...
"I'll send an SOS to the world... I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle"
"Your brother's gonna kill me & he's 6ft 10. I guess you call it cowardice but I'm not prepared to go on like this... I can't stand loosing you"
"Rrrrrroxanne... you don't have to put on the red light"
"Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you"
"Giant steps are what you take, walking on the moon"
So, have you guessed who we're going to see tomorrow?!
There were two bands I really wanted to see when I was a teenager (believe it or not, Bon Jovi wasn't one of them!) - one was U2 and they were impossible to get tickets for as they sold out so quickly but two years ago I was able to scribble them off my "list" when we saw them play Twickenham stadium.
The other group was The Police who, by the time I was old enough to go to concerts, had split up. Sting always said they'd never get back together so I never thought I'd get the chance to see them ... you can imagine my delight when I heard about their reunion concerts! We're off to Twickenham tomorrow and I cannot wait to see these guys play live :)
Here are Paul's eight (as typed by me, Sofie!):
Favorite sport: windsurfing
Paul never posts because he types too slowly!
Favorite car: Lambo LP640 Roadster
He was in the video-clip for Cyprus' entry for the Eurovision Song Contest about 18 years ago! (how sad!)
At the age of 12 he started his first job & was packing boxes with grapes in a vineyard. Since then he's worked as a watersport's instructor (ie, beach bum!), a courier, a sign-maker, a technician at a blinds & shutters factory, a barber and finally in about four months he'll be a full-time pro photographer instead of just part-time!
He has BMX-ed, skateboarded & break-danced - when they were popular the first time round!
When Paul was 3 years old, the Turkish government invaded Cyprus & after living in their brand new house for only 6 months his family had to evacuate and move to the southern half of Cyprus as refugees. 33 years later and their house is still occupied by the UN.
Paul always wanted to marry a Hawaiian girl who could surf & windsurf at Ho'okipa. Instead he ended up with me - a Brit/Greek chick who can't even swim! ....he says he has no regrets though...yeah right!!
The wonderful Daniel Watkins has tagged my blog (and a few others while he was at it!)
The blog tagging game has been going on for a few weeks now and so many photographers have been involved already. I apparently have to write 8 things you very likely wouldn’t know about me & then tag 8 other blogs. I'll see if Paul can string together a few of his own but in the meantime here are my eight:
I cannot get my head around numbers – I simply do not do maths, fullstop!
My favorite color is black! If anyone is buying, I'd like a black Porsche 356 Speedster please!
I’ve been watching two Australian soaps since they first began airing on UK tv which is probably WAY over 15 years now – Neighbours and Home & Away!
I lived in Cyprus for 8 years and hated it. We plan to move back in 2008… I’m a sucker for punishment!
Hi, my name is Sofie & I'm a shop-a-holic!
This is one you should know if you know me but I’m going to throw it in anyway… I’m a Bon Jovi fanatic and have seen them countless times in concert as well as travelling to NYC to see them two nights in a row at Madison Square Garden! My two favorite tracks by them are Dry County & Bed of Roses. Something you don’t know though is that I'm also a big fan of the immensely talented & incredibly charming, Paul Freeman, who will be hitting the big-time very soon!
And finally, I have terrible road rage. Do not mess with me when I’m driving!
Blogs/Photographers I'm tagging:
Mark Eric (Mark, I know you've been tagged countless times & you're really busy at the moment but it's time we knew 8 more things about you! C'mon, humor me! If you don't know already, Don't Box Us In is Mark's brilliant brainchild which so many 'togs are finding such an interesting read!)
Jason Domingues (Jay! When are we getting together for a pint of Guinness?! Can't wait to meet you & I'd love to get the chance to shoot with you sometime...plus you said you'd shoot some shots for me & Paul!)
Frank DiMeo (Frank, what can I say? You're a star & I adore you to bits! A refreshingly genuine soul)
Jose Villa (Jose, your blog was one of the first I stumbled across and one of the few I visit regularly. I love the softness of your images, which seems to translate in your personality too, & I have the utmost admiration for your continued use of film)
Jeff Newsom (Jeff, your work is off the hook! I love the contemporary & quirky images and would love to get inside your head to see how you constantly come up with them!)
Red Leaf Studios (Amy & Richard, I have honestly seen nothing more beautiful & emotive than your work)
Rebecca Portsmouth (I had to include at least one British photographer in the list - actually you're not even British, you just live here! The lovely Rebecca is on the admin staff of Trash the Dress Europe)
Lucky Red Hen (Shannon, I hate you! You know I'm kidding but dammit I wish I was going to Mexico with you! I still want a ride on your Harley one day)
And one more for luck & because this guy's work rocks!!
Chuck Arlund (Chuck, one of these days I'm coming to find you and make you teach me everything you know about fashion shoots!!)
Edit: Ok, make that two more tags because my web-hosting/website/blog company Big Folio simply rock and deserve a tag! I just sent in a support ticket and in literally under 10 minutes they'd resolved the glitch. I should also mention, glitches are actually very few and far between with Big Folio but when they occassionally arise they are spot on with their customer service! Plus, Jeff (customer support manager) wished me luck on the getting the Speedster so that in itself deserves a tag!
Big Folio (I really can't recommend you guys enough!)
Erik Dungan (Erik, I hope your move to Oregon went smoothly & you & the family are settling in there ok!)
I joined the SWPP (Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers) at the very end of last month. It's something I've been meaning to do for the past couple of years but kept forgetting all about it until my insurance company mentioned a discount if I was a member... so I finally joined! :)
The SWPP has a monthly online print competition for its members with a variety of categories. The images get scored and if you get over 80 marks you receive a merit ... well, she entered & she scored!! In which catergory? HA! Sport, of all things!
The image is a shot of the great Jesse Brown at Ho'okipa Beach Park, Maui (mecca of windsurfing).
The link to the SWPP competition page where my image & other images that won in August is below.
On Sunday, Paul & I were in central London where we photographed our first Jewish wedding in one of Europe's oldest synagogues - Bevis Marks. Sara & Darren, & their respective families, were a pleasure to work with & Sara was a stunning bride!
