Kirstiekins Blogs: 2014

Photo diary: Catching up with friends

Monday

I couldn't decide between today's photo of the day, so I've chosen two. On Saturday, I got to see my friend Laura, who I've known since we were at school. The last time I saw her was when I hung out with her in the summer, and before that was probably the time I went to visit her at university. She's one of my dearest friends, and I am so glad I got to catch up with her and a few others the other day. You should hopefully know of Rob in the second from his blog I wrote a little something, although I see him quite often, it was nice to him in somewhere that isn't a coffee shop or bus stop! Our friend Ben was there too, but he's a little camera shy, and I couldn't land a snap with him - or at least a half decent one anyway.

I really enjoyed catching up with them, and in the new year, I am hoping to see a lot more of my friends. Over the past few months I've sort of engulfed myself into a cocoon of solitude, socialising as little as possible, mainly because of reasons that I am unsure of, and partly because winter is cold, but I want to change this. I am happiest when I am with the people I love most, and I want to spend more time with them; I miss them.

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Saturday

Think of all the crazy things you have wanted to, but then didn't.
Think of all the crazy things that could have happened to you, but didn't.
Think of every single crazy situation that you have envisioned happening, but then didn't actually happen.
Now, put all of that together, into one crazy ball of crazy, and I doubt it will even come close to the amount of crazy that Burroughs writes of, in his memoir 'Running with Scissors.'

The novel - almost a sitcom within itself, opens with Augusten as a young child, and follows him into his late teens, where after a series of tragic events, skips out on the life he has for a chance of a better one in New York City.

Monday

I spent today with my best friend, Daniella, and her friend Dave - she has recently gotten a new car, so we spent the afternoon driving, lunching, shopping ect, followed by a trip with Daniella's family, to their church carol service. I love Daniellas family, they're so warm and welcoming, and in the whole ten years I've known her (wow, I've known someone who I'm not related to for ten years! Now I really feel old) I've come to adopt her family as my friends too; if anything they feel more like family to me.

After our trip to church: singing, dancing, and watching a mini nativity, it's safe to say we were a little worn out, so we all gathered back at Daniellas house, cracked open the junk food, and played Yahtzee. I didn't win, but I didn't lose either, so yay!

I have good days, and bad days, and days like today, really make me appreciate what I have. If it wasn't for the bad days, I wouldn't have good days, and today definitely was a good day.

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Saturday

Hey guys, I hope you're all getting into the Christmas spirit - or at least not getting sick of it yet, haha! Yesterday, I got to meet up with my friend Mark, we've been friends for years, but ever since he moved away, I never get to see him. Unless he comes to London, or I travel to Norwich, we only see each other on Facetime, so when he came to London yesterday, it's fair to say I was a wee bit excited.

I took him on a Christmas adventure, starting at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, and ending at Five Guys in Leicester Square, not to mention a detour round the back of Oxford Street, where I told him I knew exactly where we were, and where we were going (I didn't have the foggiest.)

Sunday

Today I decided to brave the outside world, and the thousands of disgruntled shoppers, to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping. I spent most of last night looking online, and making lists, so in theory all I really needed to do was run into the shops, buy them, and then go home. However, I forgot about the queues, and the screaming kids, oh the screaming kids! Taking a break to refuel, and play Pokemon on my DS, was definitely needed!

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Saturday

I love photography. When you take a photo you aren't just saving an image, you're capturing a memory, an emotion, a period of time. I decided to go and look at some old photos, which then resulted in me looking at new photos, and then remembering memories and people, and events and places, and it made me appreciate my past a lot more - is that weird?

Anyway, I chose 14 of my favourite photos from my the entirety of my existence, and now I am challenging you to do the same thing. I chose these photos, because they show how I have evolved over the past twenty-two years, and because I miss being Ginger.

I'm tagging my friend Robert, and all of you. So go do it!

Me (5), my brother and my cousin on a family outing to Little Hampton.

Friday

I have always enjoyed photography - from a small age I much preferred being behind the camera rather than in front of it. However, although I enjoyed it, I never really thought I was any good at it, I did it for fun, as a hobby, something to do! It wasn't until I started using my photos within my art coursework a few years ago, that someone said to me 'hey, have you ever thought about doing this professionally?' and although, the thought sat and festered in my mind for a few years, I never really wanted to pursue it. I have shot a few family weddings, parties/events for some friends and a few society things at uni, but nothing that has made me want to devote a large amount of my time to photography - that was until I discovered concert photography.

Last Monday I went to see Christina Perri, and discovered the lapse rules the KoKo have about DSLR cameras. Most venues prohibit fans from bringing them in, unless you have a press pass, but just in the brief moment I discovered this, I counted six or seven people around me with DSLR'S that had much bigger lenses than my 75-300mm. It was at that point I decided, I would bring mine with me on the Wednesday when I saw Tonight Alive at the same venue.

After about an hour of debating myself, I packed my camera into my bag and headed to the venue. The security people didn't even bat an eye lid at it when they checked my bag, and after finding a good spot, and messing around with the settings, I was ready to attempt my first lot of concert photography.

In all honesty, figuring out the settings was the hardest part of the evening. Shooting under red light is hard. Shooting with strobe lights, is hard. Shooting in really dark conditions, isn't so hard, BUT it's harder with all of the above, and people bashing you about every two seconds. It's also hard, when you have left your bad ass 75-300mm lens at home - but I made do with what I had and what I knew, and I couldn't be more happier with how the photo's turned out.

The whole experience has made me rethink my earlier views on taking on photography professionally. Obviously I still need a lot of practice, but I really enjoyed doing it, and I want to do it again soon. It may have helped that the band I was shooting - Tonight Alive, are one of my favourite bands, and I had some weird adrenalin going on, because I had gone on my own, something i never would have done before, so yay me for that.

Anyway, I know they're kinda shit, but I'm proud of these photos. New possible careers for Kirstie, woo!

Thursday

Last Wednesday, I finally got to catch up with my BFF Dani. We chatted, we laughed, we ate - A LOT, and even though it had been a good while since I had seen her, it felt like no time had passed at all. I can't believe I have know her for ten years, I can't believe I've known anyone for ten years!

Anyway, here are some photos from the day!

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Super glue, isn't always super.

"I was feeling the lack of feeling," It's what I have been saying to myself all day. I don't know how to describe it; I guess it's just one of those things that you can't understand unless you've been there yourself. Anyway, I wrote this last night, and I want to share it with you.

Concerts used to heal my soul, but tonight as I stand here, listening to one of my favourite bands, I feel anything but. There was a part of me, that absorbed the bass, the lyrics, the atmosphere, and for a brief moment in time, it fixed everything. In those few hours, where I was singing my heart out, being drenched in other peoples sweat, I was okay, I was whole. And it felt fucking good.

Tonight (and most of the other concerts I've been to in the past two/three years) was different. I didn't feel any of that, I didn't feel anything. I don't feel anything. I don't feel. And I don't know how to change that. Is it even possible to change that? You can fix a broken vase, but no matter how much work and effort you put into restoring it, if you look hard enough, the cracks are still there, and I guess that is the same with people, and the more you try and fix something with the same tools, it eventually stops working. Super glue, isn't always super.

Kirstie xoxo

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Monday

Not many books have made it to my ‘books I’ve thrown at walls’ list, however, after reading only one page, this book swiftly became it’s newest resident.

The book opens with short sharp sentences, which would in most cases, pull in a reader’s attention, but we quickly come to realise that the rest of the page is written this way too. Flicking ahead, to analyse the rest of the book, we learn that the whole book is written this way. With one short sentence after another, it felt more like a list of events, rather than a novel that you could easily sit down and enjoy.

Friday

Suicide prevention is a pretty big deal, or at least to me it is anyway, so for the past four years, I have been posting 'notes of love' around London, and the places I visit, in order to brighten people's days. As this past week has been National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW) I decided to dedicate my Thursday, to spreading hope and joy, and the message that 'you are not alone'.

Here are a few pictures of the notes I posted on the London Underground.

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Wednesday

I found as many Suicide Helplines as I could, if you live in any of these countries and you, or someone you know is struggling with suicide/depression, then please call one of these numbers, alternatively if you cannot find your countries hotline, please leave me a message, Email, or DM me on twitter (@IamKirstieKins) and I will do whatever I can to help you, or help you find the phone number!

You are not alone!

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Tuesday

I took this photo of the Super moon on Sunday night, and I thought I would share it with you guys. I've always been fascinated by it, so getting a photo like this makes me happy. If you look closely you can see the man on the moon waving!

I have more photo's on my flickr, if you're interested in having a nose.

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Monday

Netflix original drama, Orange is the New Black has taken us by storm over the past year, but did you know that it is based on a book, under the same name? I can never usually read the book of something, if I have seen the TV show or movie first, (I find it really hard to get into them), but I decided to make an exception for OITNB and put everything I knew about the series to one side, and picked up the book with a fresh mind.

Piper Kerman, a graduate fresh out of Smith wanted adventure, which is exactly what she got when she fell in love with Nora Jansen. Travelling all over the world, jumping from waterfalls, eating exotic cuisines, and smuggling drug money for her girlfriends international drug ring, she couldn't have been more happier. When she realised that this is not the life she had signed up for, she took the first available plane back to America, where she met Larry, her now husband, and left that dark part of her life behind her, or at least she thought she had. Almost ten years after, in what seemed like an entirely different lifetime Piper was charged with money laundering and sentenced to fifteen months in prison.

Saturday

If you follow me on Twitter, or Instagram (@iamkirstiekins) then you'll know that I went to Disneyland Paris a few weeks ago. I love the Disney parks. I fell in love with them way back in 1997, when I went on my first family holiday, to Disney world in Florida. I loved it so much, that my parents kept taking us back, and every time we went, I found more and more reasons to love the place.

Now that I am getting older, I want to go a lot more, but trips to Florida don't just fall out of the sky, which is why My friend Cat, and I, went to Paris to get our Disney on!

It was an amazing experience, that I want to share with everyone, so here are some photos from my trip!

Beauty & The Beast!!!

Hanging with Mickey

Man and the Mouse

View from the Toy Story Soldiers ride

Sunset

PLUTO!

Garlic Baguette, with Garlic Mushrooms, and Roasted Clove of Garlic.

EEYORE!!!

STEAK! (This is probably one of the best steaks I've ever had)

Chip. Or Dale.

If you ever get the chance to go, just go. You wont regret it.

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Monday

I have been to Paris a bunch of times, however it has been a long time since I have climbed the Eiffel tower. Living in London, Paris is the easiest city for me to travel to; Eurostar from Kings Cross, straight to the centre of the 'most romantic city in the world'. I personally wouldn't call it that though, aside from the tourist epicentre that is the Eiffel Tower, Paris is actually a really dirty city, complete with pervy old men, piss stinking streets and a multitudinous amount of homeless people. However, something keeps me coming back. Maybe it's the accessibility, that I can get their with such ease, or maybe because it's familiar, but either way, I know that I will definitely be going back in the future!

Here are some photos from my trip. I'll be uploading some more at a later date, but if you want to see more, take a look at my Flickr!