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Thursday 2 January 2014

Happy New Year!

This year seems to have flown by in a fabulous frenzy and it is only now, as I look through all of these images, that I really remember it all...
I photographed 36 weddings in 2013. Capturing the thousands of kisses and cuddles has brought me immense joy. I really am a sucker for all those girly details; the lace, the tulle, the flowers, the sparkles, the candlelight and of course the love! It is really the love that makes me oh so happy.  
I also had 102 portrait sessions. From bellies to babies and toddlers to teens, their laughter and tenderness has been such a pleasure to photograph.
I am so grateful to have had a truly incredible year creating images that I hope each family will treasure.

A little over a year ago, I started helping Nikki with Petals. I absolutely love flowers, so we made a deal - I'd build her new website and blog and each week photograph the flowers that have just arrived. In exchange, I can have flowers. What a heavenly exchange! Nikki writes so beautifully and sometimes her words brought me to tears. If you have not seen it already, you really should check out the Petals blog... Then in April, Nikki opened a shop. We worked together tirelessly to create a beautiful, organic space that would highlight the beauty of the blooms. And at the front is a little gallery space featuring vases, scented candles and other flower goodies - and my artwork. The metallic pieces mostly, as the light through the large window makes them shimmer.

In August 2012, Masterworks Museum asked if I'd like to have an exhibition the following year. I began working a month later and on the 27th of June 43 pieces were installed in the gallery. Creating each piece was a true labour of love. The canvases were textured then let to dry. Then brushed with an adhesive which needs precisely 30 minutes before the silver or gold leaf can be applied. I had no idea how difficult working with the leaf would be. It is virtually weightless, defies gravity and almost every sheet tears. Fortunately, I wanted randomness in the work. So the tiny tears and gaps between the sheets made each piece more interesting. The photographs were then printed on a flat-bed printer and finally two or three coats of a uv coating was applied to seal and protect the work. Only six pieces remain from the show, but 52 new canvases arrived a few weeks ago. I am working on a few new pieces and would be happy to do commissions if anyone has anything specific in mind.
Here is a link to the blog post on the exhibition - Wabi Sabi.

When Instagram arrived I was immediately enamoured. Sadly, I was unable to install the app on my phone and I have a policy that I do not get new phones until the current one dies. All my previous phones have met sad deaths - one fell into the sea, one jumped from my grasp, flew down a spiral staircase and shattered at the bottom. My iphone 3 however seemed to last an eternity and even following several serious falls continued to defy death. So I broke down in September and bought a new phone. I was off to New York, London and Paris and felt this need to capture them all in square. And oh how happy I am that I did. In those two weeks I shot 701 photos with the phone and 809 with my camera. Instagram is wonderful and I really do love the square format. It is funny though, I seem to spend far longer composing shots with the phone than I do with my camera. I think it is because the lens is so wide. Here is a link to my Instagram feed - instagram.com/eikonagallery.

And finally... Lumiere...
I have been photographing women for almost 25 years. I started with my friends in university, when they got bored I reluctantly turned the camera upon myself. This enabled me to experiment and to play with light. And being a little vain, I learned how truly important light is. That light is everything, it is the only thing that matters in a photograph. When I was living in London, I shot many self portraits. Reflections in windows mostly, but as I was starting this blog, I decided that I needed a photo that actually showed my face. The flat had huge windows and although it was a grey day, there was beautiful silvery light flooding in. Someone wrote me a comment about the photo saying that I had become a master of Photoshop. "No", I replied, "A master of light." 
I have developed a special portrait session called Lumiere. The photos above are from four Lumiere sessions that I photographed in 2013. I am hoping to shoot many more this year, so I am pleased to offer a $75 gift towards Lumiere sessions until 15 March.
If you have not yet seen it, here is a little movie about Lumiere...

Over the past three months, I have been watching hour after hour of workshops by all sorts of incredibly talented photographers. I have learned so much, have a fire in my belly and I am bursting to create! This is going to be an amazing year...
I wish you all a Happy New Year!
xoxo

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