Meaningful Ways to Remember Your Trip to Sydney

For many, travelling to Sydney is an unforgettable experience, with so many amazing attractions and activities to see, do, and experience. Once your holiday is over, you can’t help but want to remember every single detail. However, memories fade over time, making it important to remember and recount your trip in other ways. Turn your holiday into lasting memories with these tips:   Purchase Local Art Whether it’s an ‘I Love Sydney’ t-shirt made with DTF transfers or a boomerang from a gallery or museum shop, local art and trinkets are a great way to remember your travels. Popular Australian artists, such as Ken Done, create beautiful Sydney-inspired pieces, or you can opt for more general Australian art, such as wood carvings, sculptures, paintings, and textiles. There are also plenty of independent artists as Sydney is a hub for creativity. Finding a print or postcard, even, wouldn't be too hard and is a budget-friendly option.      Take Home the Tastes If you’re n......

Read more »

The Travel Essentials Guide: What Smart Travellers Always Carry

Ever been halfway through a trip and realised you forgot something important? Maybe it was a charger, a travel pillow, or even your favourite pair of walking shoes. It happens more often than you’d think. That’s why seasoned travellers stick to a simple rule: pack smart. And that doesn’t mean packing more, it means packing better. This guide walks you through the travel essentials that make every trip smoother, more comfortable, and a lot less stressful. Whether you're exploring cities, hiking trails, or hopping between countries, these are the items that deserve a spot in your bag. A Solid Everyday Bag One of the first things you’ll appreciate on a trip is a lightweight, versatile bag. Whether you’re navigating airport crowds, hiking up scenic trails, or strolling through markets, a good everyday backpack or sling bag becomes your go-to. Look for something compact but roomy enough to hold your camera, wallet, portable charger, water bottle, and sunscreen . Smart travellers always ......

Read more »

7 Tips for Stunning Landscape Photos

For those who don't know, I have a degree in Photography and I love to travel so I thought I would share a few tips on getting the best results when heading outdoors with your camera. The allure of a mountain range, the serene expanse of a valley, or the dynamic colours of a sunset draws people to a particular photography genre, landscape photography. Yet, the journey from a casual snapshot to a breathtaking landscape photo is often challenging because it's not just about having a high-end camera or finding the perfect location. Taking beautiful photos of nature requires understanding and harnessing the subtle details of light, composition, and perspective. But what if your attempts at capturing the grandeur of landscapes leave you feeling more frustrated than fulfilled? What if, despite your best efforts, the images you capture do not quite echo the majesty of the scenes before your eyes? The solution lies in knowledge and technique. Whether you're a seasoned photographer ......

Read more »

6 ways to master beach photography

It's been a while since I graduated from Uni, having studied photography it's something that has certainly helped with the work I do now. I was fortunate enough to still learn traditional methods such as processing my own film, black and white hand printing and shooting on medium and large format, something not so relevant to todays digital world but still really fun to do. I hard ever write about my experience but thought I would put together a little easy to use guide to great beach photography. Mediterranean, far flung and exotic beach holidays are always popular but if your photos from this year’s vacation haven’t turned out quite as impressive as you had hoped, perhaps it’s time to review your skills to make sure you get the best out of your trip next time. Luckily, the beach can be the most stunning backdrop to get creative with a camera, so getting great images shouldn’t be all that hard. After having spent my 30th on the French Riviera I have been craving go......

Read more »

A few little things for the home

As usual over the Christmas period I picked up a few bits and bobs for the home as well as having a few new little treats as presents which has added a bit of renewed life to the smaller parts of our home, such as this lovely Jo Malone candle - we have been burning a lot of scented candles of late, I think it's a winter thing that we want to surround ourselves with beautiful scents. John also treated me to a vintage Pentax film camera which I cannot wait to use and we have been picking up fresh flowers for the kitchen to bring in some colour. I have also been struggling with dry and chapped lips over the winter so I have been using this naturally nourishing Green People Lip primer which not only locks in moisture and hydration but works well as a lipstick primer and enhances the natural colour of your lipstick and I have been pairing this up with my Green People Instant Definition lip crayon in Praline - a sort of plum shade which is perfect for Autumn and Winter. ......

Read more »

Exploring the world through a lens - Toddler Style

 So I have been keen to get Mr A interested in photography but it can be really hard to find a decent camera that can withstand an active toddler. I didn't want to go down the route of getting a plastic "toddler camera" as most have very low resolution and anyone would struggle to produce a clear image. So when I came across this waterproof, shatterproof and basically toddler proof Nikon Coolpix S32 from Clifton Cameras it seemed like a really good idea and the perfect compact to start off with. So what are the CoolPix S32 main features 1. Shockproof 1.5m 2. Waterproof 10m 3. Easy to use 4. Simple layout 5. Large buttons 6. Large viewing screen 7. 13MP 8 Good price - £79 How Mr A got on with the Camera I have to say I was really surprised with how quickly Mr A got to grasps with it and can now confidently turn it on and either take a photo or shoot a short video segment (two large buttons on the top). There is a large viewing screen on the......

Read more »

Beautiful bank Holiday

I don't know about you but the Monday just past was one of the best Bank Holidays weather wise the UK has seen in a long time, and it provided almost and instant mood lift for the country, everyone seems happier when the sun is out. This is what we did and what I wore... Thrifted White Stuff dress, Ralph Lauren denim shirt, Gifted necklace I hate the feeling of jeans or trousers on my legs on a hot day so I wanted something a bit more loose, although there was still a little bit of a wind so I opted for a denim shirt to keep my shoulders warm. The dress is a thrifted White Stuff dress, the shirt was a treat from John and is a Ralph Lauren denim and supply shirt and I really love the Aztec beaded design on the shoulders, the necklace was a present from my mother and I have been wearing for years. We actually started the day by going to Whitchurch annual May Day Carnival, as again this is an area we are looking at with the possibility of moving, but the Carn......

Read more »