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......

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A Family Day Trip to Swansea

We love to use our weekends for little getaways or day trips especially as the UK has such a fantastic railway network. So when The Family and Friends Railcard got in touch asking if we would like to try out the card and see how much it saved on a day trip we couldn't wait. We debated going to Bristol as it's one of our favourite cities and with it only being 45mins from Cardiff it's a great place to explore but we wanted to take the kids somewhere we haven't been to in a while, Swansea. I have to say I cannot remember the last time I was in Swansea city centre as when we do head in that direction it's usually to the beaches on the Gower. The train from Cardiff to Swansea is direct and just under 55mins, both our journey there and back was smooth with the added bonus of an on-board cafe on both trains due to it being an intercity. You only have to pay for children over 5 but instead of being £28 for two adults and 1 paying child, with our family rail car......

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Embracing a No-spend Weekend

As much as we love to explore further afield it can become pricey so during our down time we love to embrace simple weekends staying close to home and taking advantage of all the amazing things on our doorstep here in South Wales. Living a stone's throw away from the city can mean that even local days out can end up costing a fair amount so taking steps to be more frugal especially on the weekends is important. Luckily we have plenty of outdoor places to explore in and around Cardiff which makes a great base for low-cost days out. We had recently been set a challenge by Scottish Friendly to get as much out of a weekend for as little as possible and who doesn't like a challenge? I thought the main thing we would struggle with was the little extras we pick up when we are out and about, such as coffee, a cheeky piece of cake or a sandwich. I always pack some apples, snacks and water but as we are often out over lunch time we do end up spending on food. This usua......

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I'm going to a Black Tie Event! Tips on dressing right

So later this month I will be attending the Princes Trust Awards in Cardiff which I am really excited about because it's such a positive and fantastic charity and does so much for the youth of this country who have god ideas but need mentors to help make it happen. The awards is black tie event so certainly not your standard evening out so of course I am already planning what I should be wearing, I've been to a few of these type of things before and it's a great opportunity to dress up a little bit different to what you normally do. If you have never attended a black tie event it can be little nerve-wracking especially if you are worried about looking a little silly or out of place. If you have been invited to your first black tie event, most likely you will have already asked Google what is and is not acceptable . Many of us look forward to such occasions when we get to dress up and show off our sense of style, although, for some, there is no more daunting prosp......

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