NIGHTVISION

Fun in the snow.

Snowed-in weekend two weeks ago resulted in a trip to the park and a bit of filming :)

We're not looking for acceptance.

OS PIXADORES
When you create something you give it life...
you cant' control what it does or where it goes...
When I look at what we've done,
my heart starts to race... I can't sleep... it's all I think about
We see things differently.

They say, "Why do you risk your life? For this?"
The only way to push things forward is to risk something important.
Freedom.
We're all products of out environment.
By creating a language, we're making people think...
...ask questions.
Like any art, if you look at it long enough...
you find meaning.
Whether it's our meaning...
or yours.
They fear what we have to say.
So we speak.
We're not looking for acceptance...
We are Pixadores

Wedding Fritters!

What could be better than photographing one of your best friend's weddings!? Okay...so maybe I wasn't the official photographer but I'd like to say I did a decent job of it. It was a beautiful wedding with close family and friends, and once again I'd just like to wish them all the best in their future together.

Getting back to being me.

Two thousand and twelve has been a tough year for me. 
Luckily it's not over yet and I am determined to change it around. 
Dealing with bullyish behaviour for the past three years, I made the mistake of not talking to anyone who was impartial from the situation. The length of time meant that things started taking their toll, not just mentally but physically too. By not having anyone impartial to talk to I completely isolated myself and lost the chance of having someone who would be able to offer me the support and sanity that I needed.  

"The only thing worse than feeling bullied is to feel bullied and alone." 

Mike Leibling, Career Coach and Author.

As a result I lost me. I lost my confidence, my passion for the things I used to enjoy, and the ability to simply feel happy. I became a shadow of my former self.  On top of that, being so run down, my health started suffering. I was getting ill every month. 
Initially I had put up a front. I pretended everything was okay, avoiding any conversation that could lead to it, but this year I cracked, and had no other option but to start speaking about it to friends. They simply couldn't understand why everytime I saw them I was ill. That's when it all came out. 
The relief of talking to someone was such a weight lifted off my shoulders. I had started thinking that I was going mad, that I was being unreasonable with my thoughts. Turns out a lot of people have had to deal with similar situations and I no longer felt so alone.
The situation now hasn't really changed..in fact the person's behaviour has worsened, mostly because they're not getting the attention they used to get. 
The key difference for me now is that I am gaining the support I had originally been lacking and so it's slowly just becoming amusing rather than upsetting to see what the person comes up with next. You've got to look for every cloud and all that..

You can't choose your family, and you certainly can't choose your in-laws..especially sister in-laws.

My name is Aisha Chaudhary...

Just what I have been needing to see.

Important lessons:

1) Believe in miracles.

2) Live in the moment.

3) Do what you can.

4) Dare to dream.

We met Santa..!

Last night after going to see We Are Augustines perform at the Wheelbarrow in Camden (an awesome show yet again), we had to get the train home. We got on one train but being somewhat knackered after being up since 5am I was wanting a seat. There was another train 1 minute behind so we got off at the next stop. Within seconds of the first train exiting through the tunnel the next one was arriving. As the train started slowing down I thought I was imagining things..but low and behold, it was Santa! Obviously knowing people wouldn't believe me, I have taken a photo :)

A couple sitting opposite did a rock paper scissors decision and then one asked if they could have a picture with him. 

Santa was everything we could have dreamed of, wishing us a Merry Christmas as he got off the train. 

Black rucksack, wooden cane, black ski gloves and an oyster card..we saw him walk off the train and exit the station through the barriers. It was magic.

Showreel time..!

If you're looking for a DOP then here's a showreel by Mr James Kar :)
LOVE it. I  must've watched it over a hundred times by now.


www.jameskar.co.uk
www.jameskar.co.uk/blog/

Fabergé Egg Hunt..!

200 Eggs.
LONDON.
The Big Egg Hunt.
21st February 2012.

We Are Augustines - The Photos

Here are the photos courtesy of James Kar Photography from the We Are Augustines launch party on the 7.11.11. It was an amazing night :)

 

To see more photos go to James Kar's blog.

For gifts you can't wait to give.

I've become increasingly intrigued with behind the scenes videos, and luckily for me there seems to be more and more of them out there. This one is for the making of the John Lewis Christmas Advert for this coming year. The advert tells a great story of a young boy desperately waiting for christmas, counting down the days. It's a lovely heart warming story with a little twist at the end.



To see the advert click here to go to Ad Lemon.

Chris Floyd - One Hundred and Forty Characters

An exhibition I have been to recently was Chris Floyd's - One Hundred and Forty Characters gallery opening near Old Street last Thursday. His inspiration came from realising that the people he tends to communicate with most on Twitter he had never actually met before. So in July 2010 he decided to start photographing the people he followed on Twitter. With no end date in sight it had been nearly a year since he had started photographing the people he follows. He added up the number of people he had photographed and it came to around one hundred and thirty which immediately showed him where to finish his project. One hundred and forty characters..the maximum number of characters in which you can communicate with other people on Twitter. Quite simple really. Result.. A lovely collection of portraits of the people he had never met before and only spoken to on Twitter.

If you have 14 minutes to spare (or you could just listen to it whilst it plays in the background..) here's a slideshow of all the portraits that were taken for the project with quite a fun audio of the people who took part giving their insights on Twitter.

Britain In A Day

Guys, this sounds amazing. Britain In A Day. Saturday November 12th 2011. Everyone is asked to pick up their camera and film a personal account of their day to be part of an amazing event/project.
"The question is not why you should take part, it's why not?"

For more info go to the BBC's Britain In A Day YouTube channel.

It's very exciting and there's only one day left to prepare...!

We Are Augustines

It's been a non stop few weeks. A mix of work and thankfully life. Last night was amazing. We went to the We Are Augustines' single launch party in Hoxton. It was invite only and @JamesKar managed to score us some tickets. It was a nice intimate affair. Got to meet and chat with the band after. Great bunch of guys. Nice and down to earth. I got them to sign my poster :)
This is one of my favourite songs..

See No Evil

Over the last twelve months, plans were made which resulted in top graffiti artists around the world making their way to Bristol's Nelson Street where they have created Europe's biggest outdoor street art exhibition.
I only stumbled across this street art event by accident, two weeks ago when I stayed in Bristol overnight for a job. Having to book a hotel last minute the hotel we were hoping to stay at was fully booked so we settled for a different one. Fate is what I usually like to call these things. Not only did we stumble across Wow! Gorillas (Bristol Zoo Gardens celebration of it's 175th anniversary), we stumbled across the See No Evil street art event less than 30 seconds from the hotel we were now staying in. It could not have been a better result.
I have always had an interest in street art but after the initial increase in awareness 10yrs ago have been somewhat put off by how much interest it has been given as it has got to the point where street art is now being protected by perspex within days of it going up. (In the second photo you can see CCTV has been installed.)

Photos courtesy of Street Art London.

Okay, so yes, clearly it is a Banksy, BUT street art is not meant to be about money. Street art is not meant to be encased, hence why they are found on the streets and not in galleries. Although that line has also been crossed. For me, street art is for the people. Not to be owned by individuals.
I could go rambling on about this issue but I will stop, as I was meant to be writing about Bristol's See No Evil project.
More than 70 artists took part in transforming the area which the Bristol City Council, after having invested £80'000, hopes will impact on increasing the tourism numbers therefore boosting the local economy. Artists included El Mac from LA, Tats Cru from New York, Inkie from Bristol itself and other artist from Spain, Brazil, Holland and the rest of Britain.
The project completed on Saturday 20th August 2011 with an event consisting of a showcase of local music and art involving DJ's, bands and street theatre. I wish I could have been there but sadly I was all the way back in London Town. I hope I get to go back and visit soon.
Here are some of my photos when I was in Bristol on my oh so fleeting visit:

UK's latest sensation.

It's that time of year again... X Factor! This time round with a whole new panel of judges (bar the exception of Louis Walsh). Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos. Anyway.. It seems they may have found an amazing contender as this years winner of X Factor in the form of 16 year old Janet Devlin from a tiny village in Ireland. All I can say is.. Truly amazing, captivating and breath taking. Here is the moment she auditioned..



To see the full audition travel on over to here.

Janet already has her own YouTube channel (Janet Devlin) where she has recorded a whole host of covers.
Below is her cover of To Make You Feel My Love by Bob dylan.




I wish her all the best and that she doesn't lose sight of who she is.

Miracle Day

So who's watching Torchwood this year? It's SERIOUSLY intense. The end of episode five has left me with a very uneasy, and unable to comprehend state of mind. I don't think I've watched anything with a storyline quite like this.
This season, Torchwood explores death being eliminated from the equation of life, amongst the human race. Can you imagine if that actually happened? People just stop dying. The ones who should have died..they don't. They carry on living, despite their injuries and illnesses (including decapitation). Meanwhile on the other end of the scale...millions of babies are still being born into the world everyday. The population multiplies at an alarming rate. Even abortion is no longer possible. What are the consequences? What does this lead on to? Well..I suggest watching Torchwood just to get to grips with what I'm trying to explain. It's a fascinating storyline which makes you think.

Spoiler Alert:
I'm struggling to get my head round the end of episode five. After watching the story unfold you understand that death is impossible. However they can still suffer the pain depending on the injury. Given the amount of deathly accidents/illnesses that occur each day..space is running out in all the hospitals. New laws are being passed to reclassify the patients. A patient classified as category one is the new 'dead'. One of the criteria being that the patient is unconscious. Patients are being transported to camps and segregated. The 'dark secret' behind these camps is that the plan for the category ones is to incinerate them. 
What happens at the end of episode five is one of the characters, who was completely alive (obviously) and healthy gets shot. To cover it up she ends up being placed in one of the incinerators. She regains consciousness as the incinerator gets turned on. As death is impossible..this means she is burnt alive and (I'm guessing) reduced to ash..yet she cannot be dead. Death is impossible. 
So this must mean she carries on existing as particles of ash?? Is that what is happening? She will continue living..but as bits of ash? I find it hard to comprehend and have literally just come to the conclusion that she wouldn't be in pain in her new state, as this state would not involve pain...as she is not being constantly burnt... ?? I am confused. Would she be in pain? Would she not be in pain? She WOULD have to be alive right? Death is not in the equation.. Yet her body and functions are all just ash... So she must then be unconscious? But then the form of ash is...... Does that mean she IS dead? But then death is not possible. Is that a loop hole?

I thought the ear muffs on the baby was a nice touch.

Strange Fruit

I've just realised..I did a post about James Kar being published in 101 TOP TIPS FOR DSLR VIDEO but never actually posted the video that is featured so here it is..

There's also a fun behind the scenes video which I have posted below.
Enjoy.

WHAT IS VA VA VOOM?

LOVE.
LOVE THIS.

WHAT IS VA VA VOOM?
IS IT MORE? - Audrey Hepburn
OR LESS? - Dita Von Teese
I could've been a contender.
DOES IT SMOULDER? Marlon Brando
I could've been somebody.
DOES IT BURN BRIGHTLY?
Ground control to major tom -  David Bowie
IS THERE A QUEEN OF IT?
It's so good being bad - Rhianna
BIEN SUR.
VIVE LA RENAULT CLIO

Someone Like You

Simple really.
A beautiful song.



This is the first time I've actually seen the video. Whenever I hear this song I always think of the end of Secret Diary of a Call Girl. It was very emotional.

"We can't regret our choices. The past is behind us. All we have is the present.. and the future. Whatever that may bring."