Belated birthday gifts

Admittedly, this blog post in itself is belated, since I received the the following birthday presents two weeks ago while still in Bournemouth. However, I have been meaning to blog about my gifts, so here they are...

From Lauren (whose nail art I featured two weeks ago), I received two bars of Galaxy chocolate and three pairs of themed socks - Animal from The Muppets, Mr T Weenicon, and Lego Star Wars. When it comes to socks, I usually prefer to wear patterned pairs, but these are still funky. As for the chocolate... Well, I was peckish.

But from Lilly, I received a special gift that should prove useful in my future fashion photography ventures - "The Fashion Photography Course: First Principles to Successful Shoot - the Essential Guide". A bit of a mouthful for a book title, so I just refer to it as the fashion photography book.

Though in spite of its long title, the book truly is an essential guide, containing all I need to know about achieving a successful photo shoot. From cameras to lighting, from inspiration to editing, the book is a genius. Or at least its author is. The chapter on editing techniques, for example, was particularly interesting, having introduced me to the very exciting 'liquify' option on Photoshop. However, since I am in support of natural beauty, you won't see any "digital boob jobs" or such like on this blog.

And that's about it - a few lovely gifts from two good friends. Next year, I leave the teens and turn the big two-zero (well, it seems big), so I wonder what presents I'll be getting then? If any, of course.

Irish Dance Dresses: A Review

High-kicking the feis into fashion

Yesterday, I was officially introduced to the world of feis (pronounced 'fesh'), the world of Irish dance competition. Having been educated in the goings-on and customs of such contests by my friend, Aisling, I had a fair idea of what to expect, but despite this prior knowledge, those few hours at Salesian School in Chertsey were a surreal experience.

The principle reason for attending the Emerald Championships was to support Aisling at her first competition in two-and-a-half years. The fashion element - aka the dresses - was purely a secondary interest. Nonetheless, the various designs and colours of dresses were, shall we say, interesting...

Camden High Street, London

I really like this woman's cream waterfall cardigan, especially its contrast against

the rest of her black outfit. A simple yet lovely style for a cool summer's day.

As you may have guessed by now, the guys who grab my attention in terms of style
are those who dress smartly with a streak of individuality, so it's no surprise why this
young man caught my eye whilst in Camden. He wears his white jeans well with his
two-tone patent shoes, and I absolutely love his brushed-back hairstyle.