Tag: photography
-
Will I ever photograph at a major tournament?
A small disclaimer – I should start off by adding to the question the word AGAIN because I have photographed a major tournament before.
I have been reflecting on this question a lot lately. Just the other day on the Black Women Photographers Slack channel, I shared my desire to be at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand happening later this year, but the way the travel situation is right now, it is making that look like an impossible dream.
Even before Rona, the likelihood of me traveling to New Zealand (as it is one of my bucket list countries to visit) even using sport as an excuse looked very doubtful, but not impossible. The cost for visas, flights, accommodation, local travel, insurance, etc. was just adding up. Now, I have to think about PCR tests and the likes to add to the list of expenses.😩
Self-portrait at Kingspan Stadium, Belfast before the New Zealand v England Final In 2017, when I traveled to Ireland/Northern Ireland for the last women’s Rugby World Cup, I was literally planning it with days to go before my departure date. This was due to the fact I was waiting for my accreditation to be approved before I could apply for my visa*. Even then when I was submitting my visa application, I needed to have done it like 2 to 3 weeks prior to my travel date, but I was literally submitting my application a week or so and I was a wreck that week with worry because my accreditation was approved late. By the grace of God, my visa was approved the day before I was due to leave. I picked up my passport from the Irish Embassy after being in bed sick with migraine to only pack that very evening and leave the next day. I really enjoyed my time in Ireland/Northern Ireland as the days when there were no matches, I got to see a bit of the country.
*As a Kenyan passport holder, I needed a visa as I was traveling to Dublin, Ireland which is part of the EU. If I was only traveling to Northern Ireland, I would not need a visa as it is part of the U.K.
I would consider myself lucky as I was able to secure cheap flights to Northern Ireland and together with a photographer friend of mine, Sarah Muirhead, we traveled to Dublin by car from Belfast. This was also helped by the fact that a flight from England to Northern Ireland is less than 2hrs in comparison to one to New Zealand which will take at least 24hrs from London. Double 😩
Self-portrait on the pitch during the New Zealand v England final in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Last year, I was glued to the telly as I watched the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan (another country I would like to visit) and I was reflecting on this question as well as I would really like to be a photographer at an Olympics in my lifetime, even it was just to photograph the general atmosphere surrounding the games. However, with this, unless I am commissioned by the IOC of the country I am representing (in my case Kenya) the likelihood of it happening is close to never. Then again, miracles can and do happen, so you never know. My dream might just come true and find myself in France in 2024. 🤞🏾🙏🏾
Whilst I continue with my reflections, I am slowly trying to get back to photographing more women’s rugby and other sporting events as I had taken a break when I was studying for my MA and then the pandemic happened. You never know, I might just end up photographing a major tournament or find myself heading to New Zealand to watch the final of the women’s Rugby World Cup. 🤷🏾♀️
#Reflection
If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.
Drinking loads of tea/coffee make it happen and your support is always welcome.
-
Exhibition Shorts #1 – Body Copy at PhotoFusion
This was my first ever #YouTubeShorts for an exhibition I saw at Photofusion in 2021 by Mitchell Moreno.
#BodyCopy
-
12 Best Photos from My Camera Roll – 2021
My iPhone is the camera I have with me most of the time. So whenever I am in the moment, I photograph whatever is around me. Most of it is so mundane, but I love photographing those moments.
Here are my 12 best ones from my phone’s camera roll – straight out of the camera. No edits.
January – one cloudy afternoon as I sat at my dining table, I just felt the urge to photograph my window. The plants in the plastic container were a gift but it took me months before I re-potted them as they were growing so fast.
February – handprint by one of my kids on the window. In the background is a floodlight. Took me several attempts to get the photo how I wanted it as I wanted the handprint to be more in focus rather than the floodlight.
March – this was the last day of homeschooling before the kids went back to school for their summer term. My daughter was in class as the teacher explained the tasks for the day.
April – As much as I need to declutter my home, I just love this view from my bed as light from the hallway slightly illuminates a blacked-out bedroom.
May – Spring sunshine light streaks on the wall of my office. I took loads of photos of light shapes around the home, but this one is a favourite.
June – the summer sunshine from our skylight. I just love how warm and glowy my skin looks in this self-portrait.
July – I love snacking while I work and this is one of my favourite combinations that I recently discovered – apple with chilli. I normally have mango with chilli, but this combi is lip-smacking delicious. 😋 You should try it, but make sure the chilli powder has salt in it.
August – Light dots from the Yayoi Kusama exhibition ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’ I visited with my kids over the summer holidays. Tickets to see this exhibition were really hard to get, but I am glad that I got a chance to see it.
September – Day out in London with my babies. Here we were heading back home after visiting one of my friends after months of not seeing each other.
October – a mural of Marvin Gaye as I came from seeing this exhibition at Photofusion
November – A view of the sun and dramatic clouds from my bed on those rare sunny autumn days in the U.K.
December – Staying hydrated even during the winter months is something I make sure I do. This tumbler has been one of the best purchases for me this year. Keeps my drinks cooler or warmer longer than usual and I love it.
Bonus photo: July – Summers in the U.K. are not summer if it doesn’t rain. Using the same floodlight from the handprint photo (see February above) to frame and again, I wanted the raindrops on the window to be the focus.
Which of the 12 (+bonus) photos is your favourite? Leave a comment below letting me know which one and why.
✌🏾
If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.
Drinking loads of tea/coffee make it happen and your support is always welcome.
-
3 New Winter Updates
Hello Happy People!
I am back to my weekly blogging schedule!
If you are new here, every month with 30 Days (you know, April, June, September and November), I share a daily photo, project or interview on my blog. This tends to be new or old work that I haven’t shared before (to my very unreliable knowledge, at least). Last month’s edition was one I enjoyed doing even though I was a bit scared to share those images.
And with that said, here are my 3 updates of things that happened whilst I was doing the #30DayPhotoProject.
Update #1 – Screenings
As may know by now, I took part in a Black women’s art festival together with 16 other amazing women. This annual festival celebrates the beauty of Black culture, identity and heritage. “Ife Nkili” is a phrase from the Igbo tribe in Nigeria that means “Beauty to Behold”. The festival was supported and funded by Arts Council England and curated by Chin We.
The festival premiered on YouTube on the 14th of October, but since then it has had successful screenings on Twitter Live, Everyman Cinema Broadgate and The Hackney Social.
If you missed any of those screenings, you can now watch it on-demand via Vimeo.
Update #2 – Newsletter
If you missed my post last week, I mentioned that I now have a newsletter. In it, I will be sharing with you any updates and events all in one place.
You are welcome to subscribe as I will be publishing each issue on the 13th of every month.
Update #3 – Print Shop Launch
I have now set a date for when I will be launching my PRINT SHOP.
This will happen in the Spring of 2022.
I am a firm believer that now I have set a date and put it out in the world, I cannot back out of my own word as I have put off launching the shop for the longest time.
One of the reasons, however, was the lack of manageable funds to be able to upgrade my website to have the option to have this shop/e-commerce. I have set up a ‘support me’ page to make this possible.
So, if you are in a position to support me in any way, please do by donating or by simply sharing the donation link. With just over 50﹪ raised, every little action helps and I will be forever grateful for the support. 🙏🏾
And there you have it. The 3 Winter Updates that I really wanted to share with you as I am now back to my weekly blogging schedule. And yes, the EK13 / 30 Day Photo Project will be back in April 2022 and it might just be another collaboration. Stay tuned!
See you next week! ✌🏾
If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.
Drinking loads of tea/coffee make it happen and your support is always welcome.