Four Things I Learnt In 2014

As another year draws to a close, the prospect of a new year with new experiences, new encounters, new beginnings awaits around the corner. While it's important to focus on resolutions and goals for the year ahead, it's almost impossible to do this realistically without first reflecting on what we can learn from the days that have passed. I'd like to think that I've learnt a fair bit more than four things in 2014 but hey there's only so much time I have to write before my concentration flounders!

1. Walk places

I touched on this back in September when a ridiculously lucky case of being in the right place at the right time kickstarted the whole shooting-backstage-at-fashion-week shenanigans. If you can walk it, do it. Not least because walking is exercise and exercise is good - especially after a few weeks of festive culinary indulgence - but also because the decision to walk instead of get the tube was what landed me outside Victoria House, where I would meet and be offered the opportunity to assist backstage.

2. Shoot RAW

Yeah yeah, I know this is age-old news but with a tiny memory card - I've finally forked out for a new one - and seeing more than a few posts by relatively high-flying photographers that shooting jpeg suffices, I thought it would. But honestly, shooting RAW is advice well worth heeding. The difference in quality and workability of the resultant image is definitely noticeable - even to my hardly trained eye - and it sure worked wonders for shooting flash-free backstage of Meadham Kirchhoff in September. P.S. This post by the rather marvellous Julia Trotti illustrates this point beautifully.

3. It's not so difficult to go makeup free

This point probably comes across as ever so self-deprecating / lacking in self-confidence / call it what you might, but it's a pretty much unequivocal fact that we wear makeup in the belief that it will enhance our appearance. Often it does, but at the same time, the unprecedented popularity of the #nomakeup selfie would have us believe that there is something wrong with not wearing makeup. And this is most certainly not the case. I've never been the sort of person to slap on vast amounts of makeup. My idea of going all out on the face painting front is what other people would associate with a normal day at the office. But still, until recently, the gap between wearing a little makeup and no makeup at all has always seemed that little jump too far - outside of the comfort of my own room that is. But then summer came along - and it's no secret that a measured dose of sunlight does wonders for one's complexion - and then university followed. With it came many a long day and many a long night, and so the preference for sleep over a marginally improved appearance took hold. And the less I wore makeup, the less I felt the need for it on a daily basis, and the more confident I felt in my own skin. And with less slap on my face, the better my skin got, and again, the more confident I felt. So it's a win-win situation really, once you overcome the perceived social barriers of going barefaced. Also, it probably helped that I'd commandeered the Diprobase from the family bathroom. Trust me, once you get over the clinical smell, that stuff works wonders for priming your skin!

4. Don't just think about it, do it

I have a massive tendency to over think things. It's one of the reasons why I can come across as quite introverted; I sometimes think so much before I speak that by the time I've finished thinking, the conversation has moved on and so my thoughts don't end up getting voiced. But the point of this statement is not so much the thinking before speaking, but the thinking before doing. After the thrill of shooting backstage at LFW SS15, there was the suggestion that I try and get the job shooting for magazines next time around, at the upcoming men's collections. Having had little success in getting my photographs published, I was skeptical that it was worth attempting. But then the saying 'there's no harm in trying' came to mind. I had so much to gain, and nothing to lose. So I spent almost a whole day painstakingly drafting emails to various magazines, agonising over how even to start the emails in the first place. But my efforts paid off. Consequently, LC:M AW15 is going to be busy busy times shooting backstage for me and I'm absolutely ready and raring to go for it. So yeah, good things happen to those who go out and get it.

And with that, I'd like to thank everyone who has visited and read my blog this year - especially those who leave comments because I do love nice comments! - and congratulate you on having read this far. Here's to 2015, let's make it a good one!