August Break Photo 16: Fire

Fire! What an exciting and excellent topic! I cheated a bit with this one and used a photo that I took in 2012 while at the Paralympic Games in London. What a summer 2012 was! What a glorious Olympic and Paralympic Games it was! Everyone I knew was excited about it. Seeing both Olympic and Paralympic events up close in my hometown was a truly once in a life time unforgettable experience. I still remember the sound of 80,000 people cheering in the Olympic stadium as David Weir, crossed the finish line in his wheelchair and won gold for Great Britain in the Paralympics. It seemed louder than a jumbo jet taking off and I was struck dumb by the sight of thousands of people all clapping, cheering, hugging and crying at once. That afternoon I got up close to the Olympic flame, felt its dizzying extreme heat and snapped a photograph.

I did think it would be a shame to not include a more recent photo, so here is one I took a week ago of the sky above my flat. It had just rained, but the sun shone briefly and a rainbow appeared. The storm clouds moved in again like some biblical tempest and I snapped this photo before the scene suddenly changed. I thought it looked like the sky was on fire,

August Break 15: Art

For this subject, I chose to use my mother's Art as my inspiration. Over the years my mother has had an art studio and painted portraits, still lifes, landscapes and abstracts. She is a constant inspiration to me, especially in her use of colour and experimental painting techniques. I try to incorporate her experimental use of colour in my own photography. The above photos are of her studio and paints. The below is her work, a portrait of me.

August Break Photo 14: Favourite Smell

This was a hard subject to photograph because I have so many favourite smells! I chose a freshly made coffee because it is an easily photographed smell and I do love an excuse to photograph my food. This latte was made, bought, photographed and drunk at the Barbican Cafe in Central London. I especially liked the criss cross pattern of the tabletop as well.

My other favourite smells include:

• Rosewater
• Lavender
• The side of my husband's neck just below his ear and hairline
• The smoky woody smell of my parents' flat
• Melted chocolate
• Fried onions
• Roast Chicken
• The warm soft fur of my cat (when I was a child)
• The musty smell of books
• The dusty shelves in libraries
• My mum's soap (I think it is Lily of the Valley or possibly Jajoba oil)
• A fresh lime and coke
• Ice (sounds weird, but ice does have a sort of smell)
• My avocado and olive oil handcream
• My Voyage en Mediterranee Mimosa de L`Esterel perfume
• Pink grapefruit
• Bonfires in November
• Fresh grass
• Soil and plants after it rains
• Honeysuckle
• My husband'a aftershave
• A really ripe mango

August Break Photo 13: Last Year

Photo 13 is on the theme of 'Last Year.' This is sort of last year...this was in September 2014. New undergraduates try to find their way around campus on their first day at the London School of Economics. The excitement and buzz of Freshers' Week! In three weeks it all begins again this year!