My Favourite Photos of Places and Food I love

                         
                     

Hey Lovelies,

Today is day 7 and Yes! I succeeded in posting on this blog for 7 consecutive days. Thank you for supporting me as usual. In a way, it was easier because I was on leave from work but I am back now. So, Tuesday is the new Monday to me, of course. As you can guess, I was so busy at work today and I had no time to take any new photos so I decided to check my precious stash of photos and share them with you. Many of them are either from my favourite places or food or little random bits that make me happy.. I am going to start with food...

                                                       
                                              Food and Meals that Make me Happy

I have already shared a post about this meal but this seriously makes me happy. It's  traditional British fish and chips with some veggies thrown in for healthy measures. I buy this from Giannis which is a small eatery near my office in London. It's a lil' pricey and fattening which is why it is reserved for treat time.

This is how I store my food for the rest of the week. I think Lunch is my most important meal because if I don't bring my lunch, I end up spending ridiculous amounts of money on it. I make my meals on Sunday, pack them into Tupperware and store it in the fridge. Plus it allows me eat more healthily. This is boiled rice, salmon and mixed vegetables. I also made some pasta with mixed vegetables. It is so filling and nice..YumYum.

                       

I can see you judging me because I know they are for babies. I love Heinz's Farley rusks which are given to babies with milk to introduce them slowly to solids and also to encourage their teeth growth as they can nibble on it. I had quite a few of these as a child and I still had some when my younger cousins were little so let's say I was never fully weaned from it..So, don't blame me. They are so yummy and the last time I bought these, the lady at Tesco said " How old is your little one?" in her bid to strike a conversation. Hahahaha...

I recently discovered this and I have been loving it all the way. It is Chobani's Yoghurt which is made from only natural ingredients and it is one of the creamiest and thickest yoghurt I have eaten. it is not necessarily the sweetest but it is definitely one of the healthiest. I eat this on its own or add it to my smoothie...double yum!!

Places and Nature Spots I Love

I still love coming down the bus to take pictures and sit down to edit them especially if they are unusual places .

I can do many, many bad things to lay my hands on these Chanel beauty products; I am kidding but you get my drift. This picture was taken in House of Fraser. I really love Chanel because it feels so classy and timeless. I don't own any of the products yet but I have used them courtesy of my cousins and a few testers I have got from their counters. But this selection in this picture just makes me plain happy...

                   

This lone hanging flower makes me really appreciate nature because it screams Spring/Summer in subtle way. I love how delicate the petals look and how the whole flower is hanging upside down from a brick wall..So calming and serene for me.

                   

I took this near Canary Wharf which is comparable to Wall Street in USA. All the huge business and financial firms all have impressive offices here. I took this on my way from a meeting there. I love how well sculpted this statue is and it shows so much strength for such an inanimate object...It feels alive to me..

                     

This was when the Sun was still my friend; right now there is no love lost between us because it has become too humid. I have always loved the mild Sun but this is no longer the norm in London right now. This picture was taken in early spring when the sun was playing the shy lover with us; perfect weather for long romantic walks with the cool breeze accompanying the gentle rays....Bliss

                   

This is one of favourite pictures of Big Ben. It looks so regal here and the lovely sun was doing great justice to all its great features.  I love how the tourists always look in awe of it and rush to take pictures when the clock strikes and chimes away...I think it is really beautiful and lovely to know it is still well admired after all these years....

This used to be my usual Bus Stop in Waterloo before I moved somewhere else that requires using the dreaded Underground/Tube. I love buses because it gives you a chance to see the scenery you may miss from using the Tube here in London. This ticket machine is very naughty because you din't get any change at all. If you are stranded and you need to get on a bus where you need to have bought your ticket beforehand, you would be forced to leave your change with this machine.. Thank God for contact less cards which you can use to pay for bus fares if you don't have your Oyster Card...

I'd leave you with one of my favourite pictures. This was also taken in early Spring when the flowers were just beginning to bloom. I love this tree because it still looks beautiful despite the absence of any flowers, leaves or bloom. Against the blue skies, it looks really special which is why it has a special place in my heart and makes me happy looking at it....I hope you enjoyed this post which was a little different to my other posts which have been all beauty related. My 7 day challenge is over and I have enjoyed the challenge thoroughly...I am writing a special post for Thursday so stay tuned....toodles....xxx

IPHONEOGRAPHY 102: IPHONE APPS FOR EDITING AND ADDING EFFECTS FOR PRO PICTURES

Hi Lovelies,

.....I have missed you all. I can't believe how stressful this week has been for me. It was meant to be a wonderful week filled with new promises and freshness of a brand new week, somehow, over the weekend, it just went down down down. 

These moments are the times when I am so glad I have a relationship with God (*breaks out into Nigerian Christian song "I have a very big God oooo who is always ba ma side"*complete with thick Nigerian accent). But I am so glad everything is working out fine now. Rant Over... Nexttt!!!

Original Picture without Editing

Edited picture with PicFX App

If you are new to my Blog, a warm big welcome to you and thank you for stopping by. This post is about Iphoneography 102- Editing Pictures with Apps on your Iphone. I have a previous blog post on Iphoneography 101: The Basics which I suggest you read before this as it is quite helpful. This post is a sequel to that. Let's get started..

Original Picture of Big Ben without editing

Edited picture with PhotoForge2 App

There are thousands of Apps in the App store for editing pictures and it is quite overwhelming for a new Photographer/Iphoneographer. I found it really overwhelming and interesting at the same time. There were various Apps for Cropping, Collages, Effects, Photo Editing, name it. The list is endless. Many of the Apps are free while some are paid for. I classify some as Semi-Free whereby it is free to download the basics which are no different to any other App out there but you need to do some in-purchase for any extra snazz..crafty and cheeky I would say. I honestly do not know where to start because I am just a newbie in the Iphoneography but I guess I will just work with all the info I have learnt and all the Apps I currently have on my phone.

Original Picture of towers without editing( Taken in bright day light)

Edited picture with Lens Flare App

                                                           APPS for Photo Editing
I have a lot of Apps for editing pictures which include KitCam, PicFx, Pixlromatic, PS Express (Photo Shop Express), Snapseed, Photo Forge2, etc. These are the Apps I currently have installed on my Iphone. I use them strictly for editing pictures such as cropping, enhancing and adding effects to my pictures.

Original Picture taken with Indoor Lighting

Edited picture with Pixlromatic App

                                                                   Camera Apps

These are apps which act like miniature DSLR cameras in addition to your Iphone cameras. They have several settings where you can adjust focal lengths, depths of field, tilt effects, lighting, etc. all you need to do is select the app you need and take your picture directly from the App. There are so many out there but the only ones i have currently on my Iphone are KitCam, Camera +, Pro Camera, Line Camera,  Wood Camera and Hipstamatic. They all offer the different settings and you also have the option of changing the lenses and films in many of them for Analog Camera features.

 Original Picture of House Parliament taken in Daylight

Edited picture with PhotoShop Express and watermarked with PhotoMakr App

                                                      Apps for Collages and Watermark

There are gazillion of these which basically help you create lovely collages of favourite pictures or memories for easy upload and to add a tinge of creativity. They offer different frames and back grounds. Some offer filters and effects. I love using these apps for categorizing my photos for my blog. My favourite Collage apps include InstaCollage, PicCollage, IBooth, etc.

Picture Collage using Pic Collage App

I also have a couple of watermark apps which help you watermark your pictures as a copyright which I think is necessary if you don't want your pictures trolled all around the internet without your permission. My favourite App for Watermarking my Photo is Photomakr. I also have ColorStamper but I don't use it often.

Original Picture and  Edited Picture with Waterize App

                                                                Apps for Effects

I love using effects for my pictures because they always make them look more professional and nice. There are various effects including flares, glares, water, etc. I just larrrrveee them all. I have a couple on my phone and they include ElementFX, ElementFX Pro, Mirrorgram, Repix, Pixloromatic,Water My Photo, PicFX, etc. They all offer varying effects e.g. Water My Photo adds an illusion of water to your photos which I think is brilliant.

Original Picture of my lunch

Same picture edited with RePix App

I am sure you can tell I love these Apps a lot and the chances of not using all of them is very high. This is very true and I am more than guilty of that. I will explore all these various categories in this Iphoneography series which I have started. So stay tuned if you want to learn about the above categories and apps to get wonderful photos. See you in my next post...xxx

Original picture 

Edited picture with Mirrorgram App

While I gear up towards creating those lovely posts for you all, I am going to introduce to you my secret most used and loved Iphone App of all times - KitCam. I love this App so so so so much and I use this mainly for almost all my pictures.

Original picture 

Edited Picture with Snap Seed App

I am going to do a seperate blog post on Kit Cam following this post because this will be a super long post if I don't. More importantly, I love it so much and I think it deserves its own separate blog post. I hope you all are enjoying this Iphoneography series. 

Original picture of Spring Bloom Shrubs

Edited picture with KitCam App

Iphoneography 101: The Basics

Hi Lovelies,

I hope every one has had an amazing week. I have because it has been really warm and sunny and everyone knows Londoners can't get enough of the sun. Being Nigerian means I have had my fair share of sunny days and I never thought a day will come when I will actually seek out the sun. Any day the sun is out over here, I am out basking and soaking it in (some times forgetting my sunscreen, oh well!!)

It was such a warm lovely day and I could not resist taking a "selfie"

So, today is basically about Iphones and Iphoneography. A number of people have admired my pictures on this blog and other forums; often wondering what kind of camera I have.. I actually do not have a DSLR camera (just yet!!). 95% of all pictures on this blog were taken with my Iphone 5 and edited via a number of Apps which you can find in the Itunes App Store. If you don't have an Iphone, you can definitely use some of these apps or similar ones on Blackberry Apps and others.

*DISCLAIMER* I am in no way an expert on Iphoneography or Photography. Many of the pictures I take are just for fun; nothing too serious but I am just going to share a few tips and tricks that have worked for me..

Phew!! so, now that we have got that out of the way, Let's get started, shall we?. For the basics, let's start with definitions:

What is Iphoneography?
Iphoneography is an art of creating photos with an Apple iPhone and a style of mobile photography that differs from other forms of digital photography in that images are shot and processed on the iOS device. It basically means taking pictures with whatever Iphone or Apple device you have and processing it on the many wonderful Apps available. 

                                           An Interest/Passion for Photography

I think this is more important than any device you own. You need to love or at least have an interest in photography because that forms the foundation of getting good pictures. I have not always loved photography as such. I loved having my picture taken for sure but I was not very much interested in how to get the final product because I felt it was very complicated and you have to learn  and have the necessary skills, etc. However, I actually developed an interest when I realized it was not as difficult as i thought and I started experimenting with the devices I had access to. So, you need to have an interest. Even if it is a tiny spark, it can always be fanned ablaze with the right information.

                                                        An Eye for Pictures

Best to focus on the towers and leave off the banister of the balcony for a better picture.

I re-positioned the angle of my phone(I raised it above my head) to cut off the balcony for a better picture

 I am sure everyone admires beautiful things and beautiful people but sometimes, we are unable to capture them as we see them or as we think they should be. It is quite normal and with practice one can develop a good eye. I think it's best to always practice as often as possible making room for mistakes and multiple shots. 

It is always best to  focus on the subject rather than on several other subjects in the background as seen in both pictures.

You need to always place the subject of the picture right in the middle; it has to be the focus of the picture. Of course, there are many apps that can sort that out if that's not the case but it is important to get that bit in. If you are taking a picture of a person, you may want to position your phone at a slight angle to prevent the face appearing too big and unflattering. If it is of a tiny object, you may want to kneel down almost to the same height just so the tiny object appears normal. Most of all, you need to appreciate everything for what they are and learn to see the beauty even in the most mundane things.


                                                                     Lighting 

The sun cast a shadow in front of the nail polish which does not look great.

By re-positioning, you can see the shadow is behind the nail polish which looks better

If you want crisp pictures with little or no need for any apps, then natural light is your best friend. I love taking pictures in natural daylight or in the sun. The pictures always come out looking amazing, crisp and sharp. Sometime, I don't even bother with any apps or editing. If the sun is shining, you need to position your phone in a way to prevent shadows from being cast in the pictures. Ensure the shadow is always behind the picture and not in front or at the sides. You can always test that out by adjusting your position. You always want to take your photos slightly away from the ray of light or light source else it will turn out dark.

You can get good indoor pictures with the correct lighting and positioning

 If you do not have natural light or sun light, don't fret, you can always take lovely pictures indoors. All you need is a good lamp which is well lit. You really do not want yellow light bulbs because they always give a yellow grainy effect to pictures. Best to go for white light or white bulbs. Same as natural light, you want to place the light source away from the subject to prevent casting of shadows or dark pictures. As you progress, you can invest in Studio Lights, Day light bulbs or Day light bulb and adjustable lamps. Best to go for daylight bulbs of 5400k.

                                              Holding your device/Best Angles

I took this picture while sitting and the angle looks a bit off especially because it is a small  object

I chose a different angle(kneeling down) to capture all aspects of the object for better quality

I know this sounds silly but you need to know how to hold your device properly. I always prefer to hold my phone sideways when i need to take pictures because it gives me better control. Also, it minimizes the likelihood of blurry pictures. Other times, I hold my phone in a vertical or upright way if i am taking pictures of objects such as small cosmetics or beauty items. With practice, you will learn how to be steady while taking pictures and understand what way you need to hold your phone to get the best 

                                                     Taking Multiple Shots

These are all different pictures but I took several of each and chose the best ones

I always take multiple shots with almost all pictures and then i delete any one I think is crap and i improve on nice ones. I always experiment with different lighting and angles. Sometimes, i stand, sit, crawl, kneel, lie down,over my head, it does not matter if you want nice unusual pictures. It is always the unusual angles that make the most interesting pictures. 

                                                    Time to Move...

Don't be shy at all to take picture. It does not mean I have overcome my shyness(hehehe) but I take more opportunities everyday and I seem to be losing the shyness slowly and surely. The World is Your Oyster (a dear friend used to say that a lot to me...:-)).

Photography is meant to be fun and don't take it too seriously, you get my drift. Relax, love it, play with and in it, make mistakes, delete, laugh about it and annoy people with it (Hahaha). 

Lastly, don't forget to share your beautiful photos with your friends and loved ones. My boyfriend is my biggest fan and critique and I absolutely trust his judgement because I know he wants the best for me. My sister is my most loving fan because she always encourages me and "ooohs" and "ahhhs" at all my pictures; she really does boost my morale and I love her so so so much :-)


I hope you enjoyed this post. My next post will be on my favorite Apps for editing my pictures so stay tuned...xx

My New Found Love - Photography

Hi Lovelies,

I have been looking forward to putting up this post for a very long time. I am glad it is finally up because I  have had a very crazy month due to work and qualifications pressure but I am good now. This is going to be a long post, so sit back and grab a cuppa tea or water or coffee or soda or whatever floats your boat...:-)

So, let's start from the basics, shall we?. My wonderful Dad was very much into photography which he wholeheartedly invested in. He always said "Photography is an expensive hobby" and indeed he was so right.  He had very good cameras and was a very good photographer which meant we, his kids, had many good pictures and memories of our childhood. Sadly, some photographers do not have many pictures of themselves because they are always so busy capturing other people's images and memories. 

My bro looks embarrassed by his lil' sis' dance moves...lol 

Growing up, I  just loved the camera. I will pose for my Dad who was always happy to catch me off guard with his camera ; capturing some of my silly poses.  Then, the camera phones were invented and my dad got me my first one which I loved so much; it was a Nokia (I can't remember the model now), the picture quality was not perfect but it served its purpose for me. Later, my lovely brother got me a Nokia N95 which had a nice 5MP camera and I loved this phone so much. After that, I got a series of blackberry phones which had good cameras especially my last one which was a torch.

I took many pictures with it because I just loved taking pictures (selfies) of myself (I was and I still am a teeny weeny bit vain), other people and places but I really loved taking pictures in front of a mirror best; don't ask me why :-)

Somehow, I preferred taking pictures with my phone rather than with actual cameras because they are easier to whip out in a flash plus you really don't want to carry cameras everywhere.   My boyfriend got me my first digital camera which I still have because it is such an amazing camera with excellent picture quality and video quality as well. It is a Nikon Cool Pix Digital Camera which is still my number one baby camera..


                          

 I love this camera so much because it holds so many beautiful memories I have shared with my loved ones. Also, I think I became interested in Photography with this camera because I got to practice with different settings and lighting.  I loved taking pictures any and every where; I did not care if they looked good or not. Surprisingly, the video quality was amazing and I recorded a good number of videos with this camera. 


                     


My boyfriend seeing how interested I had become with photography and videos got me a Samsung H300 HD Camcorder for my birthday because he knew I loved making Youtube videos at the time. He is the most amazing guy in the world who inspires me in many many ways and I feel very blessed to have him in my life.....*deepblush*


I digress :-). 

Fast Forward, at work, I met a wonderful colleague let's call him M. He loved photography and he is a pro. I was amazed by his wonderful pictures, the way he edited them and how he used social media to connect with other photographers around and share his amazing work. He agreed to teach me the basics about proper photography and DSLR cameras which I was hoping to buy soon. He taught me a lot about Depths of Field, Focusing, ISOs, Noise Reduction, etc. It was a whole new world to me and we shot some amazing photos together in Manchester.

                     
Not stopping there, he loaned/gave me his bridge camera FujiFilm which was one of the kindest gestures from a friend and he told me I had a good eye for photography. Of course, I half believed him because I just thought(and still think) he was just being a nice sweet friend.

Then, I got my Iphone 5 in March of this year and I will say my life changed (hahha, ok just a little). It opened up a whole new world to me because it has a very good camera, provided me access to wonderful editing apps for pictures and I could upload straight to any social media I wanted to especially my blog for my wonderful readers. Guys, I was snapping away all the time and I have not looked back since. 





I just realised that I have not been taking as much pictures of myself as I did in the past rather I have been taking lovely pictures of the beautiful world before me. I think this new found passion has been heightened because I moved to a new city so I see everything with the fresh eyes of a tourist. 





To me, photography creates an avenue for me to be in touch with the world and appreciate the wonderful things created by God and man-made alike. I love taking pictures of my make up, beauty products, food, meals, places, works of art, nature, people, name it. They all inspire me and I am never tired of taking pictures. I could get down from the bus or train, half way to my destination, to take a picture of something or somewhere because I think it is amazing.

My friend M who I mentioned earlier shares his passion for photography with other people in the most amazing and innovative way. Find out more about him and his work here:
500Px: http://500px.com/markprime
Flikr: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/markprime

He created a lovely group where people who share a common love for  photography come together to learn and share. Although, it is based in Manchester, I am still a member via internet and virtual links. If you want to learn more about our work, click the links below:

Flikr (where we share amazing pics): https://secure.flickr.com/groups/thephotographysessions/
Glassboard (Where we hold discussions): https://app.glassboard.com/web/invitation/code/gobou
Crowd Funder (We are planning an exhibition): http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/pho-tog-raph-me-1171



In August, we are going to hold our first exhibition where we share many of our pictures with the world, not stopping there, we are going to put them on canvas and auction them. It is going to a be a wonderful project and you stand a chance of winning some beautiful photos on either canvas or postcard  formats. If you want know how you can be part of this, Click here to find out more
I have joined a couple of other forums where I share my photography skills but mainly to learn from others and improve my skill.

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94319829@N05

I think it's important for everyone to find something that makes them happy or passionate. At this time in my life, it is photography and blogging. Have you found yours yet?

I think this was one of the most personal blog posts I have put up and I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it...xx. Stay Tuned for my next Blog Posts on the basics of Iphoneography and How I edit my pictures...