Blogger photography.

For several reasons I've decided I'd like to delve into photography a little.

Namely for my blog, for capturing images of my children/ family and as a hobby for myself.

I am fortunate in that my husband is a keen photographer, it's his passion. So when I started asking about a move up from my iPhone and point and shoot I've had plenty support in researching, practising with and purchasing a camera that meets my new found requirements.

I was looking for something not too bulky, that had great image quality, snappy autofocus and interchangeable lenses.

I adore Canon and immediately fell for the Canon EOS M. It's a part of their mirror less camera range. It looks sleek, well built and gets great reviews for its image quality. Not only that but pop an adaptor on and it's useable with an array of Canon lenses. It looks like my dream camera and you can pick one up for a good price especially second hand.

However despite this an unfortunate downside of the Canon EOS M is its Auto Focus which has been described as sluggish at best despite firmware updates. 

It is crucial to me that I can use my camera to capture images of our children. Now Lottie is still pretty stationary but Oscar he doesn't sit still! Photographing a toddler is by no means an easy feat and I have no experience with manual focus. So despite my love for its aesthetics and build quality I just couldn't part with our money for an EOS M. Now I'm not saying it's not capable of producing wonderful images because clearly it is, but I know I do not have the patience or skills as yet to work with a camera with a slower auto focus. I rely heavily upon autofocus on my point and shoot and iPhone cameras  to help me capture those moments that are here one minute and gone the next. I need something that will respond to my quick shooting style.

Just to show what the Canon EOS M is capable of check out one of my personal favourite blogs Hello Archie. Kaye works with the Canon EOS M beautifully and has wonderful clear, crisp and timeless captures on her posts which form part of her beautifully designed blog.

I think if I had a little more time and patience I would give the Canon EOS a shot but I have a few nerves and reservations and sadly do not have the funds to experiment with camera gear.

So instead I picked up Hubby's Fuji X-E2 and had a go. I must admit to me it feels big to grasp, I also am not keen on the silver and black styling as I prefer to have a monotone but it's great to be able to explore a decent camera before purchasing.

One of my first shots with the Fuji was my absolute favourite. 

Oscar reaching over to pass me back the  lens cap (much to my husband's relief I expect, no smudgy fingerprints on the lens here!)

I then took the Fuji out to a BBQ we were all invited to in the afternoon. This was perfect as we were surrounded by lots of friends and little ones, just the occasion for when I feel I would really love to use a decent camera to capture some of the fun and atmosphere at the party.

Now don't get me wrong. I clearly have some practice to get under my belt but I had fun learning. It felt nice not to be stuck to my phone and being prompted by Apple software that my camera roll was out of space. I really like how responsive the Fuji was, how sharp the images are and the lovely bokeh effect to the background of the shots. It's also fun to be able to use the interchangeable lens to zoom in and out of your subject manually.

I even had a dabble at Lightroom when we got home to add some retro filters to my images. I would definitely like to practise more with my photography and have chosen to opt for a Fuji xm1 this is because I don't feel I would get much use from a viewfinder and I appreciate its more compact size. The Fuji xm1 comes in black and silver, brown and silver and all black and I've chosen the all black model. We picked a used one up (body only) second hand which made it a much more affordable choice.

I will look forward to updating how I get on with it and expect to incorporate more of my photographs on the blog in the future.

What camera do you use for blogging? (:

The 4 month regression.

Well the blog has taken a bit of a back seat recently as Lottie seems to be entering her 4 month sleep regression.

She's feeding less than every 2 hours at night and is fighting her nap time in the day. Now requiring rocking, walks in the pram, trips in the car even to get her to close her eyes, I'm exhausted so I am not sure how she is functioning. Our girly day has today turned into duvet day as mummy has a stinking cold, puffy tired eyes and sleep deprivation is rearing its ugly head.

So rather than neglect the blog all together I thought a happy medium would be to upload a pictorial post of our recent few weeks and some ways in which we've been spending time with our little girl whilst she enters yet another developmental stage.

At 4 months Lottie is now a lot more aware of her surroundings, who is who, she is actively trying to roll, use her fingers and hands to grab toys and play with them and her sleep echoes that much more of an adult with REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and deeper sleep patterns. This is a scary new world for a baby and quite unsettling. Below are a selection of snaps whilst she's been calmer but it's not all smiles, cuddles and giggles and these phases can be so testing. I'd just like to put a few of these up to focus on her growth and to capture how much she is changing.

By the way I definitely do not currently look as pictured below, this was taken Sunday before a nice home cooked meal at the Grandparents and help with settling Lottie via a 40 minute forest walk with the buggy. Today I have so far failed to get her to rest even just once and a shower is rapidly turning into a lost hope

for the day. Let's hope this phase passes before I well and truly pass out myself.  

A Day Out With Thomas (Watercress Line) Review

So this weekend we had a special trip up to Alresford Station to visit Thomas & Friends on the Mid Hants Railway.

Our little boy Oscar absolutely adores trains! It's not something we've pushed on him at all and we have an array of toys, books and activities we do with the children but Oscar has really taken to transport vehicles and in particular trains!

And of course the number 1 Engine we all know is Thomas. 

He adores Thomas The Tank Engine so much that he now has the story books, picture cards, a wooden train track with Thomas and Toby running along it and a selection of Thomas dvds (particularly useful for those rainy or much needed quiet days and poorly snuggles on the sofa)

We've visited numerous miniature railways at parks but Oscar has never been on a real train before, so a trip to the Watercress line was a real treat.

The Day Out With Thomas tickets were priced at £18 for an adult but children under the age of 2 are free so both Oscar & Lottie didn't cost a penny to take for the day out.

We packed a picnic and some blankets to sit on to avoid the queues and any additional costs of eating out. 

The trains start running at 9.35am and finish around 5pm so you really can make a whole day of it. There are activities at all the stations for the children to get involved in (and the adults, yes Grandad did want a temporary train tattoo and we did end up dizzy and feeling a bit worse for wear after whizzing round on the teacup ride!)

We boarded the train at Alresford and met up at Ropley. Ropley seemed to have the most activities going on including a miniature railway ride, rides on Thomas himself, a ride on Diesel and the troublesome trucks (our personal favourite) a bouncy castle slide, teacup rides and Punch and Judy show. Ropley also had buggy park facilities, a nappy change area and a huge temporary car park which was free of charge for those spending the day out with Thomas.

I think initially Oscar was in awe of the trains, they are quite noisy and rather large in the world of a little toddler, but he had no trouble spotting his favourite engines and after the initial surprise of meeting them face to face for the first time he then adored watching them pass by and travelling in the carriages.

At each station there is a gift shop selling Thomas memorabilia but our top tip is to save your shopping for the Alresford station. This is the original gift shop and and has the greatest choice of stock including the Fisher Price wooden Thomas models compatible with the Brio/Bigg Jigs train sets. There is so much there for a train fanatic including the Hornby sets.

Over at Alton station we picked up a certificate for Oscar and a Day Out with Thomas Sticker badge for each of us. The kids were sleepy so whilst they had a nap in the buggy we all tucked into some New Forest icecream whilst waiting for the return journey train. We were lucky enough for both sets of Grandparents to join us for the day which meant we all got to have a go on the train rides and attractions and took it in turn to have cuddles with the children. It was delightful to see the Grandparents enjoying time with the children and made the day even more special.

If you fancy a Day Out with Thomas check here for information on your local station and where Thomas and Friends will be appearing.

All in all we had a fabulous day and would throughly recommend but here are our top tips for a smooth day:

1. Park at Ropley.

Ropley has a big free temporary car park, buggy park and is clearly signposted as 'Day Out With Thomas' via road signs. We made the mistake of heading to Alresford which although closer to us had less parking facilities and is chargeable Monday-Saturday. We had been to Altesford before (many moons ago) and our sat nav had difficulty finding the station precisely. If you do end up here don't fret (like I did) the parking is only £1.50 for the day which is still great value but you won't find Thomas here, he is over at Ropley for train rides.

2. Bring your buggy (without any worry)

If you have toddlers don't worry about your buggy taking up too much space or areas being inaccessible. We had no problems whataoever as each train has a carriage designated for buggies. It was never overpacked and an attendant was there to help us on and off each journey. We had a double buggy with us and had concerns that we might be restricted joining in but it just wasn't the case.

3. Pack a picnic

If you'd like to save money and time pack a picnic. We took a selection of sandwiches, crisps, biscuits and drinks and shared our food. This meant we could eat when and where we liked, avoid any queuing at the food huts. There actually were not many queues for food which surprised us but having a picnic meant we could set up pitch where we liked and not worry about what food was available.

4. Get there early

We wanted to enjoy as many train rides as we could so arrived in the morning. The train rides commence at 9.35am and run approximately every 30-40 minutes. Arriving in the morning meant we had no rush and could stroll around at our leisure . Having a 4 month old baby in tow this gave us ample time for nappy changes, breastfeeding and toilet stops for us grown ups! We didn't find we were rushing around to see everything and could enjoy the day at our own pace.

5. Take a camera

Don't forget to take a camera to capture those magical moments with your kids favourite characters. 

King George V Play Area

Today we went to one of our local parks with the kids, King George V Play area which was recently refurbished and given a fresh new look by Fareham Borough Council.

It was chosen as one of the parks being given a mini makeover in which old equipment has been painted, missing items reinstated, safety surfacing improved and fencing and seating areas painted (source Fareham Today Publication, Summer edition)

20 of the Boroughs play areas are to receive a mini makeover, you can find the full list here:

www.fareham.gov.uk/minimakeovers

We have been to King George V Play Area before and Oscar enjoyed running around and using the toddler swings but to be honest there was not much else for him to enjoy there prior to the mini makeover.

Today was a different story and his eyes lit up as we arrived at the park.

The toddler play equipment was a huge hit, Oscar adored independently climbing up the apparatus, whizzing down the small slide, listening through the sound tubes and really enjoyed the brightly coloured rocketship painted on the pathway.

The toddler swings are still featured but have been updated and modernised, alongside this there is a new bucket swing and a big snake swing at the rear of the park. Another addition is an inclusive roundabout which is accessible to wheelchair users.

You can tell a lot of thought has been put into the refurbishment and this is reflected in the fact that children from the Locks Heath Junior School helped choose what play equipment was to go in the play area.

Before the park was simply an excuse for us stretch our legs but now it's much more that that! Oscar throughly enjoyed his play time there and was giggling and exploring the whole way round.

Thank you Fareham Borough Council and all involved in the mini makeovers of these local play parks, what a huge difference it makes to the children and adults (appreciated the additional picnic benches for breastfeeding) they are an asset to the community and it's so refreshing to have a safe, fun and vibrant place to play on your doorstep :)