2013 - Out-takes and a Selfie

Hello! So here we are in 2014 - I hope it's treating you well. I've left my photo review of 2013 a little late but I thought I'd share of few of my out-takes with you from the last twelve months. Time for some New Year cheer.

Here are twelve, until now unpublished, photos of 2013. Some may be similar to ones you've seen before or perhaps just didn't quite make the grade, others just didn't fit in with what I was writing about at the time and a few just made me smile. Each one has an individual story but together they capture the spirit that was 2013. 

2013 was the year of my first DSLR and the year I fell in love with photography. Taking photos is about practice, patience, learning to take risks and a lot of luck too. There's a fair amount of pressure in blogging to produce perfectly styled and technically correct photos and I have to remind myself that I'm only an amateur and not to take it all too seriously.

So here are my out-takes if you're up for it.

January. This snap was taken on an old mobile phone and is very grainy - however it has memories of a very happy afternoon. As we walked through the park full of activity we chatted to some friendly folk who wanted a photo taken with their snowman. We obliged and asked if we could have our photo taken too. Just as well as he was gone the next day... just like the film.

February. Another less than perfect shot this time showing new additions to my minimalist wardrobe. Outfit posts are always popular on the blog but not easy to photograph.

March. By late March we were fed up with an abnormally cold and late spring. I took lots of snaps of these meerkats and daffodils in my parents-in-law's garden - they still make me smile.

April. I took hundreds of photos this month as we were on holiday in beautiful Cornwall. I think Hubs was trying to grab my attention (note to self - I do spend a lot of time behind the lens).

May. Finally we welcomed warmer weather - perfect for walks and lots of nature shots. I found this photo in my archives which I'd previously overlooked. Now I love the way it captures the rhododendron flower opening.
June. We spent much of June learning to make cocktails in preparation for a Gatsby evening where we worked as volunteers. I was in blogging heaven as everything about the evening was a dream to photograph. Here's one of my out-takes. One of my 2013 highlights.
July. We were lucky enough to holiday in France with my parents- in-law and their beautiful cat. This photo shows how at home she was in her holiday home garden (lizard hunting methinks).
August. The hot weather continued and I took my Mum and Dad to visit my brother and family in St. Albans. My niece fell in love with my camera (she now has the same model) and I fell in love with their adorable but shy rabbits.
September. The month of new glasses. Time to embrace the selfie.

October. Autumn settled in and the beginning of the month remained mild and sunny.
November. More autumn treasures. 
December. Another month of photo opportunities...
So there we are - my out-takes and a selfie from 2013. May 2014 have many more less than perfect photos but more importantly many, many memories.
Thank you for all your good wishes and welcome to my new readers and followers too xo