Photographers Life.

I have tried to update this blog on numerous occasions but each time failed I am extremely lazy and get easily distracted..
So here goes, life thus far! In London after nearly one whole year!!

The most exciting news I have to share is that I am now hired as a photographer at the studios, and no longer assisting. I wake up every morning and get paid to actually take photos for a living. It's amazing to be doing something I enjoy and like and working with the most amazing, and talented people. The fact I can be as creative as I like when it comes to what I wear each day is also a bounce...In saying that I can be as casual as I like and have found myself wearing my dressing gown around the studios because the air con makes it ridiculously cold at times. I'm clearly still a pure dag at heart.
This also en-tiled a pay rise which means I can start "trying" to pay off all my debts and bills and focus on saving to see more of Europe.


The second most exciting news I have heard in a long time is that mummy dearest is on her way to Europe.. Not till next Summer but it's a start. We will be off to France,  Italy and the Greek Islands after showing her my world here in London. (To be honest I don't think she will too impressed)

I moved house, which means I no longer live in a area that only has to offer is a Tescos and McDonalds. I live in Hackney which was a little scary at first after hearing all about the area via Professor Greens music Plan B, Jamie T's and Examples.
When the lovely boys (our neighbours) went back to Australia the partying died down and I realised I needed to focus more on work/my photography as it's the reason I moved here in the first place. So Rachel and I found a cute little place on our own together closer to work and away from living amongst 12 other people.
Ok so to be honest I live in a council estate which I was terrified and extremely embarrassed to tell anyone. I also hated telling people I live in Hackney because it's actually known as "The dead mile"
To be honest though it's not as bad as any of this it's actually a really trendy area full of musicians and artist and so far I haven't come across too much trouble.

As summer comes to a end (not that we have seen the sun for more than at least 2 weeks these past few months) A lot of my friends are heading back to Australia or America, which really sucks for me because I need to make new friends and stop spending every day and night with friends from work.

The old Leytonstone family

I thought this was going to be a lot harder than it has proven to be. The other night after a few drinks and parting at work I stopped off at the "off licence" (AKA bottle shop/Corner store all in one) It was about 11pm and I headed in to quickly get some drinks and was intending on heading back home to change out of my thongs (I still refuse to call them flip flops) then go out to another friends farewell *Cry :(
While in there I heard these 3 guys and girl talking and caught on that they were defiantley Australian and confirmed this thought when I saw the girl carrying her heels in one hand and a plastic glass of wine in the other (The english are not pratical like us Australians they never think ahead or would be seen acting like this) so drunkenly I started a little conversations as us Australians do when we find/hear someone from our country. Automatically you act as if you are best friends and have this special bond, before I knew it they were inviting me to a party around the corner from my house. At the time it seemed like a excellent idea until I realised I was off to a house party with 3 guys who look like they are related to either Angus stone or The Kings of Leon, and gone back in time to steal some clothes from the 70's. One did look extremely similar to Noel Fielding which obviously sold it to me to abandon my current plans and put my life in risk because although they were Australians they were strangers! Once there I met people from all walks of life, anyone I spoke to was "A artist" there was the coolest little french crowd, a half naked girl from Belgium, a man with one arm, a film director who's films have  featured at Cannes film festival, a gay italian and a bunch of kids who came straight out of the tv show "skins".
Heading back to mine I discovered these guys were friends with Pete Doherty and one was a very talented fashion photographer.. After having a stalk of his portfolio online I realised I actually have some of his images in a few Vogue, and Hapers Bazaar books. I was completely inspired and jealous of their lifestyle and how they got to where they are in their career.

Every now and then I have this sudden urge to pack up and head home and abandon ship over here. But when you have a good weekend and I think about my job it makes it all worth it in the end. There is plenty of time to head back home and enjoy doing nothing but sitting at a coffee shop in Avalon and gossip about what the latest is.
Instead this is how I now spend my time here in London usually at the studios at work....

The lovely stylist Rachel.

My new home. Camden.

I'm currently sitting in my garden which would mean it is sunny and not raining for a change. I am not exadurating when I say I can count the amount of times I have seen the sun this Summer, when it happens the city goes crazy and feels the need to do everything outside and wear the most inappropriate clothing. After 8 months of living here i can say I have turned into one of these English freaks who makes most of the weather when it hits 20 degrees. I find myself laying in the park in my bikini like a total nerd sun baking.
I hated not having a summer (until this past week) That I gave up and I had to flea the country and spend some time with my uncle and friend Dennis in the south of France in Biaritzz.

Was well worth it and very exciting when my skin colour turned a nice golden brown, I spent my week doing nothing but sun baking, eating cheese and drinking wine living a entily cliche french lifestyle. Highlight of the trip was going wine tasting in the most beautiful region of france, I fell in love with the place and desperately wanted Anya there with me so we could abuse what normal people would call "Wine Tasting" or in our words "Free Alcohol" words can't explain how picturesque this place was and im not eloquent enough so I am not even going to attempt.

Spending time in France made me miss home A LOT If I hadn't have gotten the promotion at work the day I came back from holiday then I don't think this blog would have exsisted and I would be sitting at home back in Avalon. Biaritz is like Avalon, the only difference is they all speak French or Spanish. Their lifestyle is very similar to my lifestyle back home and the way they are so casual and most of the guys will only get out of bed if the surf is good.
After france it was a day back home in London to pack and then get on a 10 hour bus ride to Scotland. I can easily say I will NEVER spend 10 hours on a bus again to get from one country to the other. I'm pretty sure they invented the train and planes for a reason.
Yes it is cheaper but for 10 pounds more I would like to arrive in the country in a good mood, rested and not have to spend half a day just to get somewhere that can take 1 hour on a plane.
On my way back from France I was told that Pete Doherty was going to not be attending the festival and I primarily bought the ticket just to see him. Aparently he decided to check himself into rehab in Thailand a week before he was meant to play at some of Europe's biggest music festivals. So that really sucked but the festival was amazing, full of alcohol, fights, rain, and a lot of mud!

The first day was lovely but come Saturday morning I woke up to the front of our tent flooded and my bag dripping wet, it honestly looked like I threw it into the ocean EVERYTHING in it was so wet and unless the day decided to bring sunshine there was no possible way of surviving anything that was in that bag, all I had was the Pj t-shirt I wore to bed.
For the next three days I found myself living in my gumboots or Wellingtons as they call them over here, and clothes that my friends would donate to me, this included a Harry Potter outfit (robe and all) a mens business shirt worn as a dress, and who knows what else. Coming home and spending time in Edinburgh at the station while waiting for our bus was highly embarassing because at the festival it didn't matter what you wore or looked like everyone embraced the mud, rain and lack of showers. THANK GOD for baby wipes.
Thing got a lot worse when we missed our bus and then had to get a bus that stopped in Newcastle full of fake tan, perfect white teeth and hair extension girls while we waited around for at least 30 mins on the street for the next bus to take us back to London.
Family and friends would be highly surprised and impressed at how much I embraced the camping experience. I'll admit I don't intend on camping any time soon but I never complained, and had a lot of fun considering everything went wrong for me.

Music wise the bands were amazing Professor Green, and Calvin Harris were probably my favourite along with Swedish House Mafia's 2 hour set, Nikki Minaj came on a hour late and lip sang while people booed her off stage after 3 or 4 songs and then threw cups of pee at her, which was highly amusing but really sad and awkward to watch. Along with throwing cups of pee into the crowd or stage the Scottish like to chant "Here we, Here we, Here we fucking go" Or "Will we, Will we, Will we fucking go" Don't bother about singing along to the song just chant this and you fit right in, at the end of the festival they all sung the National anthem.. it was well confusing and odd at first but also really cute.

I can't not mention the Olympics in this post except I have nothing to really report on the games and what has been going on over here except for that all I wished for was that Australia beat Great Britain in the games. I was cheering Australia on all the way.

My birthday was 2 weeks ago..Thank you to all those who sent me wishes.. For those who didn't I'll remember this for years to come! The celebrations lasted for about a week and Friday drinking and partying at the studio till 3am was a perfect ending to the week. People are still talking about the night and how things got a little out of hand. Other than that I had a party at a club my friend works at and my actual birthday SUCKED was the worst day but I did come home to lots of balloons on my floor which was cute

Friends from work

Work bought me birthday flowers

I don't know how I have lasted this long without telling you all I saw the band Blink 182 in concert, and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. For anyone that knows me Blink 182 are by far one of my most favourite bands in the whole world, and since I started to like them as a little pop punk emo teenager I thought I would never get to see them live. Luckily a friend bought me a ticket without even asking me knowing very well I would not have forgiven him if he bought a ticket without me.

So we went to this intemite gig in Brixton and I fullfilled my childhood dream. Each band member were the exact way I thought they would be and Travis even had his little girl sit on stage next to his drum kit for the whole set.

Well that is all from me.
I will write more often I do enjoy sharing with you all the fun stuff I get to experience while here just wish some of you were here with me.

Please skype me more often guys!
I have a iphone I am nearly ALWAYS able to talk (except obviously when I am on set at work)

Also new photos on my photography website; www.facebook.com/renee.wilson.photographer