Weekend

Friday night we met up with Coral at ASDA, buying some food and drinks before heading back to our casa, where we made the food and drank the drinks. This was happening while Love Actually was showing on the big screen in our living room (A big black box of a telly, where the screen is too small for our sky channels). I absolutely love Love Actually, it’s such a lovely movie. Really gets the Christmas spirit going, it’s only bloody 6 weeks left of this semester!! This blog won’t be about stress tho, as you so nicely can read about that on Ida’s blog. After too much pasta, a bottle of cider and the movie ending, just as cutely as always, the superstars came out to play as we turned on the Singstar.

Saturday started with a walk into town with Ida, where we went to the tanning studio, we’re getting back to our snow-white beings, so we had to take action. Then I had a hairdressers appointment, my roots had to be dealt with and that now. After a good couple of hours, loads of head massaging (Mmmmmm) and with roots matching the rest of my hair, I was done and £70 poorer. I then had a nice shower (This being back home if you wondered) and got all dolled up looking presentable for when my boyfriend would come. And when he did, I kissed him. You see, Saturday the 7th of November was me and Stevens 1 month anniversary, so he was staying over at mines. We first watched the Wolves game on my Mac, while getting awesome sound effects from outside (We live close to the stadium, it’s easy to hear when a match is on). ASDA up next, where we bought some food and drinks. This resembling last night right, only add more drinks to the basket. We watched a bit of X Factor while cooking, Steven who so doesn’t care about X Factor at all, got very into it, shouting at the TV, especially when John and Edward was on. And I quote “THAT’S NOT SINGING, IT’S BLOODY TALKING AND GAAH!” It was fun. When the food was ready and X Factor done, we put on twilight, and my dear boyfriend actually seemed to enjoy the film. I got more and more giggly, after all I did have not one, but TWO bottles of Kopparberg. After the film we went upstairs to my room to let’s say, call it a night.

Sunday me and Steven watched Whose Line Is It Anyway (If you haven’t seen it, check it out! This one is brilliant Clicky) on my Mac, still sat on my bed, laughing our butts off. His dad picked us up, and we went over to his place where we played some xbox, boxing. I did rather good I reckon, didn’t win, but hey, I did okay! Then we had a lovely Sunday tea, his mum starting to learn the right amount of food to put on my plate now, and I actually managed to eat up. She found it very funny showing me some baby pictures of Steven, he was soooooooo cute! Some things never change. Me and Steven then played some Wii sport, Steven doing very well in Bowling, me doing slightly better. First game; Steven 177 points, me 178. And I’m the one with least practice! He turned on the Baseball instead, cause I sucked the last time we played that, but who managed to get a home run? Yes, I won that game as well. As a slight cheering up, Steven realised his top score on bowling was 179, which means I hadn’t beat him, so then it was okay to play bowling again. Me winning that round as well… With 184 points. Thank god he’s not as bad a looser as I am, he swallowed his pride and kissed me and said “Well done”. He will now be home playing and practicing his bowling everyday haha.

I really should get out of bed and over to the library now, loads of uniwork to be done, I hope I can concentrate on it!

Weekend….again!

Holy crap and I do excuse my language, it is bloody Friday again!! Time flies by sooooo fast I’m not sure I’m keeping up with it. Since I’m an absolute horrible blogger nowadays, I guess I should sum up my week. Monday me and Steven had our first date, this being a trip to the cinema in Dudley, where we watched an animation film by Tim Burton called 9. Was a nice film that was, yes we did watch it, that is what you go to the cinema for. After the film we took the bus back to his place where his mum made us tea.

Tuesday was alright at uni, my teacher asked me something, and even tho I totally freaked out over the fact I had to say something in class, took me about half a minute to speak, I did spit out some words with a smaller sense of intelligence in the end. Maybe me rather proud. Then I headed over to the library to read a god-dammed book I don’t understand, giving up on that task and being sent home by a concerned boyfriend over MSN, to get something to eat. Apparently cookies aren’t good enough to last you a full day. Then I spent the rest of the day being rather moody and soppy, cause I didn’t understand the book, and the thought of presentations closing in stressing me out. Took that out on my poor boyfriend, we had a little honest convo, still over MSN, then he came over to mine to stay the night. Waking up in his arms are seriously the best thing I know.

Wednesday me and Steven had to get up early, because his morning lecture were at 10. We were late… We met up with him mummy at her work, before heading over to Yates’s for breakfast. After that it was back to uni, where my clever boy had a bit of a breakthrough making my website, you should have seen the joy on his face. So adorable words can’t even describe it. Around 3 I had a doctors appointment, went alright then me and Ida headed into town where we ended up in Pizza Hut for tea. Once again back to the library after that, where I was sat resizing images while waiting for Steven to come back after his tea. When he did we had a little kissy before he went off to his lecture, when he came back again we had another little kissy before he had to go, quiznight at the pub with his mates. When I got back home around 9ish in the evening I surprised Ida with a card and a little pressie, and we ate some nice cheesecake.

Yesterday I met up with Magda in the library to do some epic uniwork (yeah right), rather farmville and waving to Steven on Skype that is. Two days in a row at Pizza Hut, cause Magda decided that we were going there for lunch, and when Magda says so, that’s the way it is hehe. We shared a cider, enough to get the two of us tipsy, so we were pretty much giggling throughout the lecture we had. Then another afternoon spent at the library, with my boyfriend on Skype it’s not so bad. Him being very nice making my website all pretty. Finally home me and Ida ordered Chinese and watch a film with Leida, one of our housemates.

Today I got a lecture at 2, should be an okay one, actually looking forwards to it. If only Steven could wake up and get his ass on MSN so we could do some last minute changes to my website, that would be very nice!

If you read all that, you must be very bored, my week hasn’t really been James Bond.

xxx

Photography Contest

I came across a photography contest on Christine Bakke’s blog, and I figured I’d join in. The theme is Citylife (Byliv) and seeing as I had an urban landscape assignment last semester at Uni, I knew I had quite a few photos from Birmingham. Going through all the pictures and eliminating took forever, but I finally managed to choose a photo for it.

Taken in Birmingham early 2009

I think it’s kinda nice… What do you think?

Daddy’s little girl

My mum has always told me I’ve got my creativity from my dad, as she is only capable of drawing stick men and has no interest in stuff like drawing and photography at all. Seeing old drawings my dad and granddad have done at my grandmas house, I can without a doubt say my dad is a talented man. Such a shame he never ever does anything like that anymore, ’cause he have got potential stored inside himself.

Though it wasn’t until I started showing interest in photography that my dad told me he also had a passion for the art a camera could make. I had not seen any pictures of his and little did I know that when my dad was younger he had an SLR with several lenses. It was an expensive hobby back then, having to develop every single picture you took. So he sold it along with its lenses, and with that so went his photographing.

So when his baby daughter aka me got really into it, of course his old passion about the subject started burning again, so much that without me having a clue, he one day came home having bought an SLR for me. No special occasion. This was two years ago.

Now I’m a photography student on the verge of becoming a second year, and I love how interested my dad is in what we’re doing at uni and in new technics and lenses and such. A few nights ago he even came and showed me some of the pictures he’s shot, was a proper father-daughter quality moment. I really, really liked one of his photos so he gave it to me, and I scanned it in for you to see. I think my dear daddy is quite the photographer.

© Rune Solhaug

In Your Face

Lately I’ve started enjoying portrait photography more and more. I have been more into objects, macro kind of stuff before, but now I have seen the wonders of portrait photography. I didn’t like studio work much during my first year of Uni, so mixed into the feeling of that, I kind of just assumed portrait photography wasn’t anything for me. After more consideration I’ve realized that I do very much enjoy shooting people (not in a deadly way), especially when going through your images finding that some of the strongest pieces are in fact photographs of a human subject. My disliking studio work shouldn’t really have anything to say about my path onwards from here within my photography, as studio work is so much more than portrait, and portraits are so much more than studio work. Besides, I’m sure it’s more fun working in a studio when I’ve learned how to set up a set properly.

© Renate Solhaug

This picture was taken some time in June, at a Solhaug Sisters Slumberparty. We had a bit of a photoshoot like we tend to do. We had one last summer, so obviously we had to this summer as well. Thanks to Monica for being my model, maybe now that she has gotten her own awesome new SLR, I have to be her model.

Last note, I went to a local “beach” the other day with some friends, back in the days when the sun were still shining and the rain was just a foreign word, and as we were just about to leave I came across a great scenery for some wicked portraits. I just need to find a model.. Anyone?

Answer

I’ve been asked why I chose to do photography at Uni. Well to me it was never a hard choice to make by the time I had to choose. I find that it is so much easier working with something (this both with uniwork and work after) when it is something you care about and that you enjoy. And when the answer to a very difficult question can be answered this easily for me, I know I’ve found my way.

What is the best feeling in the world?

All photos copyrighted me obviously ©

So what’s going on nowadays?

Yesterday my mum took the family out for dinner at our favorite restaurant in town, Siciliana, cause someone had gotten paid haha. I was crazy enough, thinking about ordering the most expensive and luxurious thing on the menu, but somehow I ended up with a chicken kebab. After the festive meal, my mum and me walked to the big, enormous and amazing (please spot the sarcasm) shopping mall, my mum had her eyes on a top, and she wanted to try it on. So she did, and I found myself a lovely white summer dress that I tried on just for the fun of it. So turned out my mum didn’t like the top afterall, tho she did like my dress and ended up buying it. For me, not for herself. It cost her about £40, but hey, I’m so worth it right?

My new dress

Tomorrow it is Vømmøl here in Verdal (my hometown if you didn’t know), the highlight of the year for so many Verdalinga (that’s what people from my hometown is called). It is a festival where we dress up as they did way back in the early days, listen to Vømmøl music and drink loads of beer. I don’t like beer, so I’ll just stick to my cider. Believe me that’s enough to get me going! Right, that was an awful explaining of Vømmøl, but you can take a look here to see for yourself what it’s all about. Besides I will probs write more about it after tomorrow, like say Sunday or something and post pics from it and such. Stayed tuned for that.

I am craving England so bad right now. I constantly nag about the ridiculous prices we have here in Norway, I miss my lovely mates and someones and uni even, I miss Cheeky Monkeys and Planet. I miss ASDA! Fit at HMV and omg New Look. Ida was browsing round on their website yesterday, linking me stuff, making me browse round there as well. I love New Look, New Look is heaven on earth. Well Wolverhampton at least. The jeans she posted on her want list blog entry I so want them. Read her blog, see the clothes, buy me jeans. She also linked me some other jeans that she did not put on her blog, wonder why, they were wicked!! Other than lovely jeans I also found a gorgeous dress, and guess what? ME WANTS IT!

Gorgeous dress

Wicked jeans

Btw, what do you think about the new layout/banner? Feedback very appreciated! Also edited the page about me, it now sucks even more! So yeah, comment comment and buy me jeans!

propaganda much? lol

It had now officially ended.

My human presence

I realize I haven’t really posted much work I’ve done for Uni here, not really sure I’ve posted any tbh, and that’s not good coming from a photographer in making! So therefor, voila!

This piece must be my favorite photograph from my first year of my bachelor in photography. The assignment was Human Presence, and I managed to turn a bunch of photographs like the one above into a project about friends, combining the pictures with quotes and make a book out of it. My quote from Jackie Chan was a big hit in my class, and believe it or not, my teacher Peter Day seemed to really like the pictures. This is huuuge as the mentioned teacher is kinda scary and sometimes brutally honest. Tho I have not been one of the unfortunate ones who has experienced that in a negative matter. Thank God! 

I was in a weird state during this final crit session, feeling kinda sick mixed with being very nervous at the same time. This kinda made me be in a slight form of coma, meaning I sure as hell had nothing intelligent to contribute within the group. Mr. Day was trying to get more people to talk and say something about each others work, as only a few of the group actually talks during our crits. He said that we sooner or later had to talk anyway, not everyone could wait till the third year before opening their mouths. He then so kindly looked at me and asked me for my opinion on a piece. I panicked, having nothing to say about it, while feeling utterly sorry for myself feeling like shit, managed to reply him with something along the lines of “Yeah, I think I’ll wait till the third year before I speak”. The look on his face was priceless, but at least the group got a good laugh out of it.

This is where the awesome ending to this brilliant blog entry should be, but I’m too tired to come up with a smashing end to this. Therefor I will just end it.

It has now officially ended.

Howdy you trustful reader

What happened to my dashboard? It now looks all fancy and blue. I like it

So like most times I don’t know what I’m gonna write about, so let’s talk some more about that. Whenever I am bored I seem to do this, blogging I mean, but I don’t mind, cause I love my blog. My blog is fierce. Tho I am a bit tired of the layout, might change it. Again. 

Tomorrow it’s Friday, and that means only one – 1 – week left of my first year at University! That’s mental, I feel like we just started for crying out loud. I’m almost done with all projects except the last one, but that will be okay, I’ll get that done no worries. Gonna miss my class mates over the break, we’ve got some kick ass people starting the second year in September I tell you. Hope you all will have a great summer, don’t forget about the Norwegian one please! I’ll miss you.

Today is Sarah’s birthday, our immature little brat has now turned 19(!) and tomorrow we’ll come with presents and drinks, for some nice food and company. Should be fun. Yet another I will miss during summer. I love you hun.

Here at home in our house the bugs are having a blast, especially in the bathroom. I must admit I won’t miss them that awfully lot this summer. Actually the opposite if I may say so. That goes for the big bug as well. Period several times a month much?! Djeez..

I went shopping yesterday, once again, this time alone so all pressure were on me. I was looking for light blue or gray jeans, found some in Primark, but bleh, they didn’t look good. So I went by TK Maxx, where I couldn’t find any. I did however find a green shorts thingy, picked it up, then went upstairs to the mens wear, where I found another shorts, tried them both on, and oh, the guy-shorts were pretty epic. I bought it. Then Ida has the nerve to say I only bought it because it’s like a Dougie shorts. Bullshit! I actually liked it and it is a Dougie shorts tjihi Let me take a picture for you.

*runs off to take picture*

*comes back having taken pictures*

I just checked out that Blazin Squad’s new single, that’s out in June I think, it’s pretty good actually. But I was sure they had split years ago lol. Apparently not. Now it’s only like 5-6 of them, compared to the camp they used to be. I’m not fussed, the fittest ones are still there, Lee and Kenzie. ANd oh boy, that Kenzie has become FINE… Yum, my newest friend on facebook haha xD But seriously, I’m drooling. He could be a guy for Camilla I reckon..

 With that exotic look, brown eyes and killer body… Hmm, I change my mind, I don’t think Camilla would fancy him. At all.

I had more to say, but it’s getting late, going to the tanning saloon tomorrow morning so need sleep. Niiiight 
xxxx

What to do..

When Ida’s at uni and I am bored?

Oh I know! I put on make up and take pictures of me with my new leather-gorgeous jacket! Awesome idea yeah?

Oooh I think Ida came home now, weeeehay!