Summer seems so far away now so I thought a little throwback would cheer me up. Luckily, before I went back to university, Romy and I had a chance to shoot a few more outfits before the autumn chill set in. I love these pictures – they take me back to the summer and show off my beautiful hometown of Cambridge. See more pictures and outfit details on romydesmarais.com.
I had a sneaky peek at Brewer Street Car Park on the Sunday of London Fashion Week. Colours and prints were everywhere, and an appearance from the sun meant we could pretend summer was still around. I already can’t wait for the AW16 shows!
At Graduate Fashion Week this year, I also shot backstage at my own university’s show. Models getting their hair and make up done, getting dressed with designers doing last minute fixes, and (obviously) lots of pictures. I absolutely fell in love with photographing backstage – the buzz just before the models walk out is indescribable. Here is a small selection of my favourite backstage photographs – there will be more on my website, coming soon.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph Graduate Fashion Week 2015 for Press Association Images, held in Truman Brewery in London. It was a busy day, with a four hour coach on the way there from Nottingham to start the day! It was so interesting to walk around and visit the different stalls set up for each University, and checking out all the unique, amazing fashion photography. I was assigned to photograph The University of Northampton’s show. The talent was extraordinary, with styles varying from dark and gothic to bright and electric. Here are some of my favourite shots – enjoy! There will be more on my website, coming soon.
For my second year at university, our final project was to create a photo book. My project was focused on my mother and her daily life, so I handmade my book to fit the personal idea of my project, titled ‘Settle’. I used such an easy, simple binding method – I didn’t need any sewing skills!
All of the photographs were taken on Kodak Portra 400 film on my 35mm Canon camera, and I hand printed them in the dark room.
Here is the link to where I found the binding method: Homemade Gifts Made Easy
A few weekends ago, my friends and I visited Amsterdam for Amelia’s 21st. It was my first visit to the incredible city and I am already planning my second! The weather was glorious for most of the weekend, so we rented bikes and cycled around the city. It was the best way to explore all of the streets.
There are so many amazing places to visit in Amsterdam. We cycled to Anne Frank’s house on the Sunday and ate the best burger I have ever had at the restaurant Cau. The food was delicious and the service was great – a perfect treat for the birthday girl. There were plenty of markets to wander through – we found the flower market near the centre, and the Albert Cuyp Market, which was a treasure trove full of clothes, gifts and home furnishings. We then chilled at Vondelpark, which was just round the corner from our adorable hotel, The Alexander Hotel. The perfect end to an incredible weekend. I’ll be seeing you soon, Amsterdam!
Cambridge in the sun is one of my favourite places in the world. I love exploring new cafes and shops that pop up, but Benets Cafe is an old favourite of mine. Situated on the gorgeous King’s Parade, home to the famous King’s College, Benets is the loveliest place to sit and have a break between sight seeing or shopping.
My favourite spot is the small ice cream corner to the left of the cafe, where I sat and people watched to my heart’s content! I chose the chocolate chip ice cream, but there’s tonnes of flavours to choose from to satisfy even the sweetest tooth. The actual cafe does many other sweet treats like pancakes, or you can have a spot of lunch, while overlooking the gorgeous entrance of King’s College. Can you tell I love this place?
On Easter Monday, Emily and I ventured to Wimpole Hall, a National Trust estate just outside of Cambridge.
We wanted to do something a bit different as an Easter treat. Wimpole was really easy to get to, and was £15.90 for standard entry to the house, home farm and beautiful gardens.
Elsie Bambridge, Rudyard Kipling’s daughter, transformed Wimpole into the gorgeous mansion it is today. The rooms of the house were spectacular, and the tour guides in each room were so helpful, sharing little anecdotes with us as we walked around.
My favourite room was the dining hall. The most amazing chocolate scent hit you as soon as you walked in thanks to the dozens of Easter eggs on the table, including one of the biggest I’ve ever seen as the centrepiece!
We were too early in the season to see the gardens in full bloom, but hundreds of bright yellow daffodils filled the grounds and the house. We stopped for a tea (and chocolate cake) break in the Old Rectory Restaurant.
The home farm was also adorable, with newborn calves and lambs. Lambing season started on Tuesday, so it’s definitely worth a visit just to see the cute lambs! I’ll definitely be visiting again in the next couple of months to see the gardens in their full glory.
Part of my second year at Nottingham Trent University involves us curating our own Photography exhibition in Nottingham city centre. I’ve continued my project of exploring space and place in a kind of ‘spontaneous observation’, inspired by colour film photographers like William Eggleston and Simon Roberts. Our group had a wide variety of photography including fashion and portrait, documentary and architecture. Here are some of my photographs of our private viewing, in Broadmarsh Gallery.
On a frosty Sunday, Emily and I set off into Cambridge for an afternoon of photographs and cake. Winter is my favourite time of year – wrapping up in woolly jumpers, hot chocolates in front of fires, sparkling cobwebs. We wandered around King’s Parade and through the little side streets towards Afternoon Tease, an adorable cafe on King Street.
Tucked away down King Street, a lovely street filled with vintage shops and amazing places to eat (including this one!), Afternoon Tease definitely stood out, with a full house. We enjoyed the most delicious brownies and hot chocolates before carrying on our winter walk.
All photographs copyright Alannah Messett.
