Would you like to jump in?

Registration is open for COLLABORATE – a guide to helping you create Time Capsule films with your family.

All the details are here… will you join us? it’s going to be FUN!

I recall Tracey Clark sharing this article a while ago and you know what stuck in my mind… that you only have 18 summers with your children…

What?! That’s not very many…

And I think 18 is even stretching it, it’s probably less…

So our boys are 11 and 9 so I’m over half way through my available summers… Thankfully I’ve been making them count already….

Part of going on our big adventure was that this time in our lives won’t come round again. We’re embracing life and seizing opportunities while we can, because sometimes you blink… and it’s all different, before you know it, life changes.

We all put things off coz life is so busy! but you know what?… it’s always going to be busy…That’s not going to change till we’re old enough to potter on the allotment and take naps on sofa in the middle of the afternoon.

We create our life this way, and that’s ok, because we can also fill it with goodness when we carve out time for what’s really important.

I’m a believer in not letting moments pass me by.

Ever since I’ve had a camera (stills or video) it’s been my mission to record my life, capture memories… making that extra effort, even when work or family commitments take over because I know I’ll want to look back at these times.

I did it last summer… Made a few films and those moments are precious.

Thank goodness I found the time to hangout & shoot just for pleasure, capturing our life. Then working with my memories by creating Time Capsules and not letting the footage disappear on some hard drive… I watch this and I’m taken right back… the feelings wash over me, of how much I missed Cosmo when he went to camp on his own… it’s pretty magic.

So, back to counting the summers… If the theory is right, I’ve got 5 summers left with both boys together! Yikes!

This gives me fire in my belly to keep making memories through photos and videos… and make more summer Time Capsule films, just like I wrote it in my list – number #20.

We’re diving into my COLLABORATE course, and the ideas are flowing.

What are your plans for your summer? How many do you have left with your children? Wanna make some memories together with them? you could join us for COLLABORATE… registration opens tomorrow… details here.

These photos are a few of my favourite iPhone pics from our big hopeful adventure… photos I wouldn’t have if my iPhone hadn’t been in my pocket at that moment… grateful indeed.

This idea for a new class has been on my mind… I’ve been formulating and faffing… then it all clicked into place, you know, like things do?

The Time Capsule films I create of our life are such a collaboration with my boys… and as they get older, they get more involved in the shooting and editing process, alongside starring in them.

So how about a class where the family creates films together… in your way… through play and fun… through family activities and adventures… gathering your memories and capturing your individual moments through photos & video and then collaborating by packaging them up in your unique way, into little films?

All the details are over here… Registration opens in a few days…

I can’t think of a better way to spend the summer… will you join us?

For my 10 on 10 this month… I’d like to share our last morning in Bali.

We took a walk through the rice paddies… so lush and full of vibrant greens as far as the eye could see. Passing by locals carrying their goods… a painter sat in the middle of the paddies selling his paintings… and then our last stop for lunch and delicious drinks here.

To join the circle of our 10 on 10 group… please visit Joel next here.

Back in October at the Shuttersisters Oasis, we had the opportunity to play with underwater photography… Wonderfully, LifeProof sponsored us by providing a few cases to play with. I jumped at the chance to experiment and had so much fun making images in the pool.

I knew the LifeProof case would come in handy while on our big hopeful adventure, as we would have plenty of water opportunities… the sea, swimming pools and river action. In the end, I kept the case on the whole time, knowing that I was ready to take underwater footage at any moment, and also, my phone was protected from sand, dirt and sunscreen throughout.

I’m in full editing mode at the moment, with quite a few Time Capsules films being created at once, as I cull through my footage. I’m playing with different ideas, and trying to create a few different Time Capsules of our adventures, so I have films that are more than just holiday videos.

In my courses, I talk about sometimes making a Time Capsule film with a theme. Your theme could be on just on one subject shot over a period of time… Having one theme means you can really hone in on that subject. Another suggestion is having a thread that follows through the story, as a great way to help with pace and keep the story flowing. A thread is something that reoccurs throughout your film… you keep repeating it at different times in different situations, during the piece and can help keep the viewer interested.

So what a long intro to my latest Time Capsule film!

I shot a lot in the water… all the boys were very up for experimenting and getting involved… we were full of ideas of what could they do in front of the camera next! So this is what we created together. With the theme of water… and there’s a small thread throughout… I didn’t notice so much at the time of shooting, but it appears Cosmo likes offer the “thumbs up” frequently!… so I sprinkled this action throughout the film.

All shot with the 8mm app on the iphone, safely inside a LifeProof case… edited in iMovie

For my class A JOURNEY I encouraged people to shoot stories with their iphone or other mobiles, as it’s often the camera we have with us most of the time. I made a tutorial with a few tips for shooting with the iphone that I’ve learnt along the way…

So I thought I’d make another one just for underwater shooting with your iphone… just in case my film has inspired you & you’d like a go.

Making this water Time Capsule film has me all excited for summer! All that sunshine, swimming and jumping in water makes me so happy…

And working with my boys to create films has got me thinking about the Summer and how perhaps there’s a class/course/community I could organise/create to “Time Capsule” your Summer break with your children involved…. What do you think?

Would you be interested in “Time Capsuling your Summer” making quick and easy films of your summer memories, with your family helping & shooting alongside…

Let me know your thoughts…

Of course our trip away would bring plenty of photos of new situations and places, but there were also opportunities for photos of our boys, at times like first thing in the morning… doing things they don’t normally do.

Instead of rushing breakfast and getting ready for school – this happened – being thoughtful, watching the sun come up, in a hammock on the balcony of our wooden hut in Kampot, Cambodia…

These are the moments I want to remember… a break from the routine, disrupting our pattern… a precious gift. Just me & him talking about the sunrise and listening the chickens and enjoying the simple pleasure of swinging in a hammock.

My 365 grateful journey back in 2009/10 has changed my life forever. Firstly it disciplined me to have my camera with me all the time, teaching me more about photography and what I love to shoot…

More importantly it taught me to look for the beauty everyday, embrace moments, and to find something to be grateful for, especially on those days when it’s the last thing you want to do. It showed me that an image doesn’t have to be perfect, or what my perception of “perfect” was, if the photo means something to me, that if there’s a memory waiting to be stored, that’s enough.

It taught me to be happier, or at least find happy moments. The 12 months of my 365 were tough in lots of way – a huge financial pressure for us as a family, work struggles for us both and life as a parent of two young boys, can be wonderful and tough at times… the constant fighting of young boys, “rough & tumble” gets you down. I switched something in my brain to be more thankful and thoughtful… and not to dwell on the bad stuff or rubbish things happening. I feel much lighter now and being able to channel creativity everyday was a blessing.

I discovered Hailey’s work shortly after I’d finished my 365 project, not knowing she had started the 365 gratefuls movement. I shared my project with her and we’ve stayed in touch online ever since.

Last year, Hailey asked if I would contribute some of my images to her book celebrating her 365 grateful… and the book is here! With 5 of my images in it… very grateful indeed!

It’s a beautiful collection of Hailey’s polaroids and from other photographers all around the world, each sharing their grateful moments. It’s totally inspiring and uplifting… a cute little book full of so much goodness.

I’d love to share this little book around… so I’m giving one copy of this beautiful book away… so just tell me what you are grateful for lately by leaving a comment and I’ll pick a random winner next Friday 10th May so you’ve got a whole week to find your gratefuls…

I’ll send it anywhere in the world… everyone is welcome to enter!

UPDATED :: The winner was Johanna Mueller…. 

One of the many beauties of shooting stories on video/film is the added dimension of sound.

This layer can transport you back to a place even more so than an image.

If I was to just share these images, you would see the beautiful surroundings of our tree top room in Kep, Cambodia. How the light changes during sunrise and floods into our room… but you wouldn’t get the full story.

Which is the full sensory overload of the noises that morning in the jungle. The way that, as the light changed, so did the noises… as the brightness of the sun lightened the sky, the volume of the noises decreased, some disappeared and changed altogether.

Picture a tree top house in the middle of the hills in Cambodia (part of Jasmine Valley). A wooden house all open to the elements, the noise of the dawn chorus surrounding me.  Sleepy eyes from nature’s alarm clock, I sit looking out of the windows to this.

Turn up the volume, just so you too can experience this magic…

This is my one minute memory