Sunday 13 September 2009

Hint Hint



Excited??
I am.

Saturday 12 September 2009

Yes, it is true, I have a stunningly beautiful sister.

The other day, something amazing happened. Lizzie asked me if I wanted to do a photoshoot. For those of you who don't know, Lizzie is my darling sister, and usually I have to beg, plead, and bribe her to model for me. Usually, when she reluctantly begins to "model" her face is sour and she leaves as soon as she can. This time, something miraculous happened - the model in Lizzie emerged!!! OH MY GOD. This girl was fierce. She was striking incredible poses non-stop.

The first few were from the practice shoot, but I couldn't ignore them.
The last few are the real deal.
Enjoy.























Thank you so much, Lizzie! You're the best :)

P.S. Thank you to everyone who replied to my last post! I'm looking through all of my options at the moment, and can't wait till the new blog with my own domain is finished :D



Contact me at: alexbeadonphotography@googlemail.com

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Doesn't www.alexbeadonphotography.com sound SOOOOO yummy?

Now that I'm actually going down the photography route I think it's about time things change around here. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. I have lots of exciting ideas which will take Alex Beadon Photography to where I eventually want it to be, and as a strong believer in steps, I plan on getting there one step at a time.

Step 1 - I need my OWN blog/website!!
I hate this .blogspot.com!!! It feels so unprofessional and cheap, and I'm neither of those things. I need a domain that can represent me by acting as both my blog and my website. Therefore it needs to have the appropriate links and functions that a website has, be easy to use and accessible, but still let me blog on a regular basis.

If you have any advice, ideas, or knowledge on making a website/blog - or if you know of people who do - PLEEEASE let me know! Get in touch by either commenting below, emailing me, facebooking me, or even give me a call! I need all the help I can get :) - so any advice would be appreciated!!!

And because a post isn't a post without some pictures, here they are:













Before I go, just a reminder that if you have any suggestions/advice/help in relation to having my own blog domain name and website, please let me know!!

Thanks,
Alex


Contact me at: alexbeadonphotography@googlemail.com

Monday 7 September 2009

My Baby Steps & Inspiration

For some reason completely unknown to me, I always grew up with this image of the "right" thing to do after university. An image of studying hard, doing internships, leaving university with an amazing degree, a CV full of impressive experience and having no trouble whatsoever finding a 9-5 job.

I always knew, deep down, that that image of the "right" thing to do, although it is the right thing for some, was not the right thing for me. Even though I felt that it wasn't for me, I still tried to convince myself that somehow it was. I knew that I loved photography, but I didn't want to run the risk of going against the norm. I didn't want to break the mold. To be honest, I was scared.

Anyways, to make a long story short, my love and passion for photography grew and grew and grew and grew into an obsession. I spent basically all of my free time reading about photography online, or in books, learning different techniques and trying to find new ways to look at the world, looking at other photographers work etc etc..

My mom would frequently bring it up in conversation - talking about the option of becoming a professional photographer. Her philosophy is - do what you love. She'd constantly ask me, "What are you so afraid of? Just do it! You have nothing to lose!"
To which I would reply something along the lines of, "I don't know", "No one would pay me to take pictures", "I've never studied photography, therefore I don't really know what I'm doing", "My photography isn't good enough", "It's not a stable job, it's freelance work, and I don't know if I can deal with not knowing when the next pay cheque is coming in" ... etc etc.

I would find excuse after excuse as to why I should not do photography, but at the end of the day it came down to one thing - my fear of failure.

Somehow, between then and now, things have drastically changed for me. I don't know what the pivotal point or the defining moment was, but somehow over this summer I began looking at the way I think about this in a whole new way.

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY. It is my art, it allows me to create, it brings me so much joy... and if anyone can do this - it's me. There is nothing holding me back from being successful in this business. And if I fail, so what? .. I'll try again. and again. and again. I have nothing to lose. Maybe one day my love for photography will die, and who knows - maybe the typical 9-5 job will be for me... but until then, this is what I want to devote all my time to and this is what I want to succeed in. The important thing is that I'm making steps (although they may be baby steps) towards achieving my dream and that, although I'm still a little bit scared, I'm overcoming my fear.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped me to get to the point where I am now, you all know who you are. But a special thanks to my wonderful family - Mom, Dad, Lizzie: You are always there to encourage me, support me, and push me to succeed. I know that these are the baby steps of my business, but to me, they have been the most important. It was so hard for me to force myself forward and put myself out there, but now I feel like it's all coming together, and I would be no where without the three of you. Thank you for your never ending support, the three of you are like my backbone.

If anyone is reading this, I encourage you to do what you love. Whether it is photography, or basketball, window cleaning, or law. We all have fears and doubts, but they are not impossible to overcome. And if you fail - who cares? You'll have a more interesting story to tell ;).

Things that helped inspire me:

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman
"Failure breeds success!!"
The Beatles got turned down by multiple record companies before they were signed. Imagine if they just gave up and went home.


My Weekly Photos:

31st August, 2009
Try to enjoy the leaves before the fall :)


1st September, 2009


2nd September, 2009
Find the beauty in the blurred.


3rd September, 2009
Find the beauty in the blurred.


4th September, 2009


5th September, 2009
Ian and Lucy on the night of her party :)... I felt like such a stalker paparazzi, but these candid, natural shots were soooo worth it :)


6th September, 2009
Days are getting shorter :(


Much love,
Alex

PS, Sorry if you don't hear from me for a while, I'm off to the land of no internet.

Contact me at: alexbeadonphotography@googlemail.com