Fleur Davies Photography: The 365 of 2018

It's been a full 2 years since I completed my first 365 project. A photo a day for a year.

I absolutely loved it on the whole. And the printed A3 book my husband bought for me containing all the images for everyday of 2015 is one of my most treasured possessions - I'm incredibly proud of it!

Sometimes the pressure of capturing an image a day felt like a chore. On some days I'd ask myself "Will I actually capture anything 'decent'?" But actually, I learnt so much - and over the last 2 years I've missed the project. I've missed having my camera attached to my hip. In recent months I've been feeling more and more frustrated at images I was seeing in my head, but unable to freeze because I'd left my camera at home...

So 2018 is the year. I'm starting again. It's a freeing feeling. I'm not getting caught up with photography rules or if I'm doing things correctly though. I'm heading back to that place where I was happy and excited. When I wasn't caught up in comparing myself and my work and my gear with anyone else. Purely documenting my days, my family's days and anything else in-between that feels like fun.

So here's how it will go - this blog will be updated weekly (fingers crossed), with the most up to date images first. So enough waffling on. Here are the images (possibly with a brief description of our week included if I manage it...)

Thanks for reading ~ Fleur x

(as always, click into the images for higher quality viewing - thanks!)

Day 050-56:
Half term week this week. Plenty of family time to be had after finishing up some work left over from last week. We hit soft play centres, national trust sites and the ice cream farm. I got to test out some new lights in the studio too.

056: Hot chocolate at Nana's.
For numerous reasons we've not been able to make Lilli's Sunday morning swim training in the last few weeks. We noticed a difference today in the light - spring is on its way and we didn't have to drag ourselves up before the sun. And as Nana's is 2 minutes away from the pool at Birkenhead High School Lilli has an arrangement that hot chocolate should be served at 10am.

055. Emulation success.
My light meter arrived a few days ago. I've been itching to test out my lights using correct reading to try and create a natural light look but using off camera flash. This is part of a series that I was really happy with. Hoping for less 'prickly' subjects to help me soon!

054: The ice cream farm.
I don't think a school break is officially a school break of we don't manage a trip to the Cheshire Ice-cream Farm. Even if the temperature outside is colder than the ice-cream itself. Brrrrrrrrrr, but YUM.

053: Dunham Massey.
Took a drive to a new National Trust site today. Dunham Massey hall has a beautiful winter garden to wander around. I took plenty of photos to document our day. I'm surprised my fingers didn't drop off though. It was extremely cold. Roll on Easter and another visit in a more comfortable climate.

052: Soft play.The girls asked me to take this photo.
I'm not sure we'll be visiting places like this as a full family for much longer. Lilli is almost too old to be allowed entry....

051: Library activities.
We'd had fun swimming this morning and dropped into the library off the cuff on the way home. I quickly snapped this of Miles using my phone. He enjoys colouring in so much more now than he used to.

050: Editing day.
Praise be to the Netflix gods for adding 'Friends' to their catalogue. A perfect accompaniment for a day spent editing a session from this weekend.

Day 043-49:
A positive and exciting week. Started with getting on top of a mammoth task, then a couple of days of celebration. The weekend was a chaotic mix of documentary photography work and a swim gala to beat all swim galas so far. This week also saw me realise that a calf injury from the previous week is actually more serious than I had first given it credit for. So plenty of rest required, but as any other busy parent would ask - what on earth is that?! Haha.

049: All the pride.
Lilli took part in the Splash and Dash at Liverpool's aquatic centre today. The day started at 6am when we got up and ready to arrive poolside for her 8am warm up call. The olympic size pool didn't disappoint in it's sheer vastness - neither did the event day as a whole; official time keepers in their whites, pressure sensitive finishing boards to record precise - to the 100th of a second race times, photographed starts, a massive LED board to show swimmer names, lanes, clubs and times and an announcement system to boot: "In lane one we have Lilli Davies swimming for Bebington Swimming Club..." And to top the day off - Lilli swam personal bests in both of her heat races!

048: I love my job.
I was hired to photograph the 80th birthday celebrations of a past client's Mum. I think we can all agree that this lovely lady looks absolutely incredible and I hope she loves all the images of her family celebrating with her.

047: I'm no good a resting.
I'm frustrated. I injured my calf last week and gave myself a full week before trying to work out again. No good. Hit the treadmill and had to jump off before I'd even jogged 3 minutes of my warm up... It's a pain in the backside!

046: It's not Starbucks.
Sometimes, just sometimes - I head to Costa and enjoy a flat white.

045: Happy Valentine's Day.
These three were greeted with cards and some gummy heart sweets before they headed off to school. Miles had got Poppi to draw a card out for him the previous evening so that he could take it to a girl he likes in his class. So sweet.

044: Pancake day.
The kids never bother with the savoury kind of pancakes. It's all about the marshmallows and chocolate syrup for them. I did add a little smoked bacon to mine and Carl's plate though. We were stuffed.

042: Receipts.
In past years I have been sooooo good and keeping on top of my accounts. In the long while that I've been self-employed I've tried my best to go through my receipts, bookings, incoming and outgoings on a quarterly basis. And for the most part I've done OK with that and so the final task of self-assessment tax has never felt too 'taxing'. I don't know how then this year I've managed to go a whole 9 months without sorting through and adding to my spreadsheets. But the mammoth task is up to date now - phew....

Day 036-042:
This week ended on a high - I took a course on speedlights. It was one of those light bulb moment things where everything clicks and you suddenly understand something that until now you'd thought you'd never get your head around. Brilliant! This week also sees us all feeling a bit run down. Needed plenty of comforts and coffee and time to just relax and shake off the sniffles and sore throats that always plague at this time of year...

042: Shooting portraits with Speedlights course.
Excellent day - met some great people and worked with a superb tutor and model!

041: Honing her craft.
I think this one is a after some product photography work. Caught her setting up her own white box with some trinkets in her bedroom tonight. What a star.

040: Charity shop bargains.
Had a great morning browsing the charity shops in a 'nice part of town' for some brilliant bargains. 3 lovely tops and a pair of bright and cheerful jeans for less that £20.

039: Relaxing after school.
The sniffles have hit us all, so we're chilling and relaxing and just doing what we want/can to make ourselves feel better.

038: Little bubbles of joy!
I'm not sure my week feels right without a Starbucks filter coffee. I have a problem.

037: Ice-cream at bedtime.
When your throat is feeling like you're swallowing razor blades, this is the best solution.

036: New headshot.
As my hair is now dramatically altered from how it was on my most recent website profile I thought an update was needed. The light in my bathroom is fab!

Day 029- 035:
Much more fun week this week than the previous. I took receipt of some new lights for my studio, cracked on with a few chores around the house that have been on the 'to do' list forEVER. And then a lovely weekend that started early with a lunch out with Carl, then getting my backside into gear for a work project, and an evening with friends while our kiddos spent a sleepover at their Nana's playing board games. So here's the week that saw January leave and February begin...

035: Snakes and ladders.
The kids spent the night at my Mum's so we could have a long overdue evening with friends.
Board games took centre stage.

034: Work stuff.
Bribed the kids with ice-cream at a local restaurant if they helped me out. Ha!

033: Bella Italia.
We had a app voucher for a pizza lunch.
It was delicious and I spent 2 hours on the gym this evening to work as much of it off as I could.

032: A new substrate.
Finally refreshed our little Trot's topsoil table today. The bags of soil have been under the stairs for about a month.

031: Old man.
He seems to be getting paler and paler on his face by the day. The whole of his muzzle used to be very dark brown and the rest of his face matched his body hair colour... Not any more. Such a grumpy old Elvis. But we love him to bits.

030: Studio lights.
Dragged Lilli into the studio just before bedtime to have an experimental play with my new lighting equipment. I've watched YouTube videos until I see them in my sleep. I learn best through being practical.

029: Poppi pap.
Are you ready for your close up Missy? Poppi is eager to upload her images and get me to blog them too.

Day 022-028:
I'm just going to keep it real simple. This week passed like a blur. It's a week I'm glad is over and a week that I won't forget in a hurry. So with that being said please be aware that image 024 includes material or a more mature nature; It's nothing I'm ashamed of - it happened and it was a big deal. I had a breast biopsy. The results confirmed a benign tumour and I'm so grateful it's untrue, but I felt I had to document it. It was too much of a bog deal to try and ignore. The rest of this week's images show life in general. I was lucky to also this week receive the biopsy results and the positive news. My eldest had a tough weekend when she came up against her past swim club in a development league gala. However tough she found it, she smashed some PBs! Gooooo Lilli. I enjoyed a work morning at Starbucks and got up to our usual everyday kind of stuff...

028: Bebington Vs Wallasey.
Lilli smashed a few personal best times after having to face her old club for the first time as she swam in a development league gala for Bebington.

027: Ukelele
Poppi had been on at me to take some photos of her since she got her new instrument a couple of weeks ago.

026: Celebration.
After a tough, but fortunately short wait - my consultant's diagnosis was confirmed. I have a Fibroadenoma tumour. And it's completely benign.

025: Matching onesies.
These two look so cute in their penguin PJs. Full concentration on the Times Table Rockstars app.

024: Biopsy.
I arrived at my breast clinic appointment telling myself it'd be an ultrasound, a cyst like my doc had said she thought it was and I'd be sent home with a smile on my face. Unfortunately my consultant's diagnosis needed biopsy confirmation and forensic analysis. I've never been more scared. I didn't cope too well and needed a lot of hugs from Carl and the kids. The bruising was so bad. The bruising is still visible (and I'm at day 039 now...)

023: Good morning.
Poppi loves to help out with the chickens. And here they come - out of the coop in their pecking order.

022: My office.
I'm spending the majority of my day here. Researching, editing, blogging. Powered by filter coffee.

Day 015-021:
The images I captured makes this seem like a mundane uneventful week. But I know actually it has been. It's been emotional and tiring for a few of us Davies' for different reasons which isn't completely gone either, but that's not what I chose to capture. More so because I'd like to not remember those parts. I would prefer to look back on us - the simple everyday. The things we do week in week out that makes our lives, our lives. The simplicity of a fast food lunch treat. The weekly swim routine. Me getting fed up with my hair (again). Laughing at our dogs. All this. That will do for me.

021: A lunchtime treat.
When the fries arrive at the table.

020: Swim lesson day.
I have a version of this with his sisters, so he needed his own image too.

019: The calm before the storm.
In about 30 seconds, this table will be filled with dumped school bags and lunch boxes. It's Friday. Weekend time.

018: Hair - factory reset day.
It's dry, unmanageable and getting on my nerves that I can't do anything with it. Longer hair is soooo not my thing.

017: 'Guess Who?' with Nana.
Weekly evening before dinner and swim club training for Lilli.

016: I don't know what he said to her....
These two. I'll never get this moment again and I LOVE that. This photo will mean the world in years to come.

015: Fitbit frustration.
Don't know why it didn't reset my steps and calories at midnight. Hopefully fixed it. But it's killing my OCD. Ha!

Day 008-0014:
This week saw the kids go back to school - a routine we're used to. What we're not used to is having the man of the house out of action. Carl had shoulder surgery this week to repair a huge tear he's been suffering with for almost 3 years. This has led to a shift in sleeping arrangements and amusement for our kids while he has tried to eat with his left hand. There was also a change that I have yet to be able to document. Our eldest has moved swim clubs. I'll snap a pic to preserve this asap - it just proves tricky when the photography rules at our pools are so strict... Thank you for looking ~ Fleur x

014 - Tablet time.
Sleepover in Mum and Dad's room last night. And there's only one way to spend a lazy, early Sunday morning...

013 - Back to lessons.
This is a recreation from a shot in my last 365, two years ago. Spooked myself when I realised it was even the same weekend!

012 - My roomie.
With her Dad laid up recovering from surgery, she gets to sleep with me while he has her double bed to himself.
Made herself completely at home.

011 - Need a bib?
Hubs' first meal after his shoulder surgery earlier today. He's right handed... Mealtimes are going to be a struggle. And like any good wife, I immediately grabbed my camera to document his foodie demise rather than offer help. Ha!

010 - Lunch with a view.
Made an egg roll for me and my Mum to have after an early showing of The Greatest Showman today. Luckily it was a dry, bright day and we could enjoy our lunch on the promenade in New Brighton.

009 - Back to school.
The Christmas holidays seemed to last such a long and lovely time.. From now on expect plenty of still life/abstract/boring/dark etc images while I struggle with 'term-time 365ism'.

008 - One of many morning routines.
Happy Sunday morning from the wonky coop club.

Day 001-007:

The first week. I made it. The kids were still on Christmas holidays, so I think the big test is going to be in the following weeks when they're at school. Expect many, many photos of my sleeping geriatric dogs! This week saw us pack away the festivities, shopping with the last of the kid's Christmas gift money, documenting a storm, a couple of lovely family days out, a new/old routine began again and a musician being born... Thank you for looking. Fleur x