Thursday's Musings - Hello December

Sadly I never got around to posting last weeks Thursday's musings, or the week before.  It was a productive week though I started experimenting with light photography and really enjoyed it, it's definitely something I intend on investigating further.

I also shadowed a press photographer from my city's local newspaper. The experience was lovely, however I don't think it's my kind of thing not for a newspaper anyway. But I am so thankful to have had that experience and the staff at the paper were all lovely. 

Fantastic Beasts and where to Find them was released! So a friend and I decided to see it on release day one of the perks of being a student. I would have loved to have seen a midnight viewing but sadly my cinema didn't have one. We then preceeded to see it again the week after, just because we enjoyed it so much. 

This week, I went to Birmingham Christmas Market and while the lights were pretty, the market itself was sadly disappointing, a lot of the stall repeated themselves the market was basically built up of the same 5 or so stalls.  However, I did manage to find a friends birthday present and so that was a bonus.

Thursday's Musings - Feeling Under the Weather

I've just started this series and I'm already posting a day late, sorry about that. But on the bright side, you are getting a second post. As you can tell from the title I'm not feeling to well, I'm coming down with a cold as most do at this time of the year, and am suffering from the usually symptoms, sore throat headache, feeling slightly achey.

Enough about that though, this week so far has been pretty productive, I've completed my placement tasks due for this week, I've made my Christmas list as some people are uncanilly organised this year and have been asking what I want, and I'm making plans to photograph again! It's so exciting, if you read last weeks post you would have learnt that I picked up my camera for the first time in a long time, and this week I've been planning photo shoots. I've always wanted to try light painting but never found the time or had an DSLR camera to try it with. However, I have both now and a corner shop I popped into were selling discounted coloured sparklers thus saving me from ordering some online. I've been working every evening since I bought them, but hope to try it out over the next few days.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Thursday's musings - Lemon layered Cheesecake

It's been a busy month and bit, and I've wanted to put out post desperately during those times but there just wasn't the time. Thankfully, things have settled down now though and I've decided to start up a series called Thursday's musings, where every Thursday I'll be posting about the random things I'm getting up to.

I met up with a friend from secondary school today, as I'm currently on a placement year back in my home city and she isn't at university, we have decided to meet up once a week, we began by heading to Costa and filling one another in with what we have been up to over the week. However, today I suggested we went somewhere different, there is a cute coffee shop just a bit further up from the Costa we usually go to, called The Northern Cobbler and from the outside it looks lovely. It's a very unique coffee shop that also sells very expensive shoes.

It's small but the staff are friendly and the menu looks amazing, today I had the Lemon layered cheesecake and a hot chocolate, both were lovely. However, if you are like me and do not have an sweet tooth, you may find the icing just a bit too sweet.
Today was also the first time I had picked up my camera for a while, (I used it to take the photos on here) it was such an amazing feeling, I've really missed using it and intend to carry it around with me more in the future.

Fantastic Beasts and where to find them comes out in 8 days! I'm so excited and while writing this post I'm sat listening to the soundtrack.

Lets Catch Up

Hello! It's been a while since I've last posted, I'm not the most consistent person when it comes to posting but that is something that I am working on. Anyway, since it has been a while I thought I would catch you up with the ongoings of my life.

Favourite album at the moment: 
My favourite album right now is 'I Am They' by 'I Am They,' an American Christian band. I first heard their music whilst I was at a friends for a barbecue and then again only last weekend when I was in someones car. Since them I have had them on repeat and my favourite song on the album is 'Awake My Love.'

In a previous post you mentioned you were considering the idea of being a Director of Photography. Have you given it anymore thought? 
Honestly I haven't  researched into it since then. I enjoy both writing and photography and have thought in the past of a career that involved them both. Then dismissed it due to thinking it was not feasible. However, I have looked into it and realised it is so I'm working towards that.


How is your degree going? 
For anyone who does not know I am a photography student and I have just completed my second year. I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel quite a bit these past few months and have decided that I would like to add Travel photography as a genre of photography I would like to specialise in.

As part of my degree I have the opportunity to take a placement year, it gives you the chance to gain some work experience. I'm currently in the midst of searching for a placement, I am interested in working for a publishing house, a magazine or shadowing a photographer. Or even doing all three, I don't have to work in one place for the year I have the chance to try each and every venture I'm interested in.

Have you thought about setting up your own business? 
Setting up my own business was something I'd never really considered or thought about. If I was asked I would always say I was unsure, but deep down I didn't think it was for me as I didn't think my work was good enough.

However, my neighbour asked me to photograph her daughter's 7th birthday party, and I loved it!
It was such a wonderful experience and it reminded me why I loved photography especially when I was editing them after. I even enjoyed the editing process and it's a process I usually hate. I was also given the opportunity to watch them react to the photos and they loved them. It was such an encouraging thing to see! I might reconsider the business idea. I've also decided to add events to something I'll specialise in.

You can find my work on Facebook here: Dana Sonia Photography 
and on Instagram here: Dana Sonia Photography
                                   
Summer plans 

• Turn 20 - I turn twenty a week on Monday so I'm currently deciding how to celebrate, it's strange to think I will no longer be a teenager. 
• Find a placement 
• Read
• Take pictures
• Blog
• Fellowship (Attend Christian young people weekends)

Have you seen all the films you want to see so far this year? 

Sadly not, I missed 'Allegiant' completely due to being to busy with uni work. So I've asked for the Dvd for my birthday. I did manage to see both 'Captain America' and 'The Jungle Book' though and both were very good films although the snake in 'The Jungle Book' was creepy. Unfortunately I missed both 'X - Men' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' so I will have to wait till they come out on Dvd. I have been thinking about going to see Now You See Me 2 for my birthday. I really want to see Me Before You but I've listened to the book and it is so sad I don't know if I can face it. 

You can find my post on the films I want to see here. 

Films I want to see this year! - The Jungle Book

Before seeing this live action version of The Jungle Book, I had not watched the original in years, so it was as if I was watching it for the first time in a sense. What can I say? Due to it being a children's film I did not expect it to be as dark as it was, or the snake (shown in the trailer below) to be as big and terrifying. It could give some kids nightmares! I did really enjoy it though and would definitely recommend it, the child who played Mowgli was brilliant and they included the two main songs from the original, 'jazzing' them up slightly.

Check out the trailer below!

Have you seen The Jungle Book? Let me know what you thought of it.

Films I want to see this year!!

There are so many good films due to come out this year, so I thought I'd share with you the ones I want to see!

Captain America: Civil War 
The third Captain America film, I'm not the biggest Marvel fan out there but I do enjoy their films.  

Allegiant part 1
The first part of the final in the 'Divergent Series', I've read the books so when I found they were making films, I knew I had to see them, I'm looking forward to seeing how they produce this last book especially the second half. 

X-Men Apocalypse 
Another excuse to watch Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy on screen. I had never really been interested in X-Men and had only seen bits and pieces of the other films. Up until I went to see  X-Men first class at the cinema. 

The Jungle Book
I did not watch many Disney films as a child, but The Jungle Book was one that I did see and happen to own, so I'm curious to see how this film turns out.

Star Trek Beyond
I had never seen Star Trek up until the 2009 film, and I loved it, absoulutely loved it. Is it bad the Chekov is my one of my favourite characters despite having barely any screen time? 

The BFG 
Roald Dahls the BFG has been re produced in life action, I've always liked the original film despite people saying it is creepy. If they found the cartoon creepy I have no idea what they are going to think of this one. 

Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass
Another crazy Lewis Carroll story on the big screen, with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. 

Now You See Me: The Second Act 
There isn't much to say other than the first one was spectacular so bring on the second one! If you haven't seen the first one then go and watch it! 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Another film from J.K Rowling and featuring the magic of Harry Potter. I recently watched the trailer and I couldn't be more excited!

Tv Shows I'm currently watching on Netflix

 Pretty Little Liars: It's back! The second half of season 6 has just started and although I'm excited and ever so happy to have it back, so far I'm still a little unsure of what to think about it. I'm still waiting for answers for just about everything apart from who A is obviously. But for those of you who watch the show will know that it looks like there is a new storyline. 

One Tree Hill: I did not get into One Tree Hill till the ninth season, so I ended up watching the final season without watching any of the others. I loved it!! Sadly I could not find it from the beginning on until I got Netflix. I'm currently on season 6 and it's so addictive. 

Supernatural: I've been watching Supernatural for years long before it was popular, but sadly I fell behind during my A levels due to having too much work and not having sky. Once I did have sky and I managed to catch up, it stopped airing in the UK for a period and I fell behind again. Now that I have Netflix I am slowly catching up. 

Images from Google images

Gilmore Girls: I love Gilmore Girls, I used to watch it everyday after school and now that I've discovered it on Netflix it is just an excuse to watch it all over again. Also they are filming another series! I've been waiting for this for years!! 

"Always"

Image from Pinterest

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman 21 February, 1946 - 14 January 2016. Rickman died aged 69 from cancer, he was surrounded by his family. I recently discovered he was in Love Actually after watching it for the first time, however we all knew him as Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. For some of us it feels like a part of our childhood has died, I grew up watching him as Snape, a character we all misunderstood. He was a great actor and a the perfect person to play Severus Snape so I thought I would post a mini tribute.

Image from Pinterest

“I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter —” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“Detention, Saturday night, my office,” said Snape. “I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter . . . not even ‘the Chosen One.’” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

RIP Alan Rickman

Aspirations for 2016

A belated happy new year to you all,  I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas! I've been wondering what to post for this year and decided against new years resolutions as such but things I hope to achieve, some of which I have already started, they aren't going to be things that are overly complicated, just things that I want to do more of myself to make myself happier.  To help I plan on purchasing a Happiness planner which is something Dayna Marie spoke about on her blog the aim of the planner is to create more positivity in your life, check out her post here http://www.daynamarie.co.uk/.

First of all, I would like to build my photography portfolio, if you don't know I am a second year photography student at the University of Huddersfield. I'm in the middle of creating a Facebook page for my work, so I'll post a link on here once I've done that. Secondly I'd like to take more pictures, for me, not for a brief linked to my course but for my own pleasure, mainly to remind myself why I love photography because I feel as if last year I was starting to forget that. Thirdly I would like to devote more of my time to God, I've finally found a Church where I feel as if I belong and have made some amazing friends, and for that I couldn't be more thankful to Him. I feel much stronger in my faith. 

And finally I would like to organise my time more and create more routines in order the most of each day. So that I can get more exercise, I have a gym membership at uni and a Yoga mat at home because a friend told me about a Yoga channel on youtube.
 https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene/featured. And so I can spend more time on here, sharing my life and work with you.