Tag: style

B268 – RUNNING AROUND LIKE A CHRISTMAS CRACK HEAD!

joshfspearLeave a comment

Its that weird time of year between christmas and new years where you still have to run around like some sort of christmas crack head trying to get your fix of family and chocolate and that exactly what amy and me have been doing, yesterday after waking up at Anders house I was on the move back to my flat for a 10 minute pit stop to meet amy and grab some clothes before heading back to see Flo so Amy can give her, her christmas presents. so naturally we stayed for a bit and played hide and seek and all those other games that a 3 year old likes to play. Flo was typically took control of my camera and decided to take a photo of us, so as you can expect I have included that photo below.

its now 10:37 on the 28th of December and we are sitting on my parents sofa getting ready to have a productive day of dog walking, car cleaning and hairdressing. a lot of activities but Im ready to rock n roll and get this show on the move.

theres something I want to write about on this blog today to make it final and then I have no excuse if I fail and that is a bet that I have put together my a good chum anders, we are going to be doing Dry January, No drinking alcohol for the whole of January and if we do then we have to give the other person £30. Im determined to fail and get back to track with my running, this time last year I was training for an ultra marathon and now I want to put those running shoes back on and start training of another race, my leg is in a good place and I’m sure with a bit of swimming and my a gym session or two I can get back to a good place and start running fast times.

Here are my photos from yesterday. Enjoy.

B268-1-2
– just flo sorting out Amy’s hair –
B268-1
– my arty shot from a coffee shop in crystal palace –
B268-1-3
– flos photo of amy and me – 

 

 

B236 – PANIC ATTACKS AND COLOUR CLASHES

joshfspearLeave a comment

A few months ago amy brought some tickets to see the Kooks play in Brighton, they are a band Ive wanted to see for ages and something which I’ve been excited for since she told me we were going. but before we can go to an amazing gig we had to do something that turns girls like amy into monsters / dictators, I’m talking about is IKEA.  Yesterday we had to venture over to the warehouse of nightmares and shop till my credit card pops.

I saw a side to amy which scared me and it happened in the cushion department, we were trying to work out what colours go with what pattern and what fabric would work with the sofa. I never new that cushion shopping was a thing, I just thought they came with a sofa and that was it. who wrong I was. cushion shopping involves panic attacks and a lot of tongue bitting. Apparently my opinions will be taken into consideration but in the end they will be ignored, she even let me pick a cushion that she chose.

After cushion gate has finished it was time to hit the road and head down to Brighton and meet some good old chums and put the whole ikea experience behind us. the kooks smash it they were literally amazing the lead singer is a guy called Luke Pritchard and he knows a thing or two about performing and somehow have managed to hold down a top spot in British indie music since their album Inside in inside out was released in 2006. what was amazing about the show for me was when the blue curtain came down and he performed an acoustic set, for some reason when you bring the curtain down mid set it really makes the gig feel intimate. if you have the chance to see the Kooks definitely get down to a gig, tonight they are playing in Cardiff and if I could get down there I would.

As I spent the day running round doing a million and one things, all my photos were taken on my phone.

P.s Amy thanks for taking me around Ikea, you’ve given me the interior design bug and also for getting the Kooks tickets!!!!!

B236-1-4
– this part of the set made it worth it –
B236-1-2
– the literally havent aged as a band since 2006 –
B236-1
– amy mid panic attack because yellow doesn’t go with the orange of the wall… or does it?! –

B231 – JUST A DOG WEARING SHOES

joshfspearLeave a comment

It’s weird not posting these each day, I’m not really enjoying it. I love following the stats and getting to see what people think of my photos, it’s one of those things if I post each day I really try and set my self a brief for each day, ie something to concentrate on, but at the moment I’m just snapping shots when I can.

Not really sure if that’s a good idea, but at the moment it’s the best I can do.

Today is show day and I can now say that I’m working on Victoria Secrets Fashion show in Shanghai!!!! The rule of posting photos still stands, so if your expecting to see Back stage photos of Super modes wearing underwear and wings. This is the wrong place, instead I can offer a shot of a dog wearing shoes.

One thing has really surprised me is that amount of bikes that are in the city and the comparison to London. A few months back someone introduced this public bike scheme where you can pick up these yellow bikes via an App and then drop it off where ever you want, two days later the bikes had been destroyed, seats stollen and wheels buckled. Not in China, they literally have exactly the same bikes but times a thousand, there are hundreds on every street and not a buckled wheel in sight. China is this country where people stick to rules and one of the coolest things is everyone has a job (apparently). From what I saw which to be fair is very little, the streets are cleanish and there’s this proper hustle and bustle about this place, it feels like a super power city and I suppose that’s exactly what this place is. 10 years time and Shanghai will be this place with hovercrafts and jet packs, I promise you!

 

B231-1-4
– Victoria Secretes fashion show 2017 –
B231-1-3
– one of the weirdest buildings Ive ever seen –
B231-1-2
– just a dog wearing shoes –

 

B228 – THE HIGHEST BATH IVE EVER HAD

joshfspearLeave a comment

today a bit of an early start, got a lot happening today but looking forward to getting on with every. its the first day of shooting so need to rush over to location, its like 6am now leaving the hotel at 7 to get there for 8. 

Breakfast, Having Chinese food for breakfast is actually quite a good idea. nothing better than noodles and some fried rice for breakfast. takes a bit of time to get used to drinking a coffee at the same time but its quite good in a weird way. I will dedicate a whole post to the breakfast here, i think it desevers it. I have never seen noddles and seafood for breakfast before.

The jet lag is still real, its probably some of the worst jet lag I have experienced, I keep waking up at like 4am and cant get back to sleep, normally i do some running or maybe a swim but I can get past the hotel bar, which is proving to be a bit of an issue.   One thing to talk about is the fact that the time zone is really confusing and I cant work out what the time is in the UK. I know we are 8 hours ahead but I keep thinking the UK is in front. thats probably the jet lag talking but for some reason my head just cant figure it out. the only good thin about waking up at 4am is the fact that I can have a bath with this view, it is literally the best bath in the world. I don’t think anything will ever compare to it!

My plan for these post while im away is to write some bullet points each day and then when I get back to the UK fill in all the gaps. I think thats probably the best thing for me todo, I will probably regret doing it that way, but I think while I’m here i need to get as much sleep as I can because my days are going to be filled with running around trying to get everything done.  

B228-1-2
– A Breakfast of champions? –
B228-1
– sorry for the bad light, I didnt want to turn the lights on at 5:30am, this was a bath to remember –
B228-1-3
– looking up inside the hotel –

B214 – IM GOING HOME!!

joshfspearLeave a comment

Right now its 14:44 on Friday, Im sat a Bradley international airport in Massachusetts about to board a plane to Boston, Ive got an hour till we take off and from Boston I have a flight that will take me to London Heathrow. its now the complete end of my time in America and after two months on the road going from Hotel to Hotel its time to head home and finally do some washing and get on my DIY skills on, I’ve got a hall way to paint and some more blinds to put up! so get ready for some DIY posts, they will be coming thick and fast.

right now though Im scrolling through the photos Ive taken on my phone and think its only right to post some photos that I have taken on my phone before they disappear into the hard drive of my computer forever.

If I had to choose one city that has left a mark on me it has to be New York, that place is probably one of my favourite cities Ive visited in a long time, it just doesn’t sleep and every corner has something happening and thats what I like. Nothing stops in New York, its just on the move constantly. I will 100 percent be coming back to New York in the near future.

On the other hand, the state that surprised me the most and rank up there of cool places is New England. thats the area Im in now, apparently its were the english first landed when they discovered America, thats where it gets its name from. If I could get hold of a mountain bike and had a few days off I would loved to of just cycle round the forests and explored this area, it just looks like a cool place to have an adventure. that sounds like a pretty cool idea now Ive just said that. Amy? Can you cycle?

Ive really enjoyed this trip and feel like Ive managed to see a fair bit of america is a short period of time. but now I just need to come back and really get to know it when Im working. Heres list of the places Ive been in the last few months. New York, New Jersey, Massachussets, Flordia, Illinois, North Carolina, St.louis, Toronto and Vancover. Looking at that im really suprised that I haven’t missed a day of this blog yet and not really sure where Ive found the hour or so it takes to write these each day.

Tomorrow I land back in the UK and have to  rush home for a hair cut, pack a bag and get ready for a few days get away in Paris. Amy and Me are going there because theres some fashion show that she wants to check out and I owe her a birthday present. so get ready for me to put my best Zoolander outfit on and explore the city of Paris!

Heres  some of  the photos from my phone of these past few months.

B214 (1 of 1)
– New York at 6am –
B214 (1 of 1)-2
– Ive never seen an exhaust like this, is it legal in the UK? –
B214 (1 of 1)-3
– a view from New England –

 

B195 – I DELETED EVERYTHING!!!!

joshfspearLeave a comment

It happened, my first major major cock up in 195 days.

Well today started as any other shoot day does, really early and straight on the move, nothing out of the normal, and as normal I had my camera with me and would take photos as the day goes on, some cool, some terrible photos but all of it is still useable content in some sort of way.

well after I had been hustled by a bunch of boy scouts, no joke they literally called me over to tell me about a great offer on the cup cakes, and said that we could barter for the cupcakes. I was up for it and asked for 6 for $10 something I felt was completely fair, then the head scout with all the badges basically said no deal and sold me them for the standard price of 4 for $10. I didn’t even want the cup cakes, but thought it would be good to teach these guys a lesson or two in business only for me to end up losing out and falling for their tricks.  the lesson I learnt here is don’t be fooled by the scouts, they know exactly how to get your money.

The other thing is I took photos of is the crazy size of houses in this area, we are currently in place called Bedminister, New Jersey and these houses are like something out of MTV cribs, its ridiculous. Im not sure if its because theres so much land out here or if these people have just figured out life, but these houses are impressive.

anyway I had some great examples, but ill just have to see what I can do tomorrow.

its now obviously tough post today, I did find one photo on my phone that I took this morning so that is below, the fog looked really cool in the trees and reminded me of that old TV show Man Tracker, about I guy who could track down anyone even in the harshest conditions. The other two photos I was saving up for later on but I suppose now is a good as any. they were two photos I took in New York city, and I think they sum that place up quite well. Im a big fan of black and white street photography, so I try and do as much of that as possible. I feel like black and white adds an extra element to the photos, that I think is thanks to the film photography ere that everyone is so used to seeing. it has helped to give B&W photos a timeless feel.

so here they are, enjoy the snaps and sorry of the mish mash post.

B192 (1 of 1)-8
– new york Subway after rush hour –
B191 (1 of 1)-5
– this person definitly doesn’t want to have their bike stollen –
B195 (1 of 1)
– my only picture that has survived from today –

B189 – ITS FINALLY HAPPENED A TRUE GAME CHANGER

joshfspearLeave a comment

The Condo has hit a new level, If you’ve ever been to the flat you would know that theres been one big thing missing from it and that is Curtains, for some reason We’ve never got round to putting up curtains or blinds. Its not that we are lazy its that we haven’t really needed them and I’ve just kind of adapted to natural light in the morning. today though that has changed and my DIY skills have gone up a new level. Most people know that my DIY and manual labour skills are pretty much below average, well not any more, my first day of being 24 and Ive just used my first drill, and made multiple even level holes and put up blinds. this is well and truly a big step.

the DIY bug has hit me hard and now things are going to change round here. before it was all about the painting, now thats pretty much out the way, Ive now got to start building things, taking things away and updating things, its a never ending job that I’m now getting excited about. I just need to keep Amy away from Pinterest and I might have a chance of getting this done.

Now im pretty much a site man and a grafter, it was only right that after my success at putting the blinds up, i sat down and had a proper cup of tea, Bilbo ( bilbo Baggins – leave the bag in) with a lot of milk, the only difference being to take the photo I needed a a second pair of hands and a few pints of milk.

At last though, im now sitting on the sofa watching Tattoo fixers and dont have anything todo apart from right this post, tomorrow I pack for a trip to America so be prepared for some cool shots of the states, Ive got a busy 6 weeks of travel and Im looking forward to showing you guys what I get up too!

Im having a really weird moment where Ive confused myself because this post is written the night before its posted. is that confusing, would you rather I wrote in past tense or current tense. I dont mind just want to know what reads better.

Any way let me know and enjoy the snaps.

B189-1-2
– a proper cup of tea –
B189-1
– the bed room with the blinds, its finally coming a long, the white wall by the blinds is dirty because I was leaning on it. just ignore that –
B189-1-3
– this is amy sitting on the floor asking if we can stop running about doing things now –

 

B184 – THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR – ****SORRY ITS LATE, I THOUGHT I HAD SCHEDULED IT BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT****

joshfspearLeave a comment

So I’ve come to a conclusion, this time of year is the best not only is it my birthday this month but we literally have this really cool look in the sky and the temperature is still bearable in a jumper, I’m not sure how much longer it will last and pretty sure that it will switch any day now but for the next few days I’m going to try and enjoy it as much as possible.

Im definitely not going to look at the weather full cast for the next week or so, I just want to see where it ends up. My favourite reason for loving this weather is because the sun is starting to get lower which means you get these really cool shadows on the pavement which create these cool shapes and patterns on pretty much everything everything from the floor to your office desk. and the camera flares, oh the camera flares, they are sick. Im hoping that the skies are clear tomorrow so I can take some photos of the sun and show you what I mean.

When I was younger I remember hearing someone tell me that in the UK we are pretty lucky to get 4 seasons each year and I was like “yea alright! can I go back to picking my nose and eating mud yet?” and now I’m taking photos daily and always looking at what the light is like and where the sun is, I now appreciate it a lot more. What the weather is doing on any given day really varies what type of photo you take and we are slowly getting to the point where Im going to need a waterproof camera and maybe a new jacket, because going outside is not going to be like it is in June.

These photos below aren’t of the changing seasons, so don’t think you’ll see some nice shots of leaf’s on the ground but rather what the light was like at 10:30am and of the sky at night. Now the sky just looks colder that it does in summer. theres no more reds and oranges in the clouds, but now more blue and darker blues. which I think make for a really dramatic backdrop.

enjoy my snaps and lets see how the weather pans out  in these next few days.

B184-1-3
– im talking about these shadows –
B184-1
– and that sky doesnt look like summer anymore –
B184-1-2
– the sky still looks clear but ready quickly getting colder –

 

 

 

 

B180 – 6 MONTHS LATER

joshfspearLeave a comment

right, its happened. Ive left my camera at a party last night so all the photos I took yesterday are at my mates house. meaning that not only have I woken up with a rough head but Ive got no pictures from yesterday and haven’t got my camera for today. the plan now is to scroll back through some old photos and have a little reminiscing.

We are now two days away from the 6 month mark and to be honest I’m pretty happy with how its gone, when I first set out on this I had a target of getting a thousand views a month for the first 6 months and I can now say that we have reach 6,497 views in the first half of this blog. the target has been smashed, so thank you.

this whole photo challenge is not the easiest thing in the world and is taking a lot of energy to post every day and write something but I cant believe how much its helped my writing, which I think has got better. 6 months ago my every day writing was terrible from spelling mistake in emails that shouldn’t have mistakes to writing instructions for other people that just didn’t make sense. Now I feel a lot more confident I’m what I write and feel like I can back it up. this whole thing has also helped me to understand more about camera’s, photography and lighting, I’m now thinking bigger and better and what to really push some ideas forward and get s**t done.

The photos I want to show today are from the first 50 days of this project. I’m not trying to show where Ive come from and to where I am now, because Im happy with the photos, I think if I was to look back at my photos and think what should I of done and what I didn’t do, then my brain would explode. The plan here is just to look back at some cool moments that otherwise would get lost in just the shear amount of content that i’m posting here. enjoy these photos.

B035-1
– trekking over to hampstead heath at night to find this view, after 3 hours of being lost in the pitch dark we managed to find the spot –
B033-1-5
– a different time when I went out at night to get this shot. I dont think theres a photogrpaher in london who hasn’t taken a photo of st pauls from this bridge –
B023-1
– on an adventure with amy in camden, amy hadnt been to camden before so went we along and done it properly, the stables, the zoo everything –
B036-1-3
– this was just after I found out about my leg and realised that I wouldn’t be able to run the ultra marathon in Switzerland, im still waiting for it to heal so I can run again. 146 days later and I still cant run, Im hoping that by the end of October ill be able to run short distances and slowly build up to the goal of completing an Ultra marathon –

 

 

 

B177 – A SEA PLANE

joshfspearLeave a comment

Sorry for this post being a bit rubbish, Ive had a few drinks and just looking forward to gettign back to Amy. At the momement we’ve had a good explore of victoria and ive basically got to pack for my flight at 6am tomorrow. Candada has been amazing and I love this place but im looking forward to my sleep.

one thing ive learnt about this place is how freindly everyone is, they all just want to be freinds with the next person. im just walking out a oub while im writing this, so basically im in the perfect state to be wirtiing a message. people should come to canada and just experinance the wild, see the dear and take in the view.

tomorrow we fly home and I cant wait to spend the 19 hours travelling just to see amy, thank you bobo for introducing us, i think im abit drunk but not too sure. sorry for any messages that people don twant to read, I just want to buy a leica. anyway its not my fault, I blaime the people that brought me some shots.

im not sure how much you know about these post but each day I try and post something that relates to the readers, but tonight I have nothing. im just impressed with how this has gone and the people that our reading this. at the moment I think its mainly my dad, but much love steve spear your a ledgend.

im currently in bed lookingat my travel plains for tomorrow thinking about how im going to make it work. sorry if todays post is a bit weak, its been a hard month and tonight Ive enjoyed my self.

enjoy these pictures and make sure thar you visit chucky cheese, that place is amazing. much love josh

B177 (1 of 1)-2
– this is a sea plane –
B177 (1 of 1)-3
– i like this picture –
B177 (1 of 1)
– a nother great photo