Hollies Closet: Summer

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Are they real? No, I am not talking about my chest because obviously if I was I would have been ripped off because they look like two fried eggs on an ironing board, or as I like to describe them '70's boobs.' Anyway that's enough tit talk this isn't a top shelf sort of blog. My opening question refers mainly to a shoot I did recently with a friend and after reviewing the pictures it became clear to me we have two very different visions and approaches when it comes to photography. Myself, I prefer a raw picture and as a result all the pictures on my blog have not been in anyway enhanced (well apart from the use of focusing while taking the picture and the odd crop of a random photo bomber when out on the streets). My friend on the other hand enjoys using Photoshop on his pictures. My little sister, her name is Ashleigh or Smashley as I have always called her, refers to my pictures as 'gritty'. This, I feel, is a true description. Okay I know I am hardly taking pictures of people taking drugs in a bathroom toilet. But with my photographs there are no airs and graces, literally, if I have bags under my eyes you see them (maybe this is why I wear sunglasses all the time). Another reason I don't use Photoshop is; quite simply, I don't have it. And lets be honest, its a real skill, it is some peoples actual job.
With this in mind, and after scanning the most famous fashion blogs (I think we have seen them listed enough times not to do it again). I started to think 'maybe I am naive or missing a trick not using Photoshop on any of my pictures' as some of the photo's on these blogs are amazing and often rival magazine editorials and these posts are often the one's I enjoy the most. I wonder how many blogs you have come across were the writing and the ideas are amazing, but the photographs are really poor and it is a 'turn off' and leads to you loosing interest? Lets be honest a lot of us just look at blogs for the pictures, and I again, tend to do this with the better known blogs. Like most things in life it is trial and error, and after amassing such a following these blog's will know what works well for their readers. However, for me, I think I will be a Photoshop snob and prefer an organic picture to a processed one. Lets face it, my blog and other personal style blogs are merely about showcasing the clothes we are wearing, and I am certainly not professing to be any sort of model. So by using Photoshop, in my opinion, we become just like magazines and not 'real life'. Which, I think, is one of the main reasons street style photography has taken off, because it is 'real style' that people wear everyday. It is not an ideal Photo-shopped by a magazine, it is real life and sometimes life is gritty with bags under its eyes. So after all this rambling I have decided to upload mine and my friends photographs to give you something to compare; sort of raw vs Photoshop. One thing I will say; the setting for these pictures are not my usual urban back drop. Okay, Okay I will stop making excuses. Let me know what you think of the pictures and the topic of Photoshop?

It occurred to me after reading this post it sounds more like a rock and roll party, I think I have pretty much covered it all with the boob and drugs references. All that's missing is the TV out of a hotel window.

Hollie

Legs Eleven

Another sunny day and some more pictures of my bare legs...sorry.
Hollie x

Shirt: Vintage

Shorts: Topshop

Shoes: Zara

Metallic Mondays

Have you ever bought an item of clothing that even in the store you are not sure when or where you will wear it? I have... and on more then one occasion. Often these purchases turn out to be braver then my usual choices in terms of the print, texture or material. This metallic silver jacket is a perfect example. I bought it in a Zara sale a while ago. I think I felt sorry for it, sat there with a full rack of its fellow silver comrades and the odd David Bowie ground control reference being thrown in there general direction. With that it became a challenge. My thoughts were 'I will buy this jacket and I will make it work'. I often make these decisions when an item is in the sale, but then don't we all buy things we don't need because it's cheaper and in the sale? This Jacket was a bargain at £10 pounds, and today, in the rare English heat, I decided to dress like 'a chicken in tin foil', these are not my words, but the words of a passer by. I'm pretty sure I have expressed in a previous post the joy it gives me when someone hates my outfit enough to comment out loud... I really thought I had toned it down with the black. Obviously not enough for some.
Hollie x

Jacket: Zara

Top: Charity Shop

Skort: Zara

Boots: Topshop

Summer Dresses and Windswept Dreams

What a difference a few days make, let alone a week. I think this is depicted perfectly in the picture of the outfit I wore today. Well, not so much my outfit, more the setting, from beautiful Venice to an English Concrete jungle. I love this dress and wore it several times on my travels. Now I am back in England I teamed the dress with some vintage boots and a fringed cardigan, 'YEAP' defiantly not in Venice now. Today I decided to customise some old jeans of mine into shorts which I will post tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed your weekend!!
Enjoy the pics
Holly x

Dress: Topshop

Vintage style boots: Schuh

Sunglasses: Rayban

Bag: Bought as a gift in Venice

GRRR wind!!

Fringed Cardigan: Tosphop

Wrestling with my cardigan

Gelato and a Gondola

As promised yesterday, here are a few of the pictures from Venice. I had the most amazing time there and I managed to practice some of my Italian, although I am a long way from being fluent. The hotel we stayed in was just next to the Rialto Bridge and our balcony provided us with some amazing views. Looking at some of these pictures all I seem to be doing is eating gelato, but I suppose when your in Italy it would be rude not to!! I love Italy and I have been going every year since I was 6! We mainly holiday on the Amalfi coast or Capri (a little island near Sorrento). This year however, I decided to try Venice and I must say although it is heavily populated by tourists and tiny (you can walk from one side to the other in a few hours), you can still find quiet back streets just minutes away from the main tourist areas. On one of the days we found ourselves in the more residential area of the island and I had the most amazing bowl of Clams and Spaghetti, finished off of course, with a gelato. While we were there we had a Gondola ride which took us away from the Grand canal and down the lesser known areas. To be honest, I was happy about this as I witnessed a few near misses down the busier canals. The Italians seem to be fearless driving their cars and scooters, and even more so on their boats.
Enjoy the Pics
Holly x