Student In The City : photography

In About Me, Blog

To remember

Part one:

Remember the summer evenings spent at the park. As the sun begins to set.

We would spend hours in the fields.

Laughing and smiling.

Acting and playing.

This is where we would learn to be good friends and keep secrets.

This is where we would learn to be bad friends and share secrets.

Memories were made in the twilight grass.

I think back and smile with humorous caution, those friends were gained and lost and gained again.

And as the sun still sets, i still remember.

Alex captured something special in my home town, so special its helped me to remember.

Now that I've remembered i think its time to reflect...

Photography by Alexander Ward

https://www.instagram.com/ruggedwisdom/

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, by Unknown

In Blog, life

Let's talk about stress. Specifically stress that comes along with studying at university. I'm going into my third year at BIMM Manchester in October, and before i get anywhere near to that month i want to try and cope with stress a bit better than i did in my second year.

And when i say a bit, i mean a lot.

The last few months of second year were hell. Hell like I've never seen or felt before. Most of my assignments are coursework and essay based, except for my Music Theory exam. I find this structure so much easier as i get very very nervous in exams, end up freaking out and forgetting everything. The downside and upside to coursework is that you and you alone are in control of how much work you do and when you do it.

At the start of the year i had my work under control. I was on target with my planning, reading, note taking and had even started writing some of my essays. Then February came and it had all gone to pot. I was dealing with a lot of external issues, so my assignments took a back seat.

You know when you put something off for so long, even if you want to start it or give it a go again you just can't. Well that's what happened with all of my work.

I tried. I did really try.

I made myself get up early and go to the library or a cafe but nothing. I tried staying up late to do it in the dead of night but nothing. Before I knew it I had just over one month left of uni and the majority of my assignments were due in in that period and with that along came several breakdowns.

I'm not that emotional, I don't cry very often, and I've never really had a melt or break down before. So having so many in the space of a month wasn't fun. I was having early mornings and late nights. Spending every moment I could at my desk or in the computer rooms at uni.

Once the majority of my essays were submitted the last thing I had to do was a composition portfolio, which meant i couldn't do the work at home, i had to go into uni to use their computers to do it. There were nights where i'd be leaving Manchester after 12 am (it takes just over an hour to get home by bus/walking). It was exhausting and took its toll on me.

However, one upside to having to go into uni to do the work, was that i was around people who were going through the same thing. It helped with my motivation, but also helped mentally having some friends around to laugh and talk to.

My Tips (to you and to myself):

Tea breaks

Find a cute cafe and get yourself a nice beverage. If you're like me most of the time you enjoy a bit of peace and quiet, so spending this little break by yourself is the perfect thing to help you to relax. Though I also think that sometimes to relax you need a distraction, so gets some of your mates to come along with you and take time out of your own thoughts by chatting about anything other that assignments!

Make or find yourself a great playlist

I love working to music. The right playlist can really help with concentration and getting into an essay writing zone. I find Spotify has loads of really good pre-made playlists, its also a really good way of listening to new music and musicians you've never listened to before.

Plan

Get yourself a planner and plan like there is no tomorrow. When it go to the point where nearly all my work was due in, planning saved my life. I distributed the workload and made sure I was spending enough of the remaining time i had left of assignments.

~~But this year I want to actually get a solid plan down before i only have a few weeks left...~~

I'm changing that line to I WILL have a sold plan before I only have a few weeks left!

We can all have moments where we want to quit. Moments where the stress and anxiety gets all too much to handle. But life and everything that comes with it, the good, the bad... It's all worth it.

October will be here before I know it.

But I know now, I can handle even the hardest of moments, as I'm sure there are many more to come.

> Insert "vegan" cheese here

I'm going to end this post with saying... We can do it.

Photography: Jack Gracie - https://www.instagram.com/jackgraciephoto/

Location : Manchester Central Library -The Reading Room

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, by Unknown

In camera, clothing

Urban life

Hidden in the Northern Quarter lies a little patch of green. A tiny little allotment where a different kind of life is growing away from the hustle of a working Manchester. Summers has brought lilac flowers into bloom with a little help from the rain, and last Tuesday showed me new places and made me new friends.

Jack’s photography speaks for itself, his eye for details, colours and his passion for photography was incredibly inspiring. The day left me wanting to embrace the future and its possibilities. After finishing my second year of university, the start of my summer carried on feeling like it was non stop. Until i went away to Cyprus with my boyfriend and his grandparents. And so I finally managed to relax, but unfortunately the week flew by.

So now it’s the middle of July and I will be starting a new job in the next week or so. I hope i will still have enough time to focus more on my blog and still be in a creative environment, whether that be through photo shoots, writing and recording music and maybe even doing a few gigs here and there (we’ll see about that last one!)

More than anything this summer I want to work hard and earn money, but i also want to have fun at the same time.

I had such a good day getting to know jack, having a laugh, chatting about travels, careers and the future. I’m really looking forward to working with jack again, so keep your eyes peeled and in the meantime, go show him some love by following him on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/jackgraciephoto/

My next post will be about my experience at university, in particular the stress and anxiety that comes with studying and (fingers crossed) getting a degree!

Jess

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, by Unknown

In 35mm, camera

Weekly charity shop finds

Zenit TTL film camera - £4.99

This baby was hidden in a scruffy old bag at the back of a shelf. Although I had no idea if it worked or if it was any good, at that price there was no way I was leaving the shop without it!

The 35mm Photographer's Handbook - £2.80
Here's hoping this book will give me a hand at teaching me how to use that Russian baby!

Orange oversized satin shirt - £ 2.99

It is what it is. Its an oversized orange shirt. Normally I never buy anything that is this bright! However I loved the look and the feel of the shirt, so I thought I might as well get it and give it a go, seeing as it didn't cost much.
I think this is one of the best things about buying from charity shops or thrift stores, you're able to experiment with your wardrobe without spending too much money, so you don't run the risk of losing out on a lot of money spent on something that actually doesn't look right, or that you only wore once. (If this does happen, and you do change your mind on an item, just go ahead and donate it back to a different charity!)

Vintage clasp purse - £1.49
This purse is in such good quality! The clasp is still in working order and the bag is very sturdy. The only downside to the purse is that it doesn't fit all that much in it. My phone doesn't even fit... However it still is very pretty and it makes me feel like my Grandma Lila (who was a very very stylish, sophisticated woman!)

Cassette tapes - 50p to £2

My mum recently flew over to Ireland to visit family and came back with an old portable cassette player which used to be my uncles. I got so excited when I found out it still worked and the sound is surprisingly very good. Its safe to safe to say my cassette collection has been growing rapidly. Jazz is a must in my music collection at the moment! And who doesn't love a bit of There She Goes by The La's

So that was my first charity shop haul for you guys! Until next time,

Jess

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, by Unknown

In black and white, Blog

Northern Quarter

Wednesday 1st March 2017

I recently met up with a photographer who had contacted me on Instagram wanting to take a few portrait photos around Manchester.

I took a look a her website and instantly fell in love with her photography so I jumped at the chance to work with her and I'm so glad I did!

I've never had to "pose" in front of a proper camera before so the whole experience was new, but amazing!

Coralie was so lovely and made me feel really comfortable and relaxed, which made me really enjoy it. We managed to find a few good spots around the Northern Quarter to take some photos and these are the results!

I'm completely in love with them and its something I really REALLY want to do again.

What I'm wearing:

Bomber Jacket - Mango

Jumper - Primark

Jeans - H&M

Boots - TU Clothing