Life happens faster than my artwork! Journal pages for Sunday 8th March...

As previously mentioned, I'm winding my way through Metro Magazine's Top 50 Cafes. Man, cafes WANT to get on that list, such great exposure... I wonder how many other nutty people like me plan to visit them all??

Takapuna Beach Cafe was the supreme winner so I figured I might as well start there. Wow! Is this a cafe or a restaurant with a cafe label? Coffee was great (a given for any cafe on that list) but the food - oh my. I had granola 'bix' which hardly describes what was served... I'm talking Brazil nuts, honey, poached stone fruit and big wide coconut peels. Heaps of staff and quick service, I'm glad I went early - the place was packed!

After that, I needed a good walk. Takapuna Market is on every Sunday Morning so I wandered up. I'm not sure there are many places you can buy antique glassware, Ben10 watches and a jar of tadpoles all at once.


These kind of locations are great for image collecting for future artwork and inspiration. The range of items, colour, combinations and groupings is huge.


Use your viewfinder to crop away unnecessary backgrounds. Get close and ask yourself what is it that I wish to capture with this photograph. Make sure that element or idea is the main focus without any distracting items that dilute its emphasis.
Example: Light reflecting off a table of apples. Cropped to include only the apples, photographed low to get the light hitting the surface.

Repeated shapes, items of similar types make striking imagery. Look for colour combinations and textures that catch your eye.
Example: Buckets of waterlilies. The colours of these were clear and sharp, also the spiky shaped petals seemed almost plastic like. I haven't seen waterlilies grouped like this before - a must photo!
If you wish to photograph someones stand, or items on someones stand its just courtesy to ask first.

This journal spread:
Left page - Prewashed background, magazine cutting photograph which folds out, business card, turquoise pearl embellishments.
Right page - Sewing machine stitched photos including a fold out flap of photos stitched onto copper fabric mesh and a tassel to complete.

My favourite buy of the day was a red tipped sunflower...hmm and the piece of fresh raspberry fudge! What's your fav market buy?

Labels: Great-Places-Auckland-Region, Journal-Ideas, Journal-Pages, Restaurant-Review