Life lately! Some Instagram adventures from Laura at Babb Photo
Six months have passed since I did a little personal update, so I thought it was about time!
Last time I wrote about something that wasn’t wedding photography, I was on the road in the US and just about to head to Thailand. It feels like a long time ago now – a lot has changed again in six months and I’m not nomadic any more. I’m settled near Birmingham in a lovely, light and bright room at the top of a house in a pretty little Midland’s village.
I work from a brilliant co-working space in the city a few days a week and I love the contrast between living in peaceful countryside and working in vibrant Digbeth.
I’m surrounded by some great people in this part of the world. I’m just about to join a choir. I’ve started walking again. Life has started to feel settled after the turmoil of last year and I’m happy. At the moment I’m still mostly photographing weddings in London and all over the place, so I need to decide whether to transition to focus on the Midlands instead. I haven’t quite decided yet. Less travel would be nice, though!
Scaling back my wedding photography business. Just a little! Get in touch now, if you want to book
My big news, this time around, is that I’ve drastically scaled back the number of weddings I’m shooting this year. I’m taking on no more than 15 bookings, while I evaluate where I am and what I want to do next. I’ve been shooting some personal work and really enjoying it and I’m also enjoying having free weekends for the first time in 8 years!
I still love the couples I’m working with and I am excited to be a part of their days, but I’m being selective about what I take on as my number one aim right now is to be well, with good work-life balance. If you know someone who’s getting married and they might want to work with me, I’d love to chat with them. I have a just a couple of spaces left for 2019 and 2020 is starting to book up too.
If you want to see some of the things I’ve been up to, keep reading!
The colours and street scene in Detroit
I visited Detroit for the first time. Highlights included the colours of the city and visiting the Heidelberg Project. It’s always surprising how big, spacious and empty American cities can feel and Detroit especially has this feeling as it’s still rebuilding and regenerating itself. I’d definitely recommend a visit, although it was a bit chilly in November…
Thailand, you’re still my favourite
This was my third time in Thailand and probably my 10th in Bangkok. If you travel around Sout-East Asia, Bangkok is a jumping off point for lots of other places and I’ve always thought of it as a stepping stone to somewhere else. This time, though, I had a chance to spend a bit more time there and it massively grew on me.
I went on a food tour where we raced through the streets at night in Tuk-Tuks and I ate the best noodle dish of my life (look below – the one with the egg on – honestly, I need to eat it again).
One of my absolute favourite things is hanging out on a small tropical island and swimming in the sea daily. I would be back there in a heartbeat if I could. It’s one of the places in the world that speaks to my soul the most.
Some food I ate over the last few months
Highlights were the infamous noodle dish in Thailand and the top left tasting menu that I ate at Laura and David’s little London wedding. Food is the best.
Bits of Bali
In Bali I swam, ate all the food, went to loads of yoga classes, had sound baths and generally focussed on finding some calm. It was wonderful.
Making a home
I share a house with my lovely friend and I have the top floor to myself. I love the light in my room. There’s a little yoga and meditation area, which makes me exceptionally happy. I walk through the village when I commute into the city and I’ve enjoyed seeing winter turning into Spring. If you come out of my front door and walk for five minutes you’re in fields and beautiful countryside.
The train into town takes about 15 – 20 minutes and then I have the whole city to explore. It’s nice having the best of both worlds.
SNAP
It was the last SNAP in its current format. I felt a lot of emotions in the run-up but the event itself was amazing and everything I hoped it would be. It was wonderful to go out on such a high. I’m going to spend some time this winter working out what comes next.
Walking boots ON
After my ninety-something mile walk last October, I’ve not done much in the way of walks. I’ve been in quite a lot of flat, hot places so walking long distances wasn’t practical (or much fun!). I’m glad to be settled now, as it means I’ve been able to find a local-ish walking group and I’m also only an hour-ish from the Peak District. It’s been wonderful to get out into the countryside again. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it.
Personal work
And finally, I’m shooting for myself again and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been using my camera to explore spirituality and I am particularly interested in the commoditization of spiritual practices. There are interesting parallels with photography and other creative fields, as the perceived value is so subjective. A lot of people don’t realise that part of what you’re paying for is every second the person you’re buying from has invested in learning their craft, developing a practice and becoming an expert. If you’d like to check out some of my stories, head to my new website.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! You can check out my previous, most recent Life Lately post here.
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