Not really evil, but a plan none the less and it sounded exciting writing it down like that. I am going to be a photographer on the weekend from now on and maybe one day even more. Far into the future its....20??...envision a red carpet, blazing lights, a bedazzled and bewitched audience, a black tied announcer, "...and the winner is....Lisa Luyten...Photographer extrordinaire,...Lisa Luyten...."Photographer on the Weekend". Sigh.
My plans to become a photographer will definitely not eventuate easily, its a long term goal, with a long term vision, and as a great many persons have said before, but even the longest journey begins with the smallest step. I am but a planner, super organiser and this is how I do things.
My small steps, given that you're only as good as your last photo (and believe me its not a great one) will have to entail me getting the camera out and taken at least 5 photos a day, now that I am not travelling the need to get the camera out (the urge is there, the subject material is not...yet anyway) has slightly deminished.
Right having just written that down, how to make sure I do it and get started with that small goal, and continue properly so I don't feel so lost? In fact I have other goals that I need to undertake also in regards to the "Photography", but again, how to monitor, what are the goals, how do I start? Oh all the questions... head ...but ...is spinning....
Firstly, lets think of the goals. Goals so far....
1. Take 5 photos a day, but not just anything I need to be testing things, like different lighting, affects of changing the aperture, flash effects, still life, movement, etc
2. Record the shots and what I was trying to achieve
3. Read something about photography everyday, one of my magazines maybe, they seem to be gathering dust at the moment, as are my many photography books.
4. Once a week check out the DVDs that have come with said magazines, to learn about Photoshop - so that is one new Photoshop skill per week, just one tiny thing at a time.
5. Update the filing of my photos and back it all up properly
6. Utilise Lightroom, I have heard good things but fail to use it
7. Understand in my head that my hobbies cannot be paper tole, French, Spanish, reading, writing, and gardening, cake making, following the Amazing Race, as well as Photography (my first love...aside from Mark) - there are not enough hours in the day for even just Photography, so some of those will just have to fade away (for now)
8. Go through and finish up editing my photos from France, Ireland and Egypt - the last holidays whilst living in London.
9. Review photos for those to be printed from the 4 years we spent overseas. Unfortunately this will be a rather massive personal project for which I really will have to go into baby steps mode. Its far to daunting to even think about...might go eat some Fruchocs...oh sorry where was I...
10. Put paid to my promises of family and friends childrens portraits and actually do them - I think Sundays will be portrait days
11. Save up the pennies for a Canon EOS 5D, or even a 7D, as its clear that the move is back away from full format with the much anticipated release of the Canon EOS 1D IV, having reverted to being non-full format (ie not like a 35mm SLR camera), there is no need for me to aim so high.
12. Update photos on both Flickr (for your viewing pleasure) and RedBubble (for your purchasing pleasure)
13. Set up my own photography website (to cover both above eventually).
14. Join Model Mayhem and start doing professional model shoots, but still this will be on Sundays
15. Undertake further training in Photography - Photoshop course or even join just join a group of enthusiasts (who, I am sure will make me feel inadequate, but as I am so competitive, it will give me more drive to be better).
Whew, well its all out there now, I just got it down as fast as I could think of it all, so its a lot and some are long term goals and some are short term, i.e. "can do today" goals.
Next step, organising these goals into long and short term and getting the long term ones into manageable chunks.
I feel better that its all out now, and hopefully one day you will here of Lisa "David Bailey" Luyten, but as I progress I will update on here...so add a new goal and that will be to update on here how the former "Tourist on the Weekend" is progressing into becoming "Photographer on the Weekend!"
Dinner at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant, near Shoreditch and Old Street in London. Very Italian very unusal, but extremly tasty. No we didn't see Jamie. 
The last photo of us at our flat in Tufnell Park, just minutes from leaving, our mini cab is in the drive behind us. We now live in Bush Hill Park, quite North but still in London!
Congratulations to our friends Alex and Dan on their engagement!!
What can I say for 2 days I lived with STUFF, lots of STUFF. We've already shipped 25 boxes home, so said STUFF, where it came from I don't know. Thank heavens most of this was given away as its not coming with us, to our new place, or home to Australia. Whew.
Mark and I had dinner with Julie and her new husband James at Le Bouchon Breton in Spitalfields Markets London. We have been friends for nearly 4 years and this was our last dinner together before we go home. Boo hoo.
Attached to me for today... Happy Australia Day everyone !!
These are the easiest buscuits ever to make, even without the correct measuring tools I still managed to make them tasty. They are called ANZAC buscuits because they Australian wives, mothers and sister used to make them and ship them over to the ANZAC soldiers in Gallipoli and on the Western front during the WWI. Of course you knew that ... !
"I know a Girl", who is "A Little Bit of Good" and a little bit of "Class" and she has a "Funny Honey" who she said is "All I care about". She could do a "Tap Dance" and the "Cell Block Tango", but she cried ok "I'll be good to Mama", but "I can't do it alone", it will be better if its"Me and My Baby"! It was so "Razzle Dazzle" and "All that Jazz"!
But, we move out next week and our cupboard is a little full...sort of. However, despite that this photo will remind me of the yummy food...hummm the Dorset porridge...Bistro gravey...um no it will just remind me that I should have eaten this long ago!
Is the sign for the exhibition at the British Museum for Moctezuma, which Mark and I visited tonight after work. This was to explore the history and highlights of the great Mexican ruler, his life and times in the 15th century and how it all came to crumble with the Spanish arriving in search of the New World.
