April on Instagram

It’s funny. I’ve been meaning to post a roundup of each month here for the longest time, and never quite got around to it. Now that I am finally doing it, it is a look back on a month which, whilst it was filled with great work and travel, was also filled with a huge amount of pain and sorrow. So it’s a little hard to look back
on April.

But here we are, it’s May, Spring is here (though the rain outside my window right now tells me Summer is going to be held hostage for a while longer!), and there are many things to look forward to. So here is April as it played out in my life and on Instagram – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

(Left to right, top to bottom)

I travelled to Sussex with Mazda magazine to shoot a story on a fantastic watchmaker. We scrambled the cliffs, shot a beautiful sunset, and marvelled at the lighthouses dotted along the coast – I can’t wait for this one to be published so I can share it with you!

I also travelled to Switzerland and spent a very busy 24 hours shooting for another magazine, on another watchmaker! The universe must be telling me something about time, and learning how to appreciate it…

I grabbed a beer and some laughs with the lovely Ed (and Chris) in a pub in Soho, and wandered the streets shooting quickly before I had to run off to a meeting. Any chance to see friends and smile is one that should be taken.

I feel as though this month I finally learned to ask my friends for help. I’m never the kind who asks for assistance, I prefer to just deal with things myself and not bother people too much. But some dear friends came to my rescue many times this past month, and I have finally learned the value of being vulnerable, and allowing the people you love to look after you for a bit.

Speaking of friends and rescue, another very dear friend whisked me off to Brighton to be near the ocean and help heal this broken heart. We walked, we talked, we drank, and we wandered around in the fog.

I discovered the colourful huts in Seaford (during one of the watch shoots) and immediately started wondering what it would be like to just give it all up, install some wifi, and go and live in one of these colourful little wonders…

I was reminded of the people I have in this world who are full of love and light and warmth and laughter. I was watched over by a very special seagull, and even though I was a million miles from home, I shut my eyes, and was transported.

I finally made it to Battersea Park (after 8 years of living in London – oh the shame!) and we were treated to the best display of blooming cherry blossoms  I have ever seen. We rode a fairground ride until we were (almost) sick, and then went and had a drink in a beautiful local pub.

I continued to try and coax the friendly neighbourhood lion to give it all up and move in with me – to no avail. Melissa (pictured) didn’t have much luck either.

I spent many days and nights at Leila’s. Watching movies, eating chinese, and cuddling with Beta. All a great balm for the soul.

My two neighbourhood guides to Paris (here and here!) were published on Passion Passport – a project which I absolutely loved, and which allowed me to both shoot and write – something I hope to do much, much more of in the future!

I started playing with Layout (a new app from Instagram) and whiled away the late night insomnia by creating some pretty fun images from recent photos – like this one of the Louvre 🙂

So there you have it. April. A month I would rather not remember, but despite it all, there were some bright spots in there. If you’d like to see more of what I do and post, feel free to head on over and follow me on Instagram! (username @hellopoe)