Tag: photography

Lookbooks, Life & Some Double Denim

I’m looking back over January with fondness; that’s not something I usually say about the first month of the year but it seems I surpassed the dreaded January blues and actually had a pretty good month, despite the bad weather and having had a cold…It’s what I’d call a ‘getting things done’ month. I got lots of little things ticked off (as I’d mentioned in my last post), I set a few things in motion which I’d been wanting to do for a while, and made a few fun plans, which I’m looking forward to over the coming year.

I think taking a slower approach has been the best decision I’ve made for the start of this year. The irony is that work has been even busier, but what’s changed is my approach to it all and I’m managing everything a lot better. I’m enjoying working on less but bigger projects which I can really channel my focus into and not feel so overwhelmed by lots of little things all building up. I’ve started as I wish to go on, so hopefully this is habit forming for the rest of the year with how I manage my time and work.

As we veeerryy slowly creep towards Spring (I say this as I can still see the remnants of snow outside my window), I’m really looking forward to lighter evenings and warmer days – but aren’t we all! We may have a while to wait yet but that doesn’t stop me from musing over Spring outfits on Pinterest and curating ideas in my head for the milder months.

I was recently offered a gifting from cult Australian brand Oneteaspoon and so after browsing through the website I decided to pick out a few pieces that I felt would be good all-year round staples. I hadn’t planned on putting a look together for my blog as such; however the other day as I was trying on and styling the jeans and jacket that I had picked out, I decided to take a quick snap in it for Instagram, which then swiftly turned into an impromptu photoshoot. As I’ve been getting back into shooting self portraits this year, I’ve really been enjoying shooting more lookbook style shots again, which fit together perfectly as little series of images. This is something that’s not so easy to share on Instagram, and often I find myself torn as to which one image I will share there. This is why I will always love my blog, as it allows me curate a selection of images and tell a story – or in this case, show an outfit.

Outfit posts on blogs have died out a bit over the past few years, and it’s no surprise why, as Instagram makes everything so quick and accessible, why even need to visit a blog. But for me, it’s still a process I enjoy and a part of me slowing down in life, is also slowing down somewhat online too. I don’t want everything I put out to be so fast pace and disposable. I don’t live or shop that way, so why share that way? So I’ve been enjoying styling and shooting more outfits again recently and I have lots more that I’m looking forward to sharing over the coming days and weeks. Here’s to a happy and chilled February, have a good one!

Samio x

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February 1, 2019
TMI – Too Much Inspo

If there’s one thing I struggle with more than a lack of inspiration, it’s ironically, too much inspiration. It sounds silly but since returning from my trips to Spain and then America, my mind has been a buzz with ideas. So much so that it’s been hard to know where to start. I’ve been back home for exactly two weeks now, yet I only just feel like I’m getting back to normality (whatever that is).

I guess for me, my normality is having a daily routine of creating content, working to my schedules/deadlines, and replying to emails from brands etc. I’m usually quite good at keeping self motivated. Since working on my self portrait project since late last year, that has been something that has kept me thinking up new ideas and pushed myself to try and capture something creative almost everyday.

Recently however, I appear to have hit a stumbling block. It’s that old chestnut of feeling like everything you’re taking in is starting to look the same and in turn you feel like your own work is following suit.

One of the reasons I started my self portrait project was in order to improve my photography and editing skills and push myself to be more creative when I don’t have Damien at my disposal to help me get the shots…I’ve never really stuck to one set photography style, or way of editing, as for me it’s all been about learning and developing new skills. More recently however I’ve felt myself falling into a trap of feeling like I need to do things a certain way as a blogger and I know it’s an idea I need to quickly get out of my head.

I sometimes wish I could have a social media detox (as they call it) and start again. It’s so hard to escape the echo chambers that we’ve created for ourselves. We are often being fed the same type of images/information that we have once expressed we have interest in and so now the algorithms love to show us even more of the same type of stuff. This happens so much so, that you can have a skewed idea of what’s popular, or how things are ‘meant’ to be. If you’re being inspired by lots of the same type of inspiration, then how are you ever going to really create something that’s uniquely you.

These are some thoughts that I have been toying with and aside from doing a Kanye on the gram (and unfollowing everyone), I’m not sure what we can really do about it. But then I guess even Kanye ended up in his own echo chamber of just himself. So there we go…it’s a little food for thought I guess.

Samio x

Espadrilles – Castañer | Jeans – Find | Vest – Meraki

Images shot by Damien, directed and edited by me.

July 19, 2018
Creatives on Social Media – Consistency and Creativity is Key

This is a note to my fellow creatives to say, keep at it! And by creatives I mean anyone who works in a creative industry either working online, or using the internet as a platform to showcase their work. It’s a powerful tool and one which (if you’re reading this) we all have at our disposal, so why not use it to your advantage.

Making a Change

At the start of this year I set the intention to focus on my blogging content/creative work (whatever you wish to call it) and keep working on my creative craft consistently. I’ve mentioned before how consistency isn’t always my strong point and how in the past I’ve let the idea of things ‘not being perfect’ get in the way of me putting out certain content, or had me working on it for much longer than needed. If you’re a creative person (and like me), you’ll likely be able to relate.

When something is subjective, like with creative work, it’s hard to put a definitive end point on it (unless you’re working to a client’s deadline). There is always room for tweaks and improvements but the problem is, it’s sometimes hard to know when to stop and when to move on (or when to just share something online and realise, it’s not that deep). This year however, I set myself some daily goals and like mini deadlines on what creative work I want to put out, I’ve been sticking to them and in return I’ve seen results.

Instagram

My thoughts on Instagram have changed a lot in the past year. As a blogger I always thought I needed to pick my niche (on Instagram in particular) and stick to it. For me it’s gone from a place where I just shared my daily outfits, to basically a mini portfolio of a selection of my creative work. I don’t aim for a curated feed as such but instead focus on each individual post, with the aim of putting out one image, or video each day that showcases my creativity/photography/style, or if I’m really on it, then a mix of all three. This has been one of the best personal decisions I’ve made and as a result I’ve been able to showcase more of my work (such as video content and creative concepts) to brands and PR’s who may have not previously ventured to my blog or Youtube where I share more of that stuff.

The same applies if you’re anything from a print designer to a makeup artist. Instagram has over 800 million users (I’ve literally just Goggled that), whether you’re trying to reach the masses to buy your work online, or trying to reach potential employers, just by utilising the right hashtags and tagging the correct pages you can be reaching out to exactly who you need to, and it’s free! And a little something I like to remind others as well as myself is, ‘if you don’t share it, they can’t see it’. Think about it.

It’s Not About The Numbers

Whilst overall engagement has gone down on the likes of Instagram and Youtube (damn you algorithms), it’s important to remember, you’re not alone and brands and fellow creatives alike are suffering from the effects of this just as much as you are, so basically, we’re all in the same boat. With that in mind, you shouldn’t worry about things too much because it’s not like you’re the only one, believe me, I’ve felt it too.

For me personally, whilst the numbers may not be the highest, my creativity and quality of work has massively improved, so in turn that’s what has had the main affect on the work I’ve been getting. So far this year I’ve already worked with some of my favourite brands and on some of my favourite projects and content to date. So don’t get disheartened if your follower count feels like it’s going up by 20 and down by 30. Focus on your content, what you genuinely want to share and on being consistent with it.

Don’t Worry About What Dora Is Doing

Dora isn’t real, Dora is a fictional character made up as an example for what I am about to say…which is (drumroll please…), it’s better to be the best version of you, than a second rate version of someone else *who doesn’t love a good cliche quote ey*. The quicker you realise this, the better and freer you’ll feel (there’s nothing more constraining than trying to keep up with doing something the way someone else is doing it). Create your own path, do and share what makes you uniquely you, it’s your time to shine babahhhh!

So that’s it. If you’re a creative on social media, be it someone who uses the internet and social media as their job, or as a platform to showcase their work, remember if you don’t share it, they can’t see it! This is your free promotional tool, use it at your disposal. Consistency is key. Obviously don’t overdo it, but also don’t neglect it for a month and wonder why nobody knows how awesomely talented you are. So keep doing yo thang! Create, showcase, share. Annnnnd good luck! Ciao for now!

Samio x

All the images in this post were shot by me, you can see more of my self portrait series here.

Jeans – M&S | Top – Brandy Melville (old, similar here)

May 2, 2018
Improving My Craft & Shooting Myself

Back To Beginnings

In my earlier days of blogging I used to take quite a lot of my photos myself. Of course this was nothing new and I’m pretty sure you’d be hard pressed to find a fashion/beauty blogger who hasn’t (at least at one point), resorted to shooting themselves. The blogging life isn’t always as straight forward as it may appear and back in the days when I didn’t even have a tripod, I remember precariously balancing my camera on piles of shoe boxes and books, before hitting the self timer button, just to get the shot.

Obviously things have moved on a lot since then, for myself and for other bloggers alike. Photography equipment has improved, (I’ve since invested in a tripod, thankfully) and everyone seems to have massively upped their game.

These days many fashion, lifestyle and beauty blogs are just as much about the beautiful imagery as they are the written content/information. I myself enjoy both. As much as I love a good piece of written content, or an informative piece, I do love the impact certain imagery can make within a blog post too.

Earlier this year I made it an aim of mine to learn how to edit photos and become better acquainted with my camera settings. I’m going to be honest, I went years using SLRs, not really knowing what I was doing with them (oh hey there auto function).

Damien has always known how to use a camera and so adopted the role of my street style photographer (aka Instagram husband) early on and when I’m out with friends and decide to shoot my outfit, I’ll often just (now I know how), get the settings right, then pass them the camera and direct them where to shoot.

Whilst their help has been invaluable, especially as blogging has evolved into a job for me, I’ve recently been drawn to the idea of getting back into the habit of shooting myself again. I think this comes down to an amalgamation of things; One being the limited hours of daylight now it’s winter, leaving only the weekends available for Damien to take my shots, which hasn’t been happening much because we’re currently having the busiest weekends ever. Two, wanting to continuously improve on my editing skills but not having enough photos to edit. Three, being inspired by my super talented friend Onyi who takes self portraits of herself and her husband Craig, every single day (check out her daily photos here, they are seriously amazing). Four, as I mentioned in my previous post ‘Inspired by home’, I am continuously inspired by my home at the moment and I’m constantly seeing different areas that I think would be cool to shoot in.

This beautiful Free People dress arrived in the post on Saturday morning and whilst Damien was busy painting, I took the opportunity to do a quick shoot in our living room. For these shots I set the tripod up super high and angled the camera downwards to get a more aerial style shot. I really wanted to show the elegance of the dress and I think I managed to capture it quite well.

So right now I’m really finding enjoyment in taking self portraits and improving my photography skills. I’ve started using the hashtag #SamiosSelfPortraits on Instagram, so if you’re interested in seeing more of the photos I shot of myself, you can check them out all in one place there.

Samio x

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December 11, 2017
Trust the Timing of Your Life

Photography by STVP

This is just a little post to say that it’s okay do things slowly, to take your time or to even at times feel like you’re not moving anywhere at all. It’s natural, we all have these periods, some longer than others and these each can take place at different times in our lives entirely.

With the internet these days it’s easier than ever to promote yourself, start your own business, create your own content, reach out to your dream employer, or whatever it is you want to do in life in terms of the growth of your potential career and dreams. However with that, it also becomes increasingly accessible to see what other people are doing too.

You might live in a cosy little village in a secluded part of Scotland but with a few taps on your phone you’re able to see what Emma is doing on her travels around Bali, how Jason in London just bought a second flashy new car with his latest bonus, or how Julia in L.A has just got engaged to Mr Right and is celebrating the start of her new clothing label. Okay, those are really poor examples of fictional people but what I’m trying to say, is how we can easily see what’s going on with everyone else and use it as an example for how we should be doing in our own lives…But, everyone’s timings in life are different, as well as each of our journeys.

One person might have their dream job by 25 but might be unable to find work at 30, whereas someone else might get their dream job by 40 and stay in employment until their retirement. Life happens very differently to us all and there are so many different examples like this, relating to all aspects of life, be it with work, love, relationships or goals.

There are no time limits on achieving goals or getting where we want to be, only the ones that we create for ourselves. Just because you aren’t where you hoped or want to be right now doesn’t mean you won’t be in five, ten, or fifteen years, or you may even end up somewhere completely different than you’d ever imagined but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We change as we grow and so does life around us.

Everything happens differently for different people at different stages of their lives. It’s important to focus on your own passions, goals, interested, love life and relationships and don’t take anyone else’s successes, growth or current situation as an example of what you should be doing, or where you should be at that exact moment of your own life.

Life is always going to be a bit of a rollercoaster and will never be one smooth sailing ride towards the finish line. Because what really is the finish line anyway, and who knows where you’ll end up. Once one goal is achieved you’re only bound to make another one and who knows exactly what life has in store or where it will take you on your journey. Just remember that your timing is bound to be very different to someone else’s. So whatever your dreams or goals in life, just keep working on those things that make you happy. This is your unique journey and you’ll do things in your own time.

Samio x

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July 3, 2017
Writer’s Block of The Blogging Variety & Practicing Gratitude

Photography by Jess Petrie. Makeup by Chloe Gray

I’ve been feeling a little off recently. Not necessarily unhappy, just off. I haven’t quite been able to focus and any attempts at productivity have been distracted by a feeling of frustration that I’m not getting enough done/haven’t done enough and in turn have halted my productivity. See the silly, vicious cycle here.

Call it writers block of the blogging variety, or call it my brain thinking of too many things at once to the point where it can’t think of anything at all for longer than five minutes. I’ve ultimately got myself into a bit of a rut that seems to have halted my creativity and as a result, left me feeling unsatisfied.

I woke up this morning and as I opened my eyes, my first thought was one of gratitude. It filled me with contentment for a moment but then as that moment passed, a feeling of dread crept over me. A subtle reminder of all the things that I haven’t done and likely won’t be able to do today. You see, silly, vicious cycle. I wanted to go back to that carefree moment of contentment again.

Then it hit me. Gratitude.

As I lay there, I realised that one thing that I was usually very good at but that I hadn’t been lately, was practicing gratitude. It feels quite funny to see it as something that needs to be practiced, but the realisation is that if you don’t actively engage in it, you can easily forget to do it at all.

By focusing on the things that I’m grateful for, I felt a weight slowly lifting, a grey cloud above me dispersing and a ray of sunshine breaking through.

I could almost laugh. It’s surprising how something so simple could become so detrimental when forgotten.

I feel somewhat different. There’s a shift in my emotions and I can feel my ‘can do’ attitude slowly resurrecting.

The moral to this little story: Practicing gratitude everyday can make a huge difference to your emotions and attitude and in turn your productivity. It’s too easy to take your situation, or how far you’ve come, for granted. Now when I step back and think about it, I’m exactly where I need to be and have a lot to be thankful for and for that I am truly greateful. That thought alone makes my emotions feel resolved and my thoughts a lot clearer. It’s funny how something so simple can make all the difference.

Samio x

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April 12, 2017
Don’t Hate, Appreciate

Photography by Jess Petrie. Makeup by Chloe Gray

I’ve always been supportive of my girls, especially if you’re one of my besties, I’ll be like your ride or die cheerleader always…However there was a time when I didn’t always feel quite this way when it came to those outside of my circle.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been an actual hater, that’s never been in my nature and it certainly isn’t about the troll life! However, I must admit, in the past I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at times when I’d see certain females, usually those I didn’t actually know (seemingly) doing really well, when I felt like I wasn’t. I often could’t help but make comparisons, especially when in my own life I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be.

The difference between back then and now, isn’t that I’ve completely got all my shit together since becoming an adult (I think that’s pretty much a constant work in progress regardless of your situation), but it’s the fact that now my perspective has changed. I don’t see any other women who are doing well as competition, I see them as motivations, inspirations and just generally super cool bad asses most of the time.

As women we have to realise how far we have come as a whole and not just as individuals. There are so many opportunities available to so many of us now that probably once could have only been dreamed of. Another woman pushing the boundaries, succeeding, doing new and amazing things is only paving the way for more of us. It’s not about who did it first, it’s about someone doing it in the first place and actually making it possible!

The thing is, when you see a person’s success, you also have to appreciate the journey. It’s often all too easy to speculate and imagine a person’s success is purely down to luck. And whilst I do agree, timing and ‘luck’ can certainly play a part in ones growth, it also usually still takes a whole lot of hard work along with it.

When I see women putting their all into something that they are passionate about and in the process doing amazing things, I see it as something to be celebrated. I love seeing a person’s journey and their growth and even then we often don’t see the full extent of what goes on behind the scenes. So now when I see my fellow females (or super cool bad asses, if you like) doing awesome things, I appreciate the journey, the hard work and the dedication. It makes me feel proud to be a woman and nothing inspires me more.

Samio x

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March 7, 2017
You Are What You Do, Not What You Say You’ll Do

Photography by Jess Petrie. Makeup by Chloe Gray

Making dreams a reality

We’ve all had hopes, dreams and thoughts of becoming something in particular at certain points in our life. Many of us still do and some of us actually have become those things that we’ve always dreamed of.

The thing that is important to remember when it comes to actually placing ourselves in these particular roles that we wish for ourselves in life, is that strong desire alone isn’t purely enough to get us there. We also need to act upon these desires in order to get us to where we want to be. I’m sure this all sounds pretty obvious but so many times I’ve seen people mix up intention with action, myself included (and on many occasions).

In the past I’d often sit and daydream about where I wanted to be, I’d even chat to friends about it, without actually making any progress in the process. To want something isn’t enough, you actually have to become it.

Some things are easier said than done, of course, but I’ll use myself as an example with one of the things that I decided to ‘do’. I used to say that I’d like to do modelling but by saying it, it didn’t really get me anywhere until I actually started doing it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just get with an agency and start getting booked on jobs right away. Initially I started shooting with photography students who were building their portfolio, then established photographers and then eventually I got with my first agency and starting making a living from it. Regardless of which step of the process I was on, I was modelling from the beginning step and even though I didn’t label myself a model until I started actually working as one, there’s no denying that it was doing it from the off set that helped me to become it.

I’m well aware that this makes it all sound so easy, when you and I both know that it’s not. When it comes to pursuing something that we want in life, at the start it can often feel like there’s such a very long road ahead. I’m not going to deny it, there often is, but, if we never start on that road, we’ll never even begin to get there.

I know that life can get in the way. We have bills to pay, current roles to fulfil and other people in our lives to take care of, but we also need to give a little bit of that time to ourselves; To study, to write, to practice an art, to blog, or to work on whatever it is that we want to do.

You can talk about what you’ll do until you believe it will happen and others start to as well, and that’s fine, there’s nothing like self-assurance and moral support to help get us to where we want to be. But just remember, at the end of it all, you are what you do, not what you say you’ll do…So what are you waiting for?

Good luck!

Samio x

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February 13, 2017
Practice, Perseverance and Pursuing Your Art

Inspiration can come in many forms; It can come in words we hear or read, music we listen to, imagery we see or even people we meet. I feel lucky to have friends who regularly inspire new thoughts and ideas in me but I also love meeting new people who I can share different creative ideas with and feel newly inspired by.

Onyi is someone I met recently at a blogger event and after hearing about her photography, I was instantly inspired by her passion to work hard at improving her skill in something she loves. We instantly got on and on Sunday after meeting for the third time, Onyi took some snaps of me in what I was wearing and effortlessly captured the vibe of how I was feeling that day; Relaxed and happy.

We chatted a lot about our creative goals on Sunday and one thing I think that we both agreed on is that whichever creative outlet you decide to pursue, it takes time, effort, patience and persistence in order to improve at it and get to where you want to be… I think Onyi’s work (just check out her Instagram, her self portraits are amazing!) is a great example of how time spent working on something your passionate about can pay off.

All too often we can envision the end result of where we want to be but forget about the hard work and practice it takes in between, in order to get there. If you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall or a creative slump, keep going. Create anything until you start create something. Often we are our own worst critics and if you don’t continue to try and work at it, you’ll never know what could come of your hard work and effort…and remember what they say, “practice makes perfect”.

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Check out Onyi’s blog here and Youtube here.

Samio x

July 27, 2016
Inexpensive Intimates

I love pretty underwear but I often find myself drooling over gorgeous sets that are way out of my price range. It is nice to occasionally buy yourself something a little more pricer, however when trying to regularly budget for pretty lingerie sets, it doesn’t have to break the bank and inexpensive doesn’t have to mean ‘cheap’.

Okay, so I appreciate that for some women with a bigger bust, it can often mean that forking out a little extra cash for appropriately sized bras is essential. However I am noticing more high street stores are starting to accommodate for a wider range of bust sizes, which means that we can all still have a fabulous underwear collection on a budget.

I recently did some inexpensive lingerie shopping of my own and although I only picked up a few pieces, I absolutely love my purchases…

Whilst in Forever 21 I bought this little lacy number. I wasn’t looking for underwear but this pretty bralet caught my eye and it was only £6.50, so I knew I had to get it! It actually looks so cute on and it makes a change from wearing an under-wired bra. Obviously this isn’t going to be the right bra for everyday but you can get away with wearing it under a loose fit tee and it’s one of those cutesy ones that you can wear around the house.

I also picked up some pieces in Primark. I’m sure with many people, lingerie isn’t the first thing that pops into mind when they think of Primark but they actually have quite a large selection (including larger bra sizes) and for me it’s a place I’ve regularly gone back to in order to pick up some cute affordable sets.

I am so in love with my two most recent sets that I picked up in store. This monochrome lacy set has the most gorgeous detailing and the pale pink set is so pretty and feminine, plus each set cost under £10, which is awesome!

I recently took these along to a test shoot that I had with one of my favourite photographers, Jamie Cowlishaw. He really knows how to shoot a woman’s body and he’s my go to photographer when I need new lingerie shots in for my portfolio.

Have you purchased any cute sets/lingerie from Forever 21 or Primark? Where do you like to shop for intimates?

Samio x

The images of me wearing the lingerie were shot by the talented Jamie Cowlishaw. For bookings email – info@jamiecowlishaw.co.uk

July 24, 2015