Finally...

...found a clear plastic ultra-domey umbrella with a black handle/edging! Thankyou David Jones, take my $30 immediately and gimme!
I had my last day at The SMART Group today, and I'm not starting the new job untill Monday so I plan to take photos of pretty things tomorrow, and you're sure to see them. Also, I found something awesome to do on Saturday- The Fashion Forward Festival. For deets, go here: http://www.fashionforwardfestival.com.au/

Also, you can volunteer to help out, and one of the "categories" is photography. I'll be there with my camera anyway so I applied. it's a bit last minute so I might not hear back but we'll see. Could get me noticed :)
That's all for now

One of them devoured the other, then died of loneliness...

Funniest. Thing. Ever.



Also, new photos up on my photography site- http://melaniebrownphotography.blogspot.com
That's it for now, time for me to go wash red dye out of my hair :)

Been a long lonely lonely lonely time

J.

Ok. So I'll admit, it's been a while. What with the limited amount of time I actually spend at home and the general state of tiredness/apathy I tend to be in when I AM home, I haven't been in touch. I'm sorry blogger, I've neglected you.

Well, works going well. Preparing myself for the best pay ever next friday! Because of work I haven't had all that much time for photography lately. But I do have some to share with you!
Backdated photos from the Hunter Valley trip as well as some I got on Sunday night at a last minute RS gig.

Just call me commercial.

Steph.

The Golden One...

A first appearance on ff. for Kent

Going to the annual fashion photography exhibition at the MLC centre on Saturday, as I actually have the day off work! Pretty excited. Hoping to get some good inspiration, especially as I've got another Ramshackle portrait shoot coming up and hopefully a paid one for another band. Also, one of the bands playing at the Landsdowne where RS were on Sunday night want to book me for their next gig in the area. So hoping to hear from them soonish.

I need to make business cards but I've been procrastinating since the link to my facebook page isn't a very practical one. Anyway, I've decided to make a second blogger, just for my photography. It will have the links to here and my fb, as well as the obvious things like contact info.

Been having some really interesting ideas for artistically ironic photoshoots lately. I really want to achieve a photoshoot with a story to it, to set myself and the boys apart from most amateurs. I'm aiming to get that one perfect photo that makes you go "Yup. That's the rolling Stone cover!" Gunna "pitch" them to james and see what he thinks. Also trying to get a few more started, put the extras in the bank etc.

Anyway, Ill keep you posted and try not to be away for so long this time. Peace out!
-Mell

The Eagle has landed!

Only to take off again.
To Noosa
for a week and a half.

While at Nimbin the big boss decided to extend our road trip to include 2 weeks in Noosa. Which of course meant I had to get the train home, and will be flying up again on Wednesday. Oh hassle hassle, money money.

Nimbin was most excellent. I think I would like to retire there. And I made heaps of sales up there! I have decided though that there must be less girls around my age in the country because the boys up there take a lot more notice. I even got asked out by the mate of someone I signed up! What a hoot! (something I have never said, and hope to never repeat)

Of course, with all the working and severe lack of days off, I have spent a wee bit more money than I should have over the last two days. Yesterday I bought a shirt (it was $10 down from 40, and a lovely on-trend peachy colour, all loose and flowy and lacey neck line. So therefore a worthy purchase) and then today I bought a pair of brogues, a pair of studded ballet flats, an ultra tight super-babe navy and white striped t-shirt dress, and an awesome blazer-type-thing made from this sort of thickish warmish material (for a blazer-type-thing I mean) and with awesome shoulder pads and folds. Yes, both!

Unfortunately as Derek is at Mother's and not very good for self portraits anyway, I cannot supply you with photos as of yet. And nor have I uploaded photos from the Hunter yet! But I need to go to Mum's to pick up my medicare card anyway so I may as well grab Derek while I'm there. If i remember...

Ok so in lieu of the recent transition of seasons, here's a list of things I'm loving for Autumn:

-making use of transeasonal irony. i.e. shorts teamed with trenches and hats, cropped jumpers worn as shirts and the like.
-tan. This obsession started a while ago and I've just started really getting into teaming tan with black. I don't know what it is, but I love it!
-ankle boots. My year long search for the perfect pair will hopefully soon end, now that they're in store again.
-Brogues- and I finally got some! they're gunmetal grey :)
-On that note, Grey! All shades with all shades and all that
-Wearing all black and peppering it with coloured accessories (or tan, as mention above)
-Coloured winter coats! A love that began last year and will surely survive a few more.
-Tough, biker-esque boots. especially when worn with flowy girly items or super tight tights.
-Navy.
-Stripes
-High sandals with socks!
-Wacky socks in general. They cheer me up at work, all i have to do is lift my jeans a bit and bam!
-Patterned tights. Not so much coloured ones, they remind me too much of my "I'm not emo I'm alternative" phase so it might take a while for me to embrace them again, but ones that use varying deniers to create patterns.
-Clear, plastic umbrellas. The really big, domed ones
-Gumboots. With aforementioned wacky socks.
-Hats. I desperately want one of those 40s style hats that women wore. The felty ones? (Oh I'm good with words today...) And also beanie-beret cross breads. They're all over gossip girl so clearly that trend has more than survived the year.
-Flats. Simply because it's nice now to not have my options limited to thongs, old, decrepit cons or heels. I can go out to dinner/shopping and not fell like I'm wearing inappropriate footwear! And no longer will I have to look in the mirror and refuse to allow my gaze to slide as low as my feet, where the whole outfit comes undone quite often. It's been torture teaming jeans and fashion tops (specifically the kind that aren't super casual) with thongs I tell you. Oh the shame!

Ok, that is a long enough list I feel.
Sorry about the lack of images, I haven't any of my own handy and it takes far too much effort to search for some! I haven't had time for anything to inspire me lately anyway.

Hopefully should post again tomorrow with some :)
-Mell

Passing by

Long time no post. Aplogies.

But I'm barely home with my new job and when I am I generally cbf blogging.
Also I'm just back from a 3 night trip to the Hunter Valley. It was amazing, although I learnt there IS such a thing as too much wine tasting, and it goes something like this: white, white, white, white, rose, red, red, red, sticky, sticky; new vineyard- sparkling, white, white, white, white, rose, red, red, red, red, sticky, sticky, sticky; lunch; new vineyard- white, white, white, sticky, sticky; new vineyard- white, white, white, white, rose, sticky; cheese factory- cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, gelato; home- where all retire to bed at 5pm to lazily read, mother falling asleep upright with open magazine in hands.
No. More! We said... Until tomorrow. Actually it was untill dinner, when we shared a bottle of verdelho (pronounced: ver-day-o. Im a connosieur now!)

And off to Nimbin for two weeks tomorrow, for work. V. v. excited. Will even get to laze aout on the beach on Sunday! And no doubt get drunk most nights... Thankfully I am back on the 13th, which is the day before mine and J's 2nd anniversary :) unfortunately that means I have to leave it up to him to organise the activities, which probably means we'll do nothing like last year lol.

Anyway, that's pretty much it, all that's left is a hugely belated but entirely neccessary acknowledgement to the tragic death of genius Alexander McQueen.
With all that beauty buzzing through his head it's not surprising he was unstable. I'll always remember him as one of the first designers I noticed, and the fashion world is, and will continue to, miss him dearly. May he find the peace he lacked in life.

-Mell xxx

P.S. I'll probably be AWOL during my stay in Nimbin, but since my workmates are all backpackers and have to take all of their belongings with them, I may be able to borrow a laptop and check in. Also I got some uncharacterisitic nature photos in the Hunter so I'll get them up soonish.

Gorgeous GaGa

Just want to say I think Lady GaGa looked absolutely STUNNING on the Grammys red carpet. Thankyou Giorgio Armani!

Although I must say- give the girl a sandwich! She was so sexy and now she's wasting (or should I say waisting?) away.

Basking in doing nothing today, since there won't be much of that once my new job starts. But I will be able to go crazy buying clothes in Europe so it'll be worth it. But the New York plan is on hold for a year. It's just not looking possible right now. Thailand or New Caledonia or something may be a possible replacement for a nice beachy chill holiday.

Also, I bought this really cute necklace from GPco yesterday after my interview. I can't find a photo online but I'll put one up when I wear it. Also, I've decided i want to invest in some Cheap Monday jeans. I mean, they're like $90 and they have this really nice indigo colour that I've been looking for. I'll wait till it cools down a bit though so I can justify the spending.

I'm itching to go out and wear my new shirt so much! Grr...

-Mell xx

New

Marlow/Corpus photos from the 29th at the Bull and Bush.

And a new job. Which I am both excited about and dreading.

And new hair. Which is good all round

Firstly, the job. I am about to become a door-door sales "guru" for Integral Energy. The job actually sounds like it could be fun and I don't start till 12pm which means I can sleep in. But, unfortunately, I don't finish till like 7:30-8pm which makes going out very difficult unless I take my oh-so-chic work satchel with me. Therefore- I have no reason to sleep in! Also, it's 6 days a week. But I'm hoping I can negotiate it down to 5 or even 4, because i'll be getting payed entirely commission and bonuses so it'll only be a negative to myself.

And that brings me to the bit that makes it all (hopefully...) worht it: The pay. Or should I say THE Pay!!!

$25 per sale, and set bonuses for certain ammounts of sales in a week. $150 bonus for 15 sales, $250 bonus for 25 sales and so on. So basically, If I make 15 sales in a week (2.5 per day average) I get $525. And if I make 25 sales, (4 on average) I get $875. Now, $875 sure makes 40 hours of work worth it. I will have no life, so almost all of that money will go to Europe funds and clothing that I'll never have time to wear.

So, because I took photos of my interview outfit before I left the house, here it is: (+see my new hair)

Shirt; $19.95, Belt; $12.95 and Necklace; $6.95, all from Temt

Skirt; $32.95, from Forcast

Shoes; $115 from Betts

They're half a size too big so I glued elastic on, to keep them strapped to my feet. Unfortunately, I was a little too frantic with putting my shoes on outside the office before my interview today and one snapped. So I had to rip them off and put up with my shoes almost falling off.

Close-up of my belt- Ain't it pretty?

Close up of necklace plus shirt ruffles.

Me and my new "do"

(Posey McPosePose)

Half of my face, and my lippity lip piercing.

And now, for the Bull and Bush pic-a-tures.

Corpus. I like it because the crowds in focus, not the band.

Travis (J's Brother)

Blake. I love this one. The sillhouette effect.

Hey Jim Morrisson, didn't you die?

For the rest of this shoot, and my other photos, go to my spizz:

myspace.com/mbphotos

So, that's it. If you don't hear from me much after next week, it's because i'm too busy making commission...

-Mell