International woman of mystery

Meet the 46 year old self-confessed international woman of mystery!

Abi was born in Devon, England, developed a love for France, spent much time there and became a French teacher in 1998. In 2000, however, she moved to New Zealand for a year…  Fourteen years later, Abi left New Zealand for Australia to become a wife and step-mum. Already with dual citizenship, she is beginning the process of making it a hat-trick - British, NZ and now Australian citizenship is on the cards.

It was in New Zealand that Abi became blipper, Barking.

We’ve enjoyed finding out more about one of our longest continuous blippers.  We hope you do too - and don’t miss the short video of Abi’s Top 10 at the end.

ABI’S PASSIONS: photography, animals, nature, reading, walking and music. 

I sing, I write and I generally enjoy just ‘being’. My husband and step-daughter are my inspiration to become a better human, and my animals ground me and bring me lots of peace and contentment. 

I am increasingly becoming interested in the amazing flora and fauna this complex country has on offer, on the indigenous people and what we should really be learning from them and their knowledge of Australia.

EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY: Interests, focus and family bonds

My dad had a film camera when I was younger. I liked photographing animals and bugs mostly (not much has changed!) I liked the fact that photography quietened my mind and helped me focus on what I was doing. I didn’t realise at the time that it was something I was good at, just that I liked the feeling it gave me and the joy of getting a ‘good shot’. It also had the added bonus of allowing me to spend time with my dad, just being together, quiet and focused. I liked that a lot.

100 days, 200 days… 13 years! How did blipping begin?

I discovered Blipfoto through my partner at the time - he knew blipper, Bri.  Our beautiful Vizsla, Cousteau, was inspiring me to start taking photos again with my point and shoot, and so I thought I’d document the life and development of our lovely boy. 

It was also a great way to keep in touch with my family and to let them know what was happening with us. They live in the UK, so sometimes it’s difficult to keep up. I started thinking I’d blip for maybe 100 days, then 200, and I’m still here, almost 13 years later.

What do you enjoy about the concept of Blipfoto?

That’s changed as I’ve changed. At first, it was the positive attitude – be excellent to each other – and the fact that there were some inspiring and experienced photographers who were happy to dole out advice and constructive criticism when asked. I felt that their knowledge really helped me to develop my style, and my technique. 

Later, it became a habit. It seemed that there was something missing if I didn’t get around to posting my blip – although I made sure I took a photo each day. 

Later again, it was a connection to people all over the world. I have met a number of blippers over the years, and been privileged to be a small part of their lives. New babies, marriages, sadness, joy, change. It is always such a humbling experience to be a part of that, no matter how minor my role is, to be let in, to allow myself to be vulnerable in times of sadness and to share my joys with others. 

I don’t know how to explain it really, after 12.5 years, it’s an integral part of who I am and what I do. I’d really miss it if I gave it up. I don’t comment anywhere near as much as I used to, but I like to flick through from time to time, particularly looking at the people I’ve come to ‘know’ over the years.

Do you have a photographic style?

My photography has always been influenced by how I see things. Technically, I’m not the strongest photographer, but I’m intuitive and like to follow my intuition when taking a shot. I like softness and texture. I’m pretty much always viewing the world through a metaphorical camera lens, wondering what sort of a photo I could make of it.

On poetry, writing and photography:

I haven’t done much writing of late. Life has a habit of getting in the way and my creativity gets stifled by work and home duties. I often jot down a few lines with the intention of growing them into something later on, but all too often they just stay that way. My stepdaughter is my inspiration at the moment – helping her to become the person she is destined to be. I write poems for her fairly regularly, especially when she is going through something tough. In fact, it’s tough times or beautiful things which inspire my writing most, I think. My photography does inspire me to write at times. If something is so beautiful that it takes my breath away, then I am often moved to write something. On other occasions, it’s the other way around, with my words inspiring my photography.

How has daily blipping impacted on your life generally?

It’s a habit, a way of life now. My family are constantly spotting things for me. I get yells from the garden, where they’ve spotted a bug for me to photograph, they pose for me and help me to get the animals to pose. They encourage me and help me to choose which photos to post. I like the fact that this has made me let go a little and stop being such a control freak. If my stepdaughter or husband like a shot that isn’t my favourite, it’s quite liberating to let go of my hold on the photos and to post that one.

What’s the biggest challenge with daily blipping?

The winter! I leave home in the dark and get home in the dark. Then there’s dinner to cook, Abe to walk and my stepdaughter to help with her homework. Add that to wanting to connect with friends and family and finding enough light to take a photo I am happy with - winter can be quite a challenge! I have a blip stash though (feathers, interesting shells, etc.) for days like that!

What motivates you to keep blipping?

Habit! I think it would be like not putting my seatbelt on when I’m driving, or my helmet when I’m on my bike if I didn’t blip each day. I’ve thought about missing a day from time to time, but then I give in at the last moment and post anyway!

And Abi’s final note for new and potential Blipfoto members

Remember your ‘why’. 

I believe strongly that we start everything for a reason. I know that the going gets tough sometimes, but coming back to your why helps you to keep on track. 

Make the most of the community and what it has to offer. Prioritise your own well-being and if posting every day compromises that, then take a break. However, consider the fact that posting every day and developing a healthy habit of taking, selecting and posting one shot a day could actually be good for your well-being. I know it’s helped me through many difficult times. For example, when Cousteau died two years ago, I thought I’d give up blipping for sure. The outpouring of grief, love and support from my blip friends made me realise that life hadn’t ended, it was just going to be different. Two days after he died, Kelso’s Three Amigos came for a visit and they helped me to face the things I had to do as a parent, as a teacher and as a person. It’s fitting, I guess, that something which was supposed to help me document the life of my much loved Cousteau, actually helped me to deal with losing him.

There was nothing like Blipfoto twelve years ago. Nowadays, there are heaps of other sites that allow you to share a photo a day, but they just don’t have the sense of community that Blip has. I like that sense of community, the sense of accountability, and the fact that we are all required to be nice or not to say anything at all. If only life was more like that!

Abi’s Top 10
Abi has shared her favourite ten Barking Blips with us - enjoy them here in this three-minute video.


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Photo: Abe by Abi.