This is

hpx

! I chose this photo because I love the lighting, her cat is actually snuggling up to her (note big black object!)

I photographed hpx as part of a Fine Arts Photographic portraiture documentary project, mine is about people who have been effected by the earthquake. It was so awesome meeting another blipper, and especially being able to photograph them. I wanted to photograph hpx as we've both had kind of the same reaction from the earthquake - not a lot of sleep, anxiety, all that kind of thing. It was good to be able to talk and share our experiences, which has been one of the main focusses of my project - to share stories & help people within our community to cope even if it is just a teeny tiny bit better after some kindred spirit.

I'm writing an essay on Ryoanji gardens in comparison to the Versailles gardens.... It's much more boring than you'd think...

PS: yesterday i deleted Facebook, took off comments and ratings and views on blipfoto and flickr... I've been getting to know myself a bit this year and have decided I can't have my selfworth coming from the internet (e.g. people making comments on my photos, etc) or on how good/bad I look in a photo someone uploaded onto Facebook.

On another slightly hypocritical note, here is my first short film if you want to check it out. And funnily enough, it's based on acceptance, however a slightly different type to what I was talking about regarding Facebook etc. I hope you enjoy it, ignore the audio transition - it never worked on the computer before I finished it and forgot to go back and fade it out!