Seaside Cottages and Fisherman Bars.

Hi everyone,
Today I'm back with a continuation to previous post about artists, including local murals, graffiti and design, and at the moment I'm focusing on places in my local village that I'm currently interested in, I've previously talked about how I have been particularly fascinated with the seaside theme, so I decided to capture a few popular spots in Broughty Ferry. The main photos below this little paragraph are what I am specifically talking about, the classic Ship Inn bar alongside the Barometer cottage, and the last shot of The Fisherman's Tavern, both much loved little venues that are very well associated with Broughty Ferry. I'm especially attracted to the appearance of these two venues, the colours of the Fisherman's Tavern and the typical seaside look of the Ship Inn with the Barometer cottage are perfect fitting with Broughty Ferry's seaside aesthetics.

Of course, I've included another angle of the glorious Broughty Ferry Castle and beach which I photographed a couple of blog posts ago, it's such a lovely place and sometimes it's just nice to take some different angles of a location. After all you never know what treasures you may find along the way, no pun intended with the seaside theme or anything...you get what I mean! Also, I thought I'd mention if any of you follow me on Instagram you'll notice that I've been posting little sneak peaks of what photos I'm currently working on, so there's definitely more blog posts coming soon with my latest adventures, but make sure to check out/follow my Instagram page at, http://www.instagram.com/nicolasharkeyphoto for more consistent updates!
Nicola. x

The Artist.

Hey everyone,
Lately my never-ending fascination with architecture has taken a turn and I'm currently fascinated by local murals, graffiti and design, so here's a couple of my most recent shots that I've photographed around my hometown. I've always had a particular liking for this mural that you are currently looking at above, every time I venture around this area in Dundee I wish I'd brought my camera with me to snap a quick shot, so I decided to finally make it happen since I've had a little bit of spare time, and thank goodness it was fairly good weather for the occasion!
The mural itself was painted in 1982 and shows many views and historic references about Dundee including the Tay Bridge, Dundee docks and Tay whale. I believe there were talks about it being restored which I kind of hope happens as it would look even more beautiful with a bit of a repaint!
I'm going to continue with my current theme on creativity in my next post as I've already planned a feature around a few of my other favourite places in my hometown, which I have infact already photographed so once I have finished editing the shots they will be online soon.

Nicola. x

Photobox Prints & New Frames.

Hi everyone,
Remember those frames that I have been repeatedly talking about since Christmas?...and I keep saying I'll eventually get photo prints for them?...well I finally managed to choose the shots that I wanted to be printed and sent them off to Photobox!

The photos that I've posted merely show what the frames and prints look like together and not on actual display, I never took any shots of what they look like in my room as I'm going to be moving house soon however when I eventually do move there will be an updated room tour post, so stay tuned! Anyway, I hadn't overly planned out which photos I wanted in any particular frame but I definitely knew of two that I wanted, which included a poster print of my current favourite live music photo of the guitarist from Heaven's Basement, really happy with that one and the other poster print was another one of my favourites, the 'Edward Scissorhands' mansion from a few blog posts previous. I absolutely love the way these two turned out with their frames.

The smaller shots were all random picks really, the two at the very start of this post are (left-right) a photo of Queen's View in Pitlochry and the 1920's-esque Grosvenor cinema in Glasgow. The combined oval shaped frame below was a harder task to choose photos for, I quite liked the thought of having another live music photo so I picked this one of Billy Talent's vocalist. The other shot is totally random because I couldn't think of anything better at the time haha, but I actually like the way it looked in the end.
Overall, I'm really happy with the prints and the way they all turned out, I would highly suggest to check out Photobox as they are a great company. The photos are all high quality and great colour, plus they arrived super quickly, so it's great if you're needing them quick for exhibitions etc. I'm definitely going to be ordering more soon as I don't have nearly enough live music shots printed so more of those will be on my list!

Let me know if you've framed any of your photos recently, I love looking at other photographer's work and being inspired! Hope my post has helped anyone that is looking to get their photos printed aswell.
Nicola. x

Lights Out.

Hey everyone, long time no speak...I assure you all that I have been very busy indeed although not necessarily to do with anything photography related but it looks like I'm finally back to business!
First things first I thought I would write a general update post to get back into the swing of things, for starters you're probably all wondering about the photo above which is another shot of the wonderful Edinburgh Castle. I actually took this photo on my way out of Billy Talent's gig back in August last year around the time of the Edinburgh Fringe, I've just got around to editing it now but I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to use it in a post instead of letting the shot go to waste, I love night photography and I rarely tend to dabble in that sort of field but when I do I'm really happy with the photos and they become some of my favourites.
I'm hoping to have some new business cards sent very soon, I can't wait to update the design as the old one is a bit out of style these days shall we say so I'll be making a post about them when they arrive along with some poster prints that I've been meaning to get since Christmas.
Last but not least, I'll hopefully be back to the music circuit so be sure to expect some new shots!
Nicola. x

Revisiting Edward Scissorhands Mansion.

Hey everyone,
Surprisingly enough, I've actually been working on this blog post for some time now...well it was roughly around November last year! Yes I know, that's a long time isn't it?! However I had a lot of other commitments at the time so the photos ended up taking the backseat, but I'm glad to say that I have finally managed to find the time to finish editing the shots as I've really been wanting to post them for a while now.
Some of you may remember that I have previously taken photos of this derelict building already, it was actually back in the summer of 2011, however with my new kit on the go I really wanted to go back and shoot some more photos, and especially with the addition of the crisp winter weather we are having...any photographer should agree with me that it adds a little extra touch to a photograph.

You'll also probably notice that I keep calling this place the 'Edward Scissorhands' mansion, really it just seems like the best possible title because the building really reminds me of the house/mansion you see early on in the film. It's gorgeous, creepy and beautiful all at the same time...and it even reminds me of many other buildings in films by Tim Burton, such as Alice in Wonderland. I am completely in love with places like this, I could spend ages looking at them and this one is by far the most beautiful. It's ornate white sculptures and skillfully carved topiary bushes in the garden conclude it to be one of the most unique sites I have seen in Scotland yet.

I think the mansion was built back in the 1800's, and it really does show as it is literally falling apart. I believe one of the turrets have been completely fixed since, but the rest of the building is in a pretty devastating way. It's ashame to be honest, and I always hope that when I next visit there will be more construction under way but who knows, it might never happen.
Anyway before I finish this post I thought I would mention that I received a few vintage inspired frames for Christmas and I'm thinking about getting one of these photos printed to put in them (aswell as a couple of music shots), so be sure to look out for a post on the finished result!

Nicola. x

My 21st Birthday.

Hey everyone, If you didn't already know my 21st Birthday was on the 10th December, last Monday to be exact...and to be honest I still can't actually believe I'm 21 already but sadly it's true.
So I was treated to a day away in Edinburgh on my birthday (and if anyone remembers I also had a weekend away in Glasgow back in October which you can view photos of here). I also wanted to take some photos whilst I was in Edinburgh aswell so I have quite a few shots of the Christmas Markets, plus views over Princes Street in the gorgeous winter sun and even some of the wonderful gifts I received.

The first place we visited is actually one of my favourite stores in Edinburgh, and that is Harvey Nichols! They have some of the best beauty counters in the city and you should all know by now that I love cosmetics. As usual, I checked out MAC, Tom Ford and Space NK and I must admit I did buy a couple of things from each! After a little look around the shops in the area, I then headed over to Princes Street gardens where the annual Winter Wonderland takes place, it's the main reason I love visiting Edinburgh at Christmas.

First, we had a look around the carnival area which includes the Highland Village Christmas market, and since it is traditional we tried some roasted chestnuts for the first time, I love the little carts they sell them from so I obviously had to take a picture of that aswell.
The other end of the Winter Wonderland is the German Christmas market, which I absolutely LOVE! I had a good look around all the stalls, and I bought another Nutcracker and a little cute Elf ornament. We then headed over to the pretzel stall, which was another first time try and I can safely conclude that they are amazing! Try one, you won't be disappointed.
Also, yes that is a picture of myself with a Nutcracker below, I wanted to keep him!

After we went around the rest of the surrounding shops in Princes Street we decided to go to the Cowgate/Grassmarket area and check out some of the cute little places and their not so cute little prices ;)
Of course a visit to Edinburgh is never complete without a tourist shot of the Castle, this was taken towards the end of the day so it was slightly clouded over by this point.

So as you could probably imagine by the time I was home the night was followed in with lots of glasses of Champagne and birthday cake, which was specially made by my Auntie and features an awesome handmade camera, which looks amazing! I have a picture of it below, and I love how the camera has that marbled effect icing, it looks slightly vintage with an 80's/90's esque vibe.

I also received one of the most beautiful gifts from my family which was an Alexander McQueen double-skull ring! I absolutely love it and haven't taken it off since, it's completely the definition of me, I love all things gothic.
Anyway I hope you have all enjoyed looking at the photos, and I'll be posting another blog post very soon with a re-cap of this year's work!
As always stay tuned...

Nicola. x

Autumn Leaves In Glasgow.

Hey everyone, So I'm back with part 2 of the Glasgow photos from my weekend away. These shots are from the daytime and all combined from over the few days I was there. I decided to go to the Templeton factory late in the afternoon of the first day I arrived. The building was originally built in the 1890's and was designed by one of my favourite architects...as you can see it looks pretty amazing and apparently the Doge's Palace in Venice was part of the inspiration!

When I was leaving Glasgow on the last day, I decided to re-visit the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University. Back in 2005 I went with my art class, so it was really good to check it out again. I also wanted to go to the Mackintosh House, but it was queue only for the guided tour so I decided to go over to the Museum instead which is in the other part of the University across the road.

Both the Museum and University are literally astounding for photos and definitely a photographer's dream! I didn't take any photos inside the Museum but I did take some shots of the grounds outside because it looked gorgeous in the autumn, aswell as some quick photos of the stairway that leads to the Hunterian Museum which you can see nearer the end of this post. The cloisters are my favourite part about the Universities architecture, it reminds me of the Harry Potter films for some reason, now that I think of it...I guess even the stairway to the Museum could look like the moving staircase scene aswell, all we need now are some talking paintings...

Anyway that happens to be all of my photos from my stay in Glasgow, I hope you all enjoyed looking  through them. I had an absolutely amazing time and I wish I could go back again, the holiday apartment that I stayed in, which was in the centre of Glasgow was literally (as Chandler Bing would say) perfection!
I've also just received some new photography gear so I will definitely be taking more photos soon, in the mean time make sure to follow my Twitter page for lots more updates, www.twitter.com/NicolaSharkey
Nicola. x

Glasgow In The Night...

Hey everyone, the next few blog posts are going to be a series of photos from the weekend of 13th October. I stayed in Glasgow in a holiday apartment for a few days as part of an early celebration for my 21st birthday (the actual date is away in December but I decided to go in Autumn as I love that time of the year...and it also coincided with the Young Guns gig that I was photographing on the 14th). So I managed to fit in lots of must-see things that I had planned out for the few days I was staying there...who knew there was so much to do in Glasgow! Aside from the obvious shopping, going out at night and gigs, I am a total architecture fanatic and I wanted to check out some of my favourite spots for photos, some of which you are probably already looking at right now.

The first place on my list was a little lane in the West end of Glasgow called Ashton Lane, if anyone remembers last year in September I went there to photograph Kai Fish at his gig at the Brel Bar. I decided to go back and take some photos of the lane itself as it looks so amazing, especially at night which is when we went, plus they have lots of good bars, restaurants and an adorable little 1920's-esque cinema.

The picture below is actually where the gigs at Brel Bar take place, it's at the back of the bar in a conservatory area and the space is apparently an 80 capacity, I'm not sure about that though as it looks very tiny once inside and especially with the chairs in rows instead of the table area for meals. Anyway, the left side is actually where the stage is set up and it's so beautiful, the whole look of the gig area has a French vibe, even though I believe the place is actually a Belgian bar/restaurant.

So we left Ashton Lane, and on our way 'home' to the holiday apartment after getting totally lost in the west end, I photographed some awesome spots in the centre of Glasgow which were literally on our doorstep. First up is the GoMA which is the Gallery of Modern Art, I never actually had time to check this out inside but got some lovely photos of its exterior at night, next time I visit Glasgow I will go there for sure.

Then I noticed how gorgeous the City Chambers looked at night which is across the road from the GoMA, so obviously it was my next place to photograph, I believe it was built in the 1880's! Look at how beautiful it is...the black and white photo below shows exactly how much detail went into the building, the sculptures are actually protected with a metal wire which is why the picture looks a little grainy, and slightly newspaper-esque.

Anyway, that's all for now, stay tuned for the next post which will include daytime photos.
Nicola. x

Unreleased Landscape and Urban Photos...

Another update with some unreleased photos from last year!
I had a few gigs that I photographed all at the one time and I ended up forgetting about a few landscape photographs that I had taken at lots of excellent locations and whilst I was browsing through my files I stumbled across them and couldn't help but wonder why I had never posted them in the end!
This group of photos were taken roughly around April last year, and although I've only just got around to posting this now, it's actually been sitting in my drafts for a few months as I wanted to add way more photos and I've always had something more important to edit...hence why I'm just finally getting around to uploading this now!
My favourite shots along with the Addams Family-esque hotel that starts off this blog post also includes this one below...The Sweeney Tod Demon Barber...mainly because of the statue outside, it made me smile, although I'm not sure why anyone would actually want to get their hair done there...you've gotta be brave to do that!
Nicola. x