rădăcini

my father and his family were put into Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany during the Holocaust. my dad was born in a ghetto in Przemysl in 1942, and when he was 6 months of age they were taken to the camp. They were inside the camp for approximately 4 years. my grandmother, auntie and dad all had typhus, but somehow with such little anything my Granddad kept them alive. he was able to do so as he was one of the Camp's barbers and provided extra bread and potatoes. if he had not of had this job they would not of survived and I would not be here to write this. they were liberated by British and Canadian troops and then shortly after moved to Britain.

Last august my parents, my two brothers and I took a trip to Poland. we hired a car and drove to a different part of poland each day (it was exciting but very exhausting). we visited where my dad lived for a short period after being liberated from Belsen, where some of my family are believed to be buried, we also visited Auschwitz and we went to a conference in Warsaw. Here are some photos that aren't really for the photography side of things but have a sentimental value.

Przemysl

joshua (little brother), mum and aaron (big brother) 

walking through my dad's home town

my dad laying a stone out of respect for his loved ones (this is in a jewish cemetery)

this is quite self-explanitory really

this a sculpture in memory of the millions murdered in Auschwitz

these are some of the bunks at Auschwitz

I apologise for this being such a morbid and depressing post, but seeing as it's my dad's 70th birthday on monday I decided I'd like to share something personal and close to my heart. our trip to Poland was something I will never forget and I enjoyed every minute of it, even the depressing and upsetting parts. If you ever get the oppurtunity to visit Poland then don't turn it down - it's an incredible experience.

I am so extremely proud to be my father's daughter and who the man he is today.

esther xo

back to the beginning

on the 7th of august 2009 (my birthday), I received my most prized possession - which is of course was my DLSR Canon 500D. I was so excited to play around with it, as I'd been waiting what seemed years for a "proper" camera. I opened the box and literally jumped outside to take photos of things, as it was a gorgeous summer day. I became extremely fascinated in flowers; not just because they're aesthetically pleasing, but because no matter what time of year it was, dead or alive, they looked fantastic through my camera lens. in late 2011 I bought a 50mm macro lens, which was so perfect for me that I soon used it every day for at least a few months. of course I took photos of flowers and plants, but I soon took an interest in portrait photography (which also led me to loving taking photos of children). for my 16th birthday one of my sister's who is an art/photography teacher gave me her Canon EOS 30V Date - 35mm SLR camera (film camera). I was so ecstatic to receive something so wonderful and I am still yet to get all my film developed. I also have a 18-250mm telephoto lens and is perfect for landscape photography. here are so photos from when I started this 'journey' to my most recent photos (not in any particular order)

esther xo

searching for adventure

I've spent a lot of time over the past few years taking photos of family members and close friends. I have a gigantic family and I'm an auntie to 10 children already. I adore having such a big family even if it is stressful at times. I find myself taking photos of the children more than the adults, and here are a fews reasons as to why that is:

• I find children a lot more interesting to photograph than adults.
• the innocence a child possesses tends to come through in the photograph, and that's probably why I love taking the photos so much.
• catching little moments of enjoyment, happiness, sadness etc is so refreshing and makes a great photograph. don't get me wrong, obviously not every photograph will come out fantastic. but it doesn't matter what camera you use, the child's innocence and beauty always shows.

my gorgeous cousin and god-daughter were a delight to photograph and I thought i'd share with you a few photos!

esther xo

compassion

on the 19th of september I went on a 'wine' cruise with my mother. we went to the following places: Le Havre, Vigo, Bilbao, Porto and Paris. It was such a lovely holiday and I enjoyed the most part of it. we were away for 12 nights and it was the perfect amount of time to be away. I took photos at each destination, some on my DSLR, some on my iPod touch and others on a black and white film camera I purchased not long ago. these are only a few of my favourite photos, sorry only one of them is during the day.

esther xo

mais le temps est comme l'océan

I don't find myself following any particular topic at any one time. as cheesy as it sounds, I "go with the flow", and if something catches my eye I will most definitely take a photo of it, whether it be with my DSLR or my iPod touch camera.

if you live in my part of the world you will know how awful the weather has been lately. cold, miserable and extremely wet. my family and I decided to collect some wood and old newspaper and make a gorgeous fire. our fireplace does not stay clean for any long period of time, as it is far too much hassle to keep it spotless. this is the outcome of a few months worth of ashes, and personally I find it rather beautiful. you're probably thinking i'm a complete head case but there is something about fire, ashes and the whole process of making a fire that is fascinating and even mesmerising at times. so I took a few photos and I'm pleased with the outcome. if you continue to read my blog, you will soon realise I enjoy taking black and white photos the most. here are a few photos of today's fire.

esther xo