Having a Moment | Instagram

I had previously dabbled in Instagram; posting selfies, the occasional food picture and sometimes supporting my blog, while above all, stalking all the celebrities, whose pictures were much more artistic than my own. In all honesty, Instagram didn't grab me as something I couldn't live without. It wasn't until I got to University that I found a new love for the social media and pursued it as a hobby I never thought I would have.

I have always loved photography, pictures of sunsets, sky and beautiful scenery filling my camera roll. And, of course, I'd always thought of sharing these, I just never knew the right way to do it. A month or two into my University life, influenced from a few of my friends' love for the app, I downloaded it, as @beccabeee, and posted my first picture - one of a firework I had taken at a display a day or two prior. I was proud of that picture and, with editing knowledge, the reception was great. My friends all began to follow my account and like the pictures I was posting, my artistic eye and love for pictures finally coming to life. 

From here, I wanted to create a theme, posting three pictures with similar editing (like 'black and white' or a certain tone). I thought this would give a cool effect to my feed and, although I was eager to uphold this, I was still finding out what sort of Instagram-er I wanted to be and what content I wanted to be posting. I tried a variety of things, even a selfie and pictures of everyday life. I knew, though, that although this might suit some, this wasn't where I wanted my Instagram to head. I wanted to have a space to feel like a photographer and show content you wouldn't see everywhere. 

At the start of 2016, my boyfriend Luke, a keen Instagram fan himself, told me he wanted to take his account in a much more artistic direction. He, too, was unsure of what this meant exactly, but we both took steps to pursue the opportunities Instagram can give, and develop this into a hobby we would learn to love. 

Luke showed me the ways of hashtags. Of course, I'd heard of these before, but hadn't known of the great influence they could hold over your work. We found a selection of photography hashtags that we could attach to our pictures to help reach people we didn't know and share our pictures with a wider audience. The first time I tried this, I was blown away at the feedback I received - 55 likes in a single day for a newbie isn't bad. My likes shot up, my notifications flooding with names I didn't know, rather than the friends I normally saw. Comments, too, from new people gave me a confidence to follow this through and begin transforming my photos. 

We began adventuring, seeking out photo opportunities and the found a desire to capture the mundane in an artistic light - sharing things Instagram might never have seen before. I was enjoying Instagram in a way I didn't think I could and I loved it. I loved the way it grew my confidence and the way it let me unleash an artistic passion I'd never had the opportunity to. 

I'm so proud of the content I have produced, my current success (just breaking 200 followers and with several pictures over the 100 like mark) and how I have progressed since that first firework picture. I'm learning how to edit better, capture with more ingenuity and have fun. 

I'm also so proud of Luke and the progress he has made. He's found true love with photography and it's so exciting to watch him throw himself into a hobby and love it so much. The dedication he has is inspirational and I can't wait to see where this will take him. If you want to have a look at his feed, be sure to follow his account @_lukeadcock. Also, if you're looking for tips and tricks to drive your Instagram in a similar direction, he has set up a blog to help everyone find love in photography - https://underscorelukeadcock.wordpress.com. 

I'm sure this post won't be the last of my updates regarding my Instagram journey. Hopefully I'll get round to sharing my tips with you. For now, I'm proud and excited to see where this will take me, so be sure to follow me @beccabeee to join me on the journey. 

~ Becca ~

First Year of University | A Reflection

After working for an entire year for my gap year, my place at University hanging in the distance, I was desperate for the days to fly by so I could begin my University life. I became bored of the mundane, working life that consumed my everyday, and longed after the pictures that flooded Facebook of my friends having the time of their lives as freshers. When September finally rolled around, I was spiralled into my first year of University, arguable the most amazing time of my life so far.

First things first, I was blessed with an amazing flat. We have shared some incredible times in our kitchen, dancing to music and laughing until we couldn't breathe in the small corridor that became my home. There were times when we struggled of course - 8 people confined amongst a communal kitchen and little corridor were bound to disagree at some point. But, I was lucky to have found friendships and overcome the problems that this new life flung at me. It was weird to adjust to living with new people of course, walking into a life I'd be sharing with strangers was terrifying. I'm a chatty, love-making-friends kind of person and I thought to myself, this is the first year of your life, don't go into it half-heartedly. I don't regret the choices I've made and the way I approached this new life; if I had walked into it timidly, afraid of making the wrong decisions, I can guarantee that I wouldn't have enjoyed this year as much as I have. In terms of catering, I was scared to fall into the 'pasta and noodles' diet everyone jokes about. It took some adjusting to (I was still used to thinking, well I wonder what time dinner will be, when really I was the one to be cooking!). I got into a shopping routine, planned my meals and wasn't scared to be adventurous and it all turned out great. Some meals, of course, weren't quite up to scratch and other times takeaway was far too tempting, but, I have found some amazing recipes to share with friends and flatmates and easy meals to whip up in a rush.

The work is definitely a step-up from A-Levels and College, and as much as I knew this would be the case, I'm still not sure I was entirely prepared. At first, it was hard to get to grips with, I hadn't written essays in over a year so, it took some time to warm up. Something I have learnt over my first year, not just from my experience but from those of my friends and fellow classmates is, if you love your course, your course will love you. I love what I'm studying and, even if something wasn't exactly my favourite module, I tried to engage nonetheless for the enjoyment I get from what I do. If you find yourself not enjoying what you're doing, then you aren't going to throw all your effort into it and therefore, the results won't show. Having seen friends dropping out for not engaging with their course, I can see how lucky I am to have found a course that suits me and makes me excited to pursue. I was, also, surprised at the deadlines and the way assessments take place. This might just be the university I attend, but the time between having enough information and seminar support to complete the assessment and the deadline is so short, something I was, luckily, able to adapt to. I have also found a great structure for essays and working routine that has eased me into each assessments and made them a lot less stressful than the beginning of the year.

When they say you make friends for life at University, they aren't lying! Living with, working with and seeing these people everyday encourages you to embrace each friendship you make and you share the most amazing, heartbreaking and unbelievable times amongst people from all over the country, some you thought you might never click with in the first place. University is not a place for prejudice, walking into the friendships and relationships I made with an open mind made my life so much easier and the bonds so much stronger. At the same time, I'm glad I've embraced new things I never thought I'd try. From alternative music night outs (definitely not my taste) to midnight adventures walking around the city, I found my spontaneous side, something I had forgotten in the mundane life of my gap year. If you can't do it now, when can you? University life has shown me to never take anything for granted and seize every opportunity that comes across my path.

So, I'm glad the life I imagined from University lived up to what I experienced since September. There were times where I laughed and of course, times where I cried, even times where I considered, is this the right path for me? I've learnt so much about myself and the person I want to be and I can't wait for the rest of my years here, amongst a group of friends I know I can never be without. So, well done Uni, you did well.

~ Becca ~