5 Of The Best Places To Take Blog Photos In Plymouth

When I started my Fashion blog in August 2013, the most adventurous outfit posts originated in my hallway, or garden. Despite how embarrassing they look now, we all have to start somewhere, and I find it all very humbling to see how far I have come and improved over the years, with outfits, locations and photography (thanks mum!). Being a Plymouth born & bred girl I like to think that I know the city very well, and because of this I have found some places that have become iconic locations for the background of my outfit posts. Although not limited to, these are 5 of the best places to take blog photos/outfit photos in the centre of Plymouth. I promise you these places won't ever let you down, you may have to deal with a few passers by, but they let in the best light, have the best backgrounds and are all different and unique in their own way. Even if you're not from Plymouth, these might give you a good idea or some inspiration to discover some new secret hideaways in your own city.
#1. The Barbican Coming in at number 1 is the Barbican. Full of heritage, quaint charm & cobbled backstreets, the Barbican will always hold a very special place in my heart. Whether it's a picture taken in the cobbled backstreets, by a row of old fashioned pubs or underneath flags, the Barbican offers it all. The only thing you do have to contend with is the wind & rain. I have failed to find one weekend that it hasn't been like this, and with awful lighting it can be quite a challenge. Even if you're not a blogger, or you're visiting Plymouth for the first time the Barbican needs to be on your list, in my personal opinion it's the best place to be in Plymouth, and it's the most picturesque.

#2. Royal William Yard Situated in Stonehouse, Plymouth near Devils Point, Royal William Yard is an amazing all rounder place which has lots of delicious food & drink venues and there is so many different places that you can pose for a shot. Royal Willam Yard was previously an old naval establishment that is still in the process of regeneration. Because of this the fabric of the buildings has not changed, offering a really industrialised backdrop. Even the antiques roadshow was held in Plymouth here last summer. Royal William Yard has a lot to offer and I'm excited for the future of it, what I do know is that it will remain one of the first places that I head to for photos.

#3. By The Sea (Hoe) Being by the sea is my favourite part of living in Plymouth and I don't think I could easily trade it for the city life in London just yet. Nothing is more scenic than being by the sea, and the Hoe in Plymouth offers a wealth of photo opportunities. Whether I'm by the beach huts, Tinside beach or posing by the sound, if you get the lighting right the pictures look amazing. It can get pretty wet and windy down here though and the weather can quickly change, so it's best to be prepared and be able to pack up in a hurry if there's a downpour!

#4. Pounds Park Located next to the Life Centre swimming pool, about a 10 minute walk into town you'll find this beautiful park. This becomes my go to place during the spring/summer and for good reason too. The park is full of blossom and they are usually in full bloom at April time. As you can see it just makes the most stunning background, making any outfit look errrmazing!! But being a park, you usually get a lot of dogs, kids and adults here which can make getting pictures a nightmare. So it's best to go early in the morning or in the week if you can! Roll on the spring...

#5. Drakes Reservoir Park We all have that one fail safe location that you can come to rain or shine! This place is located right next to Plymouth Uni, but it is always surprisingly quiet. The grey brick walls provide the perfect background, and it's an area that lets in a lot of light. The bonus of this place is that it's sheltered so you can still get those pictures even if the weather tells a different story. This location is the one with the least going on in the background, but it's still a favourite of mine, and the lighting and dark background makes your outfit pop!

With the help of my location manager (my mum!) I'm always on the look out for new places to use for my outfit pictures to complement my existing favourites, so if you're a local to the area, tweet me or drop me a message if you have any other ideas! Whether you live in Plymouth or not I hope you found this post interesting in some way, learning a bit about the area of Plymouth and its history in a few words. But these locations are not just for bloggers & outfit posts, if you're looking for a nice place to take photos at any time of the year these will be perfect for you!

What do you think of these locations? Which location is your favourite? Do you have favourite outfit locations in your home town?

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OOTD | Black On Black

Hat - Amelia Jane London

Shirt - Topshop

Stripy long sleeve top - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

Brogues - Dune

My canon 1200d has been the best investment I've made to date and I'm always looking for ways to improve my photography both for my blog and for travelling. I've had it for a year now and felt that it was time to finally upgrade to a 50mm lens! It arrived on Saturday and I was out the door in seconds to test it out, I'll let you make up your mind about the quality of these, but I am so pleased with the result and I know that there is still a lot for me to learn about this camera!

Battling storm Frank last weekend proved an impossible task of trying to get out in the dry for a few moments to snap some pictures. Remarkably the sun actually started to shine on Sunday which was definitely a New Year miracle! Whilst making the best of the weather I headed down to the Barbican, it's something about the antiquated cobbled streets that make your outfits pop! The winding lanes that are littered with flags and historic buildings make it the perfect photographic opportunity.

For casual weekend style I went for an all black & nautical styled look with pastel hues for a really effortlessly chic look. I've always been a fan of high street fashion, and this whole outfit encompasses my favourite high street stores & small online retailers. The black and stripy foundations of this outfit are all from Topshop in Drake Circus, perhaps a high street store at the more expensive end of the spectrum, but one that always does the best basics at affordable prices, that you know will last. A white washed denim shirt would really complement this look for a more relaxed style, whilst the striped top will look great with white jeans and baby pink accessories in the summer. This candy coloured bobble hat was a gift purchased from online store Amelia Jane London, they also do fluffy pom pom keyrings and scarves to match. Their products are such great quality and a warm cosy hat like this is definitely needed when you're battling the wind by the sea in Plymouth! To complement the hat, I paired it with these pink glittery brogues from Dune, the perfect finishing touch!

Casual looks like these are an instant winner for the weekend, especially after weeks of over indulgence at Christmas. Monochromatic outfits will always be a style staple of mine, they’re so easy to wear, dress up or dress down, and as the saying goes I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker colour...

What do you think of this outfit? Have you heard of Amelia Jane London before? 

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Lush Christmas Haul

As I mentioned in my What I Got For Christmas post, I think it's evident that people might know that I like Lush a lot! I was lucky enough to receive quite a few presents filled to the brim of Lush goodness, these presents are always the easiest to guess as they have a faint whiff of Lush surrounding them, and that makes me very happy!! My Lush basket is now firmly stocked up on Christmas, normal bath bombs & bath melts! I'd better start working my way through them now as it's going to be summer again in the blink of an eye...

Holly Golightly is such a stunning bath melt. This is the first year I've got my hands on this one and it is super glittery!! I've not used this one yet, but it has a seasonal scent of cloves and cinnamon.

Rose Jam seems to have been slightly revamped since the last time I had it. It now has the prettiest sprinkling of pink glitter covering it and it smells just as good! If you're a fan of Turkish delight and rose scented products, this one is for you!

If you're one of the many fans of snow fairy then Candy Mountain bubble bar will be like heaven for you. It has the very distinctive snow fairy scent and it will help you achieve blankets of bubbles, it's probably one of the bubbliest ones I've ever used. They've done this one for a couple of years now and I get it every year! 

Dashin' Santa, what a babe! I've already used a couple of these this year and can't get enough of them! I love the red shade the bath goes, and it is ultra smoothing and silky on your skin.

I got a few snow angel bath melts for Christmas and I just love them!! The white part quickly melts into the bath leaving a really silky trail behind, whilst the gold part turns the bath a yellowish colour. Not forgetting that this bath melt is super glittery, you may be slightly covered in glitter when you get out of the bath!

I was lucky to receive this amazing gift set from James' parents this year, it included the golden wonder bath bomb, cinders, lord of misrule, dashing santa AND peeping santa! Wow! Such a lovely box filled with festive bombs and melts that are all amazing. The only ones I haven't tried before are Lord of misrule and peeping santa, I will definitely be having Christmas themed baths throughout the first part of the year, because why not?!

Isn't peeping santa adorable?!!

I also received this lovely gift set from my cousin, including golden wonder bath bomb again and stardust. Stardust is a lovely twinkly bath bomb which is sweetly scented with vanilla and rosewood.

I was so lucky with all the lovely lush goodies I got, there really isn't much that makes me happier than Lush! Now that Christmas is over, who's excited for the release of their Valentines Day products?! I know I am!

What do you think of my Lush Christmas haul? Have you tried any of these products? Did you get any Lush presents for Christmas?

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2016 New Years Resolutions

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A big Happy New Year to you all, wishing you all the most happiest and healthiest 2016! As cliche as it sounds, I really don't know where this year has gone. I've definitely got a case of dejavu writing this, whilst remembering what I posted last year. As always 2015 has been a mixture of ups and downs, but life is intended to be a roller coaster ride after all, and everything always works itself out one way or another. Looking back at the resolutions I set for 2015 I can comfortably say that I achieved about 60% of them! Despite starting the year on bad health with ongoing stomach problems, I completely turned the year around and I am entering the new year on a high, feeling great! Whilst I still have my bad days, I'm feeling better than ever, and a new positive mindset, strict diet and frequent exercise has helped to combat that. I also landed myself a dream graduate job (digital marketing/seo/ppc) which I am eternally grateful for, learning invaluable experience that will stand me in good stead in the future. My blog has suffered slightly this year due to work commitments, but I have finally got into a good routine and will be posting much more regularly throughout 2016 which makes me very happy, blogging really has been a huge part of my life for the last 3 years and it won't be leaving me any time soon!

The new year is such a refreshing time to look back on what you've achieved, and a motivational time to start afresh, it's a reflective time that always makes me happy for the opportunities I have worked for and the amazing things I've done throughout the year. It also makes me incredibly excited for future opportunities, experiences and achievements. As a blogging tradition of mine I have split my main resolutions into two main categories:

Blogging:

1. Invest in a new camera lens

2. Keep the consistent posting up (2-3 times a week)

3. To further grow my following on Twitter/Instagram

4. Look to do one outfit post every week

5. Update my blog template

6. To read, discover and comment on more blogs
7. Start pinning more regularly on Pinterest

Life:

1. Complete the Breakwater Swim (an open water swimming series will be starting on my blog soon so you can follow my journey).

2. To maintain my health

3. To keep my life fully organised and scheduled & to keep on top of all my commitments 

4. Continue to train in the pool & crossfit (best thing I ever discovered in 2015!!)

5. Try to ditch sugar from my diet

6. Keep saving for a house deposit

7. Try a digital detox for a weekend
8. Gain some more weight - people don't realise how hard it can be to gain weight, I only weighed 7 stone at the start of the year from being so poorly, but with a good diet I'm starting to finally gain weight again, and I am hoping to gain a bit more to get back to a good weight in 2016!

I am feeling so positive for 2016 and can't wait to start making these goals reality! As well as these main resolutions I have the ongoing generic ones like travel more, stop worrying, and say yes more! These are all working progress, as for travelling its not so easy when you work full time and have to work everything around your days off, but when I can I will be making adventures to new places to share with you all! Next stop New York City...

Happy New Year! What are your New Years Resolutions for 2016?

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