Dear friends, Venice has to be one of the best places in the world to photograph dogs - no cars for starters! And always with a camera ready of course. However, on this day I was leaving Venice and my camera was packed in my suitcase - it's hard to manage a suitcase, a shoulder bag AND a big camera. I'm on the vaporetto, en route to Venezia Santa Lucia railway station to catch the train home to France. I leaned out of the vaporetto and looking back saw one of the traditional rowing boats of Venice in the...
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Hello Dear Friends The last few days have been so exciting with the launch of my Fine Art Print shop. The response has been overwhelming and thank you so much for visiting and leaving such lovely comments on FB and IG and of course big thanks to everyone who purchased a print. It's so humbling to know my passion will soon be hanging on walls in Australia, in the USA and Europe. I am so blessed. Carla Coulson, photographer extraordinaire, my teacher, life coach, mentor and friend, has generously published an interview with me. Click to read........ DREAMS INTO REALITY:...
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Bouchette was born over 10 years ago, but she didn’t have 10 birthdays as she was born on the 29th February – Leap Year. She was a character, she did what she wanted: she was stubborn, she decided when it was time to saunter round the village on social calls, and when it was time go home. She’d walk the ancient cobbled streets that led to the top of the village, and if she wanted a drink of water, she’d stand at the village pump, waiting for someone to turn the handle for her.
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When I moved to France all those years ago I was more used to big dogs than small ones. So it was a surprise to see little dogs carried in bags everywhere. I used to breed, exhibit and judge Old English Sheepdogs and they don’t get carried around in bags! At first my reaction was ‘Oh no, let them be real dogs and run around,’ and I still think that but I do see the sense of putting a tiny dog in a bag in a busy city, a market place, anywhere with lots of people. The dog feels secure.
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Once a year in August, my French village suddenly becomes Spanish! It’s time for the Festival Flamenco in Gorbio. Don’t think ‘touristy’ flamenco, this is the real thing, real gitane (gypsy) flamenco with dancers and musicians and singers from all parts of Spain and it’s fabulous! Not easy to photograph with the fast movement, low light and also constantly changing coloured lights but every year I get a little better at it and love the challenge. It takes place over three crazy days – we eat paella, we drink sangria, we clap and cheer and during the daytime we meet the dancers in the village bar.
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It only takes a few weeks and suddenly I find I’ve not posted on this blog – then more weeks go by and I justify this to myself by saying, ‘Oh well, everyone sees my photos on Facebook and Instagram.’ I post an image each day on both of those social media platforms at Jilly Bennett Photography. And then, several of you lovely people wrote concerned for me – was I ill? Is everything alright? How kind and how caring. Thank you! Follow up emails made me realise that not all of you are on Facebook or Instagram, indeed many of you aren’t. So big big apologies and here we go…
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