On Friday I spoke to Sarah Clarke-Wareham. She has written Book of 24 different poems, and it is called Common Ground Anyone? Rhyme Time for SW Mums.
The following is one of the poems about Northcote Road, and for many who are familiar with the area it will make you smile.

On Northcote Road we dote

Armies have their HQ, while gangs feel safe on their turf
Sports teams have home grounds, or home breaks if you like to surf
Old men have their locals, city men have their clubs
Cool men have Shoreditch; our men have Youngs pubs
So it’s not surprising that SW Mums have somewhere to call their own
A place that we can be confident is filled with just our clones
Sanctity when we’re feeling down, a comforting, familiar abode
I couldn’t write this book without mentioning the glorious Northcote Rd

As a gaggle of mums we head to Crumpet, vying for buggy space
Oli is back on the road somehow, but Becky has given chase
Tommy has spied the fairy cakes; Molly is stuck on the loo
Amelia is Queen of the castle, Harry needs a poo
Ruby is eating sugar cubes, Marley is under the table
Josh has built a tower with blocks, although it’s not looking too stable
But it doesn’t matter you smile to each other, because you’re behind Crumpet doors
So you drink your coffee, have a chat, and pretend that they’re not yours

Another day and you’re there with just your kids; it’s time for a haircut
Sally’s booked up for the next 3 weeks, can’t even fit you in when you tut
So you head to Trotters, but struggle to drag them away from driving that car
Unfortunately the fish tank doesn’t do the trick, so you bribe them with a chocolate bar
While you’re there you can’t help having a little mooch around
Which is why husband says “How could 2 haircuts cost one hundred and twenty pounds?!”

Finally you have a morning to yourself, so you head to Questionnaire
You sail through Whistles, and Sweaty Betty, by Kew you just don’t care
By White Stuff you’re 25, by Fat Face you’re in your teens
A mixture of Neal’s Yard and Space NK gives you the necessary means
You stop for a Starbucks takeout latte, treat yourself to a blueberry muffin
A friend tells you she can’t find a thing, but you’re sure she must be bluffing
You walk past Jigsaw, Fat Face Kids, Jo-Jo’s and Petit Bateau
Today is me-time you tell yourself, only one place to spend your doe
But then you have a glass of wine or two (well, All Bar One is just so handy)
And you can’t keep away from those cute little dresses: to the baby, like candy

Saturday morning with nothing to do, there’s no better place to head
Don’t know why Boiled Egg & Soldiers closed down, but I think they probably fled
Toddlers throwing tantrums in the street, babies scream for food
Clapham Junction singles stay at home, they don’t dare intrude
Organic fruit and veg looks amazing, and is only twice the price
Fresh bread, muffins, pastries and pies means the bread stall is sure to entice
You spend a fortune on Mark Anderson photos; does London ever look that good?
If Northcote Rd committee took over City Hall, well, perhaps it would

You’ve shopped for your children and yourself, there’s only one place left to dress
But of course Northcote Rd knows you well, and so caters with equal finesse
There’s Cath Kidson for kitchenware or Rosie’s pink bedroom theme
Oliver Bonas for funky extras or Cuisinere for utensils that gleam
There’s Doves for your Sunday roasts, Salumeria Napoli for your Italian night
Fara for kids toys, Pretty Pregnant if you get that fright
One Small Step or Trotters means your children will always have shoes
And if you’re looking to sell your house? Well, there are a few estate agents to choose

But what is this? The sun is setting and suddenly things start to change
The haven of SW family life is looking a little strange
Buggies replaced with scooter man, lattes replaced with beer
Crying tantrums replaced with pumping music, and then that thing we fear
The thing that ensures we scurry home, why did we leave it so late?
The arrival en masse of twenty-somethings, with freedom in their gait

It’s difficult enough buying presents for people you know well, let alone entire families and people whose tastes you haven’t yet pinned down or don’t share in their taste in art or photography.

At my stall in Northcote Road we see the agonising over ‘what to get you know who’ first hand. It might have been decided that a framed or mounted photograph is the ideal present for ‘you know who’ but will ‘you know who’ like the image you’ve chosen.
The relief is palpable sometimes when a gift voucher may be the answer. OK, its not the ideal solution as you would much prefer to give ‘you know who’ something to unwrap rather than a voucher but ultimately ‘you know who’ will get exactly what they want rather than a near miss.

We can send you your gift voucher through the mail or by email. You can see the selection by going to the following page;
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/vouchers.php

You can use the voucher to purchase or put towards any of the framed and mounted prints we have on offer as well as any of the services we offer.
Below is a list of links to the relevant pages. To buy a voucher just go back to the voucher link above.

Portrait photography;
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/porgallery.php

Event photography;
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/eapgallery.php

Wedding photography;
http://www.weddingphotographerslondon.uk.com/portfolio/

London photographs, Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

London Photographs, Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

London Panoramic photographs
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

New York photographs Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

New York photographs Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Paris Photographs Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Paris photographs Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Prague Photographs Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Prague photographs Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Sydney Photographs Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

Sydney photographs Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

New Zealand Photographs Colour
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

New Zealand Photographs Black & White
http://www.photoarte.co.uk/galleries_index.php

This year in the run up to Christmas we will be running our free portrait photography at our stall in the Northcote Road Market. We’ll be there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in November and every day of the week in December right up until Christmas eve. The last photography session at the stall before Christmas will be the 21st Dec.

Photographs of you and/or the children are great Christmas present for relatives. We can frame the prints, produce canvases, supply them in mounts or just as prints. We take the photographs inside the stall using a white background and studio lighting. It’s fun, relaxed, and contemporary.

The session is free, you pay for the prints if you want to order. I’ve found over the years with children particularly that studio sessions sometimes just don’t work. The children may be tired, somebody bursts into tears (not just the children!), the youngest has just been punched by the eldest, etc, etc, you know what it’s like!

So, as we are at the stall anyway why not do it for free and if it works well you get some fantastic photographs, and if it doesn’t nobody is out of pocket. If you want to buy a 7″x5″ prints costs £19.50, 12″ x 8″ £25.00, up to a large wall print for £375.00. They can be ordered online, by phone, and at the stall the following weekend.

Last year we got very busy in December so if you can, or are very well organised please come in November or as early in December as you can.

I was extremely flattered to be asked by Anita, who organises the annual Grandison Road Camera Club competition, to help judge the competition and award the prizes. The children who entered ranged in ages from 6 to 13 years old and the standard of work was exceptional.

The children were all given a disposable film camera, yes a film camera, and were asked to take photographs covering the following themes: Common Life, City and Town, Animals, Scenic/Landscape, Humour, Family Group, Portrait, and That’s Life.

Anita not only spent hours of her time on the competition she also paid for the cameras and the prize money. She also gave up most of the table space in her house for a number of weeks so that the photographs could be displayed. So from the children and parents who participated, and myself, many thanks to Anita.

Here are the prize winners and the photos that they took. 1st prize category winners were awarded £5, second £2.00
COMMON LIFE:
1st Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10
2nd Prize: Emma Whyte aged 13

CITY/TOWN:
1st Prize: Robbie Whyte aged 11
2nd Prize: Amy Smith aged 6

ANIMALS:
1st Prize: Tom Sheldon aged 8
2nd Prize: Emily Sheldon aged 9

SCENIC/LANDSCAPE:
1st Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10
2nd Prize: Bella Stevens aged 6

HUMOUR:
1st Prize: Dan Smith aged 9

FAMILY GROUP:
1st Prize: Amy Smith-Cornfield aged 6
2nd Prize: Nicholas Legget aged 8

PORTRAITS:
1st Prize: Emma Whyte aged 13
2nd Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10

THAT’S LIFE:
1st Prize: Nicholas Whyte aged 8
2nd Prize: Robbie Whyte aged 11
THE MAJOR PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE: £20.00
Dan Smith aged 9

SECOND PRIZE: £10.00
Bella Stevens aged 6

THE JUDGE’S FAVOURITE:£5.00
Emily Sheldon aged 9

THE SPONSOR’S FAVOURITE: £5.00
Robbie Whyte aged 11

Merits (£1.00) were also awarded to: Emma Whyte, Tom Sheldon, Madelaine Leggett, Nico Whyte, Bella Stevens, and San Smith.
Overall Effort Prizes (disposable cameras) were awarded to: Amy Amith and Robbie Whyte.

Autumn is by far my favourite time of the year for taking photographs. One of the things that I noticed most in my first year in the UK after my arrival from New Zealand was the change in seasons. We did (still do) have seasons in Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand, but the South East of England regardless of how awful or good the summer has been always seems to enjoy a period of settled weather around this time of year and you can tell that the autumn colours will be with us soon.

Some of the best outdoor photographs I think I’ve taken of families outdoors have been in the autumn using the colours and leaves as props, and I also think some of my best selling gallery photographs have been taken in various cities in autumn.

So how do you take photographs in autumn? My biggest tip for photography in the autumn is KEEP THE SUN BEHIND YOU.

You can break all the ‘keep the sun behind you’ rules in Spring, Summer and Winter but in autumn the direct light is much softer than it is in summer and worth using to your advantage.

For Portraits and shots of the children playing in the leaves set your DSLR to AV (aperture priority), and set the aperture to the lowest it will go to – maybe 6.4 ,5.6 or 4. The corresponding speed will be quite high and you’ll be able to capture the movement without too much blur.
You could also try this in reverse if the children (and the adults) are throwing leaves at each other. Set your camera to TV (time priority) and set the speed to 60. Take plenty of photographs, I take 50 or 60 images in a burst if there’s lots of action, the law of averages dictates that six or so will be good. take a look at my portraits page for more info.

For Landscape photographs take your time. Most lenses perform best at around f11 so set your camera to AV and the aperture around 11. If you have a tripod use it even if you can take the photograph handheld. I find that using a tripod slows the picture taking process down and I think much more carefully about the composition. If you’re standing with your back to the light the camera’s metering system will be quite accurate although you will need to take a few frames at different exposures just to make sure you get a spot on exposure. Take a look at my photograph galleries for more autumn photographs.

I’ve talked a lot about the settings you should use on SLR cameras. With compact cameras where you can’t make many manual alterations to the camera exposure don’t worry KEEP THE SUN BEHIND YOU.

You’ve got plenty of time, the colours in the last two years according to my records start to look good in mid October, and oak trees don’t start falling until mid December.