frenchphotographer – Mermozine-Photography Blog

My Lay-Flat Mondays (8)

Posted on 6 April 2020 by Mermozine

Week 8 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it.

I can’t believe I started this photography challenge already 8 weeks ago!! (feels like yesterday…)

So here it is!

Week 8: Mar 30 – Apr 05

Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.

– Palm tree branch: living tropical

– Orchids: same as last week, and still looking fresh (which I find amazing)

– Paper fishes: for the First of April (April’s Fool day). In France a tradition is to stick paper fished on other people back… my kids obviously love that tradition, but they made those fishes just for my Lay-Flat challenge. I love how much they like this weekly project and invested themselves in it.

– Ester eggs and paintbrushes: well, this one is pretty much self-explanatory. We started this week or traditional easter eggs painting.

– Picture: our family outing this week-end to the Tree Top Walk in MacRitchie Reservoir. Quite a serious walk in the Singapore’s heat (with 4 little kids in toe). Although lots of activities are slowly shutting down, parks are still an option (still need to think about social distancing though). And two good things out of this: 1- we got a lot of exercise, and 2-the kids were so exhausted they wont ask to go outside for a while :-).

– Playstation Controller: for some indoor fun.

– mask: sadly no need to introduce that one anymore, and yes I have been using the same exact mask for these pictures for the last 7 weeks (and to ride the bus when necessary), so no worries, no wasting here!

– Camera

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (7)

Posted on 30 March 2020 by Mermozine

Week 7 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).

So here it is!
Week 7: Mar 23 – Mar 29

My Lay-Flat Mondays © Catherine Houston — Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.

– Palm tree branch: living tropical

– Orchids: same as last week, and still looking great

– tablet: more and more e-learning for the kids, but also for me (loving Creative Live!)

– ArtZen colouring book: for some low-key indoor fun time with my girls

– book: “Colomb de la Lune”, René Barjavel (my favourite author, I even named my first girl like a character of one of his books)

– Oranges: for a yummy juicy boost of Vitamin C

– Camera

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (6)

Posted on 23 March 2020 by Mermozine

Week 6 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

So here it is!
Week 6: Mar 16 – Mar 22

– Palm tree branch: living tropical

– Orchids: love them, but somehow not able to grow one, so fresh from the store

– mask: sadly no need to introduce that one anymore 😦

– kids pencil case: for a week of homeschooling!!

– Xbox controller: because it was not whole work, lots of playtime too 😉

– book: “Ni d’Eve ni d’Adam”, Amélie Nothomb, my third book from her in a month (big fan here!)

– Insta pictures of leaves: for a new series I’ve been working on this week, featuring lots of leaves

– Camera

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (5)

Posted on 16 March 2020 by Mermozine

Week 5 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

So here it is!
Week 5: Mar 09 – Mar 15

– Eucalyptus branch: still smelling strong!!

– mask / french passport / picture of Italy: because how not to think about all the people affected by the corona virus all around the world but right now particularly in Italy, and how not to worry about my family in France (I usually feel bad to be 14h flight away from them – not even talking about the train to and from the airport – but now there is almost no planes available and there would be 14 days quarantine both ways, so I feel so so so far away, when I wish I could just take my car, and buy groceries for them and keep them safe …)

– swimming goggles: mine this time – I practise my social distancing at the pool doing laps, and it also helps me keep some sanity

– nectarines: to fill up my kids with healthy food

– Anthurium flower from my balcony

– Camera

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (4)

Posted on 9 March 2020 by Mermozine

Week 4 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

So here it is!
Week 4: Mar 02 – Mar 08

– palm tree branch: what’s left of my tree

– frangipani flowers (Plumeria): my favorite flowers since I moved to Singapore

– jumping rope: it was still school break, and my girls jumped and jumped and jumped!!

– Pictures of birds and cages: as I discovered the Bird Singing Club, in Ang Mo Kio this week-end and loved it (Kebun Baru Bird Singing Club)

– Camera

(and yes I realised while editing the picture that I forgot to add the surgical mask – even though the corona virus is still very much around and spreading to the whole World – but it’s been affecting Singapore for many weeks now and the same way I see less people wearing masks in public transportation, I just forgot about it for a little while)

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (3)

Posted on 2 March 2020 by Mermozine

Week 3 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

The purpose, describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).

So here it is!
Week 3: Feb 24 – Mar 01

– eucalyptus leaves: still here, still smelling good

– red poppies: “coquelicots” in french, I was so excited to find some at the store (reminds me of France :-))

– pink goggles: it’s school break, which means lots of time in the pool with the kids!

– Music sheet: Clair de Lune of Debussy – One of my favourite piece to play and that I was working on this week (I rented a piano a few months back hoping to be able to play one day like I did a (long) time ago… not sure it will happen but still enjoying it…).

– Passion fruit: my new foody obsession!!

– Camera

– surgical mask: for the corona virus, still around 😦

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (2)

Posted on 24 February 2020 by Mermozine

Week 2 of my new series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!

So here it is!
Week 2: Feb 17-23

– eucalyptus leaves: the smell is getting stronger as it dries
– lavender: I gave up trying to grow it in Singapore and bought a bouquet 🙂
– mask: for carnaval day at my kids’ school
– book: Amélie Nothomb “Nostalgie heureuse”
– Camera
– surgical mask: for the corona virus, still around

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

My Lay-Flat Mondays (1)

Posted on 17 February 202017 February 2020 by Mermozine

Let’s be true to myself, disorganised or super busy (or any mix of the two) I just can’t keep up with posting “regularly” normal size (if such a thing exist) blog post.

And, as I started a new year this week (my birthday was two days ago): I’ve decided to start also a new very personal photography series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!
The purpose, describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).

So here it is!
Week 1: Feb 10-16

– eucalyptus leaves: my new go to scent in the house
– red rose: for Valentine’s Day
– candles: for my birthday (a few more were needed!!)
– Click: my new favourite photography magazine
– Camera
– surgical mask: fro the corona virus

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

The colours of Singapore – Joo Chiat

Posted on 3 February 2020 by Mermozine

The colours of Singapore – one of my favorite photography subjects.

It’s funny but from Europe I’ve imagined Singapore as a very modern (which comes in my mind with greyish-glassyish buildings), and while it’s partly true, the Red Little Dot is so much more.

I already talked about all the beautiful green places all around the island, but another charming trait of Singapore is all the traditional colourful Peranakan shophouses all around the city. Who can see them in Little India, Emerald Hill, Chinatown, …, and of course Joo Chiat.

Joo Chiat is a small and charming neighbourhood, toward the east coast, well worth a stroll.

I arrived there early in the morning, and was welcome by singing birds on a balcony.

And of course I admire many Peranakan shophouses. All with different facades, all colourful, all full of history and charm. Here is just a few sample.

Joo Chiat © Catherine Houston

I stopped a few minutes near a very small temple, between two condos.

Joo Chiat @ Catherine Houston

And like I always do, I enjoyed walking around the back streets, taking pictures of bikes (another ones of my favorites subjects) and hunting colours in every corner.

Joo Chiat @ Catherine Houston

and hunting colours in every corner.

Joo Chiat @ Catherine Houston

What’s your favourite part of Singapore?

– To purchase images or see more of my work please check out my website and my Facebook Page:

https://www.mermozinefineart.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MermozinePhotography/

Like a bird on a bench…

Posted on 4 June 20194 June 2019 by Mermozine

It was one of those (rare) days when I had no client appointment and no kid to watch after (well just a couple of hours really…), and I sat there, on my balcony, like a bird on a bench, not sure about what to do.

I wanted to go out and take pictures, but at the same time doing nothing and even just watching TV was not an unpleasant idea either.

I waited, and waited…. looking at the sky, thinking it’s probably going to rain anyway….

But I grew up in a house surrounded by a big garden, and my parents never considered highly staying inside doing nothing (although my dad would not argue as strongly about going outside when I was playing piano :-)).

So many years after my childhood I still have that little voice inside my head telling me that I should go outside.

So I waited a little more, but eventually… I took flight…

I did not go very far, just the park next door, but I took my camera with me and enjoyed walking, observing, remembering why I love photography at the first place.

Nature is beautiful but we often forget to take the time to look at it.