2017 comes to an end

What a strange year!
It so so true what your parents say, each year goes by quicker and quicker than the last.
2017 has certainly flown by, so much so I didn't even see where December went.

I have been pretty busy this year, in January I left my previous job at a Gaming company to head back to Broad Lane Vets as a receptionist. Good move, however the vets is busier than ever! But it is a great team there, and being in a job where I am able to help others (animals and their owners) can only be a good thing. I ended up personally helping a few more small furries than I had intended to!

I lost my last pet rats a week prior to working back at Broad Lane in February, subsequently I said I wasn't going to have anymore pets for over a year. That lasted all of two seconds. A lovely rabbit turned up at the vets and no one wanted him, I stupidly went to see him in the kennels, he looked at me and that was it! He is a sweetie pie and loves fuss but rabbits need buddies, so we got him a rescue friend in August and they are best buds now!
2018 will be a fun year for Levi and Mikasa with a big new house outside. (Maybe we can pull up the remaining bit of carpet left in their room!)

If two rabbits were not enough then add 15 hamsters to that and you have a full house! Well two full bedrooms that is for sure. A cute little hamster was found in a bin! One of the Broad Lane clients bought her into the vets late on a Friday night, I was on shift and that was that. However the story doesn't end there! The vet checked her and said she seems fine if only a little over weight? Fast forward a few days and she was even fatter! One of the vets wanted to attempt an ultrasound....and there were babies for sure!!! She had babies Saturday 5th August, not just a few though, she had 14!
After a mad few months I had managed to re-home all of them, well minus one girl. I now have Mummy Ponyo and baby hammy San. I couldn't have done it without some fab friends though, I had help sexing them, donation of cages and of course the lovelies who gave them homes.

Amongst keeping in touch with friends and family, playing many a board games with Husband and crew and taking photos, I also did my first bit of activism in 2017 and met some amazing people at West Midlands Connection.
I first met the guys back in January (god love Facebook) and my first time with them involved handing out leaflets on the street in the pouring rain and trying to advertise Veganism, but hey we ended up persuading one person to come to Not Dogs with us! And even if we can change the mind of one person it is worth it. Since then I have met up with them a number of times and I have taken part in a good few events such as the Earthing experience, Fur demos, animal marches and more. It is such a fab group to meet up with as we are all in it for the same reason. We all want cruelty to animals to stop, whether that be animal agriculture, animal testing, or use of animals for clothing etc...

"The Earthlings Experience" - This was held in B'ham centre, but anyone can do it anywhere. All you need is a few people, a laptop or tablet with "Earthlings" on and a few masks. Done. It creates a simple yet powerful statement and grabs people's attention. Check out this website - http://theearthlingsexperience.com/

This image was taken at the animal march earlier this year. "World Day for Animals in Laboratories". This march had a fantastic turn out in B'ham, it was quite overwhelming at times but I am so glad I took part and took some snaps.

This march certainly inspired me to write one of my previous blog posts about animal testing, the post was actually re-posted on the Animal Justice Project website!
Check it out here:
https://animaljusticeproject.com/2017/10/18/animals-in-laboratories-charlotte-chapman/

Also check out West Midlands Connection on Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/WestMidsConnection/

It is such a great thing to know people within this group, as I don't have many friends that are Vegan, so being able to meet up or chat over Facebook to others who feel the same is an awesome thing. This is where technology is at its best, (in my opinion) bringing people together.

2017 involved more board games, board games and more board games...this is my Husbands life. I have to admit that I don't mind it either. We usually go every Monday to a game night in Leamington, yet we often end up playing other games in the week or over the weekend too. One of the things which is great about gaming is meeting cool people, geeky people like us! & making friends is always a win.
This year our "Kingdom Death" campaign has taken quite a lot of Saturday evenings, you must check it out! Another thing I do like from all the games are the awesome miniatures I get to photograph.

This is "The Butcher" from Kingdom Death. It is an incredible game, very detailed and strategic. The art work alone is genius and the game play is so fun. Check it out here - http://kingdomdeath.com/
However, do not blame me for having nightmares...

I have been lucky enough to have a few lovely holidays this year. First we stayed in Dubrovnik back in May, we visited Bosnia and Montenegro whilst we were there too. Amazing places with interesting cities and history, and the water falls in Bosnia have to be one of my favourite memories from the year.

One of the most beautiful and serene places I have ever been. It reminds me of the Mermaid Lagoon in Peter Pan.
You should go here if you get the chance - Kravice Water Falls - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g295388-d550700-Reviews-Kravice_Falls-Mostar_Herzegovina_Neretva_Canton.html

In July I took Craig to Valencia for his 30th. We had a great time apart from Craig being ill for a couple of days! I seriously loved this place, it had such a great vibe and I want to go back tomorrow.

Amazing city, full of gorgeous architecture, graffiti, food and views. The most interesting part of the city is the renovated river Turia - http://www.cac.es/en/home.html

In August we went with my family to Bath for a few days, thankfully the weather was awesome and we found a few spots in the city where my parents hadn't been before. I always enjoy going to Bath as it really is a beautiful place, every building wants you to take a photo. Awesome museums too, this one is really cute and it backs onto a gorgeous park - http://www.holburne.org/

Bath - One of my fave places in the UK, my Grandma used to take my Brother and me when we were young, so many memories.

In terms of my photography I have done a fair bit this year (especially considering I hold down a normal job too), the main thing would certainly be shooting my first ever weddings, and to think this is something I never thought I would do! My first ever wedding was in September and I am so grateful to them for getting in touch with me, I really don't know if I would have ever gotten into wedding photography without them. I shot another wedding in November who I also owe a lot to, as they hadn't seen any of the images from the previous wedding at the time of their booking. Now wind on to New Years Eve and I have three weddings booked for next year already.
This might not seem like a big deal to some people, but for me it is a huge achievement and I am so glad I said yes to both Brides and didn't chicken out.

First wedding. Laura and Alex. 02.09.17. Kenilworth. Gorgeous wedding and the best part would have to be getting their dog Paddy in some shots :)

Second wedding. Ria and Mike. 11.11.17. Oakham. Stunning wedding and a fantastic day with all vegan food too!

I have also shot my first maternity shoot and new born shoot this year too, I hope I can gain more work from this as both shoots were a lot of fun. Any expecting Mummies get in touch :)

First maternity/bump shoot in Abbey Fields...little did I know she would go into labour that very evening! Lovely shoot and we just caught the end of the Autumn colours :)

Roll on a few weeks and this little one has her own photo shoot!

I have taken many of photos this year, I cant keep up with it all. I have so many more images from this year that I haven't even got round to posting, but I can't complain as it is better than having none at all.

2018 looks like another busy one for me!
I have a fair amount of photography bookings and further interest already which is fab!
We are going to Japan in March for 3 and a half weeks, so I apologise now for the amount of photos I will be posting from our visit!
I am also being a Bridesmaid in September for one of my best mates.
Plus we have work to plan and start on the house, alongside being a veterinary receptionist, gaming, cooking yummy food and probably attending too many vegan fairs for my bank balance :)

See below a collection of some of my photography work from 2017.
I hope you enjoy looking through this mix of images and I wish everyone a fantastic new year and a wonderful 2018 to follow.
C x