Vesna Armstrong Photography

The Cheerful Chilli is just the sort of place I've always wanted to come across. Even its name states something I love - there is always chillies in my fridge, and they never last very long! But there is so much more to this gorgeous, definitely cheerful place than its name suggests. It is a most charming, converted stone farmhouse; it sits high up above Otley, one of my favourite towns, adjacent to the beautiful Chevin Forest Park; it serves very tasty and healthy, vegetarian food in a relaxing, rustic setting; and it embraces seasons through its lovely garden and country surroundings. I have been here twice recently - first, at the beginning of July, on a beautiful sunny day. I was in the lovely company of my niece and her partner, so I was not taking many photos. We just enjoyed the wonderful place and a delicious lunch. Then I went back the other day with the sole purpose of getting some more pics. On this occasion it was rather windy and overcast, but the lighting condition...

2016 sees big birthday anniversaries of two of the Victorian women whose life and work have long been a constant source of inspiration to me: 200th birthday of Charlotte Bronte back on 21st April, which I marked with a personal tribute here , and 150th birthday of Beatrix Potter on 28th July. “What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood?”  ~Beatrix Potter~ Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943) was an amazing woman who managed to accomplish her goals in an era when ambitious women were still firmly discouraged from becoming successful. She is best known for her children's stories about animals, especially "Peter Rabbit", which she beautifully illustrated herself. However, her talent and achievements did not end there. She was a natural scientist; a farmer winning prizes for breeding Herdwick sheep which are a common and distinctive sight in the Lake District where she lived; she was a shrewd business woman who bought and managed a number ...

Just a quick post from a very happy woman. Last night I learned I had sold a royalty free license to the image below. It is my very first sale of a photo of my beloved native town Zagreb. That is great news for me because I don't live there anymore and therefore have very little opportunity to take pics over there. The photo sold in Austria through Getty Images. That is all the information I have. Unfortunately, the sale statement doesn't tell me by who or for what purpose the image has been bought.  I have previously published the image on my blog here .

Time for a seasonal still life. I have been eyeing flat peaches in the local supermarket every summer since they first appeared a few years ago. I am always looking for unusual and interesting shapes I can study through my still life work. I can just concentrate on the shape, colours and textures, and keep the composition simple and minimal. For my props I used an old enamel plate my Mum gave me and also one of her old tea towels which I just had to take away from her. A little sprig of basil leaves gives a finishing touch to the set up. I like to use texture layers in the post processing of my still life images, usually to create a rustic, country look. Here I applied a texture from the recently bought pack by Jessica Drossin, called " Wuthering Heights " which is a famous book title by Emily Bronte. Being a huge fan of the Bronte sisters I was delighted to see Jessica has created textures inspired by her visit to historic Ponden Hall and the moors that the sisters loved a...

I am just a passionate amateur photographer who only takes the sort of photos my soul tells me to take, but, I must admit, one of the most satisfying, exciting, inspiring and flattering things in my photographic life are image sales for book covers. There are not many of them, and I know there will never be many, but I don't mind and am quite happy with just the few that come my way. In the last quater I have sold rights through Trevillion Images for as many as four book covers which is more than I have ever done in that space of time. The interesting thing is that three of the sales are based on the same image! And that very image had already been used once in the past so I've got four very nice sales out of the same image! This is the winning photo. It certainly is one of my best images, and I am very pleased that it has been rewarded by repeated license sales. First it was used last year for a new novel by a famous German crime writer Charlotte Link, "Die Betrgene...

It has been many weeks since I posted on here. My absence was due to my annual visit to Zagreb, Croatia, the city I was born and grew up in, and then my niece and her boyfriend's visit to us in Leeds. I've enjoyed myself immensely, but there was no time for editing photos or writing. However, I did take many pictures and am ready to get back on track with blogging now. With hundreds of new images I hardly knew where to start and what to prepare for sharing first. I decided to choose a dozen random photos of my beloved, beautiful Zagreb. The city was basking in mellow spring sunshine almost all of the time, and was gaily bustling with various events taking place around the city centre landmarks. It was a perfect time for a visit. Tkalciceva Street. A very popular street in the old Upper Town, very close to the main city square. It is lined with bars and restaurants that are busy throughout the day, but it is in the evening when it assumes its real appeal due to its thriv...

When I feel it is time to do a still life I cannot rest till I come up with something. Inspired by some lovely images on Flickr I have wanted to create an outdoor still life for quite a long time. Living on the edge of a nice park means I do not have to go very far at all to find a suitable background or to carry my props to. I realized it was a perfect time of the year to have a go at an outdoor image with grasses growing tall, some dandelions still flowering while others are turning into the fluffy blowballs, and first buttercups just starting to spring up. It didn't take me long to know what I wanted to photograph. It had to be an image to satisfy my romantic soul and, as always, my love for vintage. It was also going to be about presence of people, a notion I got attracted to through looking at Trevillion Images photos. So out goes my antique chair I sit on at the computer, my recently bought floppy hat, an old book and a vintage style bottle filled with summer fruit squash. Th...