12 Days Of Etsy: Photography Dream

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Yann, I'm 37, I am half French and half Czech by my mother. I was born in the centre of France, and I now live right next to Paris, 10 mins from the historical centre. I work as a professional photographer, in many different areas : corporate events, portraits, product packshots (wine, champagne, jewellery, fashion accessories... )

2. How did you choose your shop name?

I chose photographydream as a shop name, because I am hoping to make people travel in my own dreams and stories through photographs. 


3. What do you enjoy photographing the most?

I love all the photographs I publish (else I would not publish them ;) ) because each one of them is a moment of my life, a memory, an emotion, a dream...
My current favourites are pictures from my "Tiny trades" series : self-portraits of made-up tiny trades, in a simple and poetic world. I love this project, because it makes you think of all the little details in life, I am sure you will never look at a kiwi fruit the same way after you met the kiwi hairdresser, and when you see the moon has changed quarter again, you will know who did this ;)

www.etsy.com/listing/108831121/kitchen-art-food-photography-still-life
www.etsy.com/listing/62888439/photography-print-wall-decor-original
www.etsy.com/listing/90842937/i-love-you-photography-valentine-book
www.etsy.com/listing/71204756/paris-photography-france-eiffel-tower-in

4. What is the best seller in your shop?

Many different photos have been bestsellers : 
The border, the blizzard, Allo Big Ben, Eiffel tower in the mist, the rainbow umbrella, the birds .... 
Currently, it's The seed gatherer, one of the photos from the Tiny trades series, together with the strawberry seed-sticker and the leave cutter ! 

www.Etsy.com/listing/97778755


5. Your work sells all over the world, in which parts of the world is your work most popular?

60% of my photos leave for the United States, many are now living in Australia and Canada, and of course, many in France. It is really exciting to know your work is appreciated in so many different places !


6. What inspires you?

What I try to convey with my photography, is a reflection - sometimes a naive one - of the world I dream of: simple, happy, beautiful, colourful and peaceful. This is not really what the real world is like, but it's what I would like to share with my view.

7. How long have you been a photographer?

I have been a professional photographer for 9 years, but taking pictures since I was about 11. I used to take pictures of my friends, cats, landscapes... All the time, with an old camera I found in my parents'attic. Of course, now I can see all the faults in them, but I do feel a pinch of nostalgia looking at these memories. 
At age 29 I decided to become a professional photographer, and joined a photographer school in Paris. After two years of intensive study I received the 5th prize in my class with honours and then my career was launched. Since then, I have been working for many, many different companies, and making a lot of creative photography for myself too.


8. What are your other hobbies?

I really love going to flea markets, in Paris and elsewhere ( there are a lot of flea markets here in the spring and summer ). There, I can find really unusual items, which I can use in my tiny trades pictures. I love looking at and feeling old items, and it's even better when the seller can narrate the item's story..' 

9. Do you collect anything?

I don't have a specific collection, but if I happen upon an old caméra, or an old item related to photography for example old glass plaques from 1900, I can spend a lot of time looking at them... And often end up buying them !!


10. What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

My favourite tradition is the Christmas Eve supper, when the whole family is gathered ( with nice things to eat and drink, which is never a bad thing :o). Then opening the presents next to the chimney ! I guess I am still a child at heart :o)
It's one of the rare moments of the year when the family is together, and this is really nice. 

11. Do you have a favourite Christmas song or carol?

No, I don't have a favourite Christmas carol, I'm not too much into carols, I prefer by far the talks and laughters from everyone who is gathered around the fire at present-opening times :o)

12. What is the funniest Christmas present you have ever been given?

The funniest present... or rather presents : one year, I said I liked cooking, so at Christmas, I received 3 cookbooks, cooking tools, a cheesegrater, two apple-peelers... so now , before talking about what I like to do, in the pre-holiday season, I think a lot !


Many thanks to Yann for taking part in this feature. Click here to visit his Etsy shop.

Marvelous Moustaches

       Moustaches are a major trend at the moment. And I absolutely love them! They fit in well with my love of French things and add a playful touch to any outfit.

Moustache bag, earrings and necklace all available from Accessorize.

Moustache bracelet and watch available from ASOS.

Moustache brooch, gloves, hair slides and hair comb. All available from River Island.

                              Moustache snood, socks and T-shirt. All available from New Look.

Moustache jumper available from Internacionale.

Etsy Buys And Finds

    I have been clearing out once again. And I have been trapped in a sea of ebay items. I am now up to a total of 81 sold items. I still have plenty of stuff to go but I think it's time for a little break.       
     It's quite strange to have gone from somebody who loved shopping to somebody who loves getting rid of stuff.
    I no longer look at shops in the town centre and I never even look at websites I used to buy from all the time (ASOS, Topshop etc.)  When I decided to go on a shopping ban at the beginning of the year, I didn't think I would manage to stick to it so well and end up wanting to get rid of most of the things I own!
      It hasn't been a complete ban and I have still been buying a few things from Etsy. Most of these things have been gifts. But I have still been adding to my favourite collection (I always will).  
     One of the other things I have bought is a doll from Boopsiedaisy. I have liked a lot of the dolls from this shop but had never bought one. So I decided to make my first purchase a custom order. And I asked for (you guessed it) a black cat doll. I'm so glad I decided to get this doll made (her name is Pawlie), she is so cute. I would recommend this shop if you are looking for something cute and quirky.

Pictures belong to Boopsiedaisy you can find her shop here.

I thought I share a few other cute finds that I love but won't be buying!

I really like these anthropomorphic macarons and cookies from SandraArteagA. You can find her Etsy shop here.

And I have been quite tempted by these gorgeous vintage French knife rests in the form of cute little cats. They are From LaManche and you can find her Etsy shop here.

Black Cats Galore... But I Still Want More!

        Today I received a very exciting parcel from my favourite Etsy shop, Miss Bumbles.  Included in this parcel were some of the purchases mentioned in my previous post. And also a very special custom order.

     The first thing I asked for in this custom order was a Marie Antoinette black cat. She turned out beautifully, I love her pink powdered wig and she even has her very own pet rat.

      The next thing I asked for was a little black cat clown. He is just so cute, I love his little red nose and his cheery smile.

        Next is this gorgeous baking kitty. She comes with freshly made mouse tarts and a fishy sponge cake. She managed to resist eating them on the journey to my house!

          Last but certainly not least is this stunning French themed garland. It combines my two favourite things, black cats and France. The detail in this garland is just amazing, I love everything about it!
All pictures belong to Miss Bumbles you can find her Etsy shop here.

        I will be posting pictures of the whole collection soon, I have finally found the perfect place for them all. I'm sure I will be adding to the collection soon. I just can't get enough of these pieces from one of the best artists on Etsy!

Back In Training For The Shopping Olympics

       I haven't blogged in a while because I have been quite busy. Busy going through what seems to be endless piles of my own stuff! But I am getting through it bit by bit. Bags of stuff have gone to the charity shop, boxes of various bits and pieces have been put into auction and a decent amount of items listed and sold on ebay.
      I had been doing great hardly shopping at all and getting money back in from the things I no longer wanted. But I wasn't on my best behaviour for long...
    Etsy was my downfall. I make no secret of the fact that Etsy is one of my favourite places to shop. And I had a big spending spree in one of my favourite shops, MissBumbles.
    I mentioned in my last post that I already had other items in mind for a custom order. This order consisted of three black cats.

    
      First is this little seaside kitty. She is based on Ruby. Ruby loves to play in the bath with a bit of water in it, so I thought it would be sweet if she donned a swimming costume.

       Next is this dashing little Frenchman. (Anyone who reads this blog knows I love almost all things French. So this one should come as no surprise!) I have named him Oliver after my first black cat but I suppose in this case, it should really be Olivier. He is just so sweet in person!

And last but certainly not least is this gorgeous Little Red Riding Kitty. Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favourite fairy tales and this little cat is just so cute. She even has a treat for Granny in her basket.

      My haul didn't end there...

While browsing one day I spotted this sweet little red vixen. She reminds me of the foxes I see from my bedroom window. Of course I had to have her too (she was too pretty to resist!)

         And my last purchase was this exquisite spring garland. I particularly like the little girl lamb. I have had my eye on this for a while. And since I have done so well selling my old things I took the plunge and bought it. I am so glad I did the detail is amazing.

    All pictures belong to Miss Bumbles you can find her Etsy shop here. I have used them simply because they are better than any of my photography.

     I have had a pretty miserable week, feeling ill for most of it. So when my parcel with all of these goodies in it arrived on Saturday and I unwrapped all of the pretty patterned tissue paper, it cheered me up no end.
    It is pretty safe to say that I am addicted to Miss Bumbles' wonderful creations. And I know I will be buying many more in the future.

Another Late Night Shopping Trip

We went into town again last night for late night shopping. Just to get a few little bits for Christmas and it was much busier than I expected.

    My first stop was Lush. I am running very low on Lush products and I wanted to make sure I have something nice for my Christmas bath (I must say not my only bath of the year!). So far I hadn't purchased any products from the Christmas range. It seems to me one minute it was October and now it's December, so I am not quite as organised as I usually am.
       These four items came home with me...

Abombinaball is a new bath ballistic for this Christmas which has a mix of peppermint, vanilla and orange.

Also a new introduction for this year is The Melting Snowman bath melt which has a deep marzipan fragrance.

Cinders, which I have used many times before, has a spicy and fruity scent.

I fell for this cute and quirky Santa knot wrap. Which they had used as bunting in the shop which was a great idea.

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My next stop was Past Times. I bought a cute little catnip tree for my lovely little kittens. I also bought a very girlie catnip mouse, especially for Violet. I bought it to cheer her up after her surgery next week (I will go into detail about that later).

     Next stop was Waterstone's. Having had a bee in my bonnet about brushing up on my French grammar and verbs for a while, I decided to see what they had to offer. A very helpful man pointed me in the right direction of the French books and showed me some of the options. This is the one I settled on...

     Next the sweet shop. I got some of my favourite Rhubarb & Custard sweets. I also purchased some Beeches Violet Creams. I wanted something to enjoy while poring over my new book (they are also nice because they remind me of my little Violet).