Are you on Instagram? I recently joined! Instagram is a great tool for photographers. You can share your photos, get feedback and be inspired by other people's photos.

My heart pounds in my chest, my music blares in my ears, my feet thud on the ground as I dash through the bush.

I've missed this, I think to myself.

Last winter I gave up running because exercising outside in the cold was aggravating my asthma. Instead I took up working out to YouTube videos in my bedroom. But now that spring is here and it's warming up again, I'm getting back out onto the running track.

Mum gives me a thumbs up as she runs past going in the opposite direction from me. I grin in reply and continue on my way down the bush track.

My breath starts to come in pants, but I don't slow down. I imagine that I'm running at a world record speed (but in reality I'm probably running really slowly).

I pass Charlotte and Gemma-Rose who are chatting as they run along. I round a bend and can see the bench where we left our water bottles. I break into a sprint to get there faster.

I let myself have a small break as I gulp down water and adjust my music's volume before I head off down the bush tracks once more.

The bush is beautiful at seven-thirty in the morning. I wish I had my camera. The lighting is perfect. Instead, I admire the different plants I pass.

I'm starting to get tired. My legs feel heavy and I can't lift my feet as high as I could at the start of the run, but I keeping pushing through.

Just 1 km more and you've made to 5 km, I tell myself.

The meters pass painfully slowly and then once more the bench comes into view. Everyone else is sitting there waiting for me. I pick up the speed as I approach them.

I collapse on the ground beside the bench, gasping for air.

"How far did you go?" Mum asks.

"5 km," I reply proudly.

"What's for breakfast?" Imogen asks.

"I could make eggy bread," I offer. My breath is coming back and I want to get home to eat.

Do you like exercising? What is your favourite kind of exercise? Would you like to watch my latest video How to Start Exercising Regularly?
 

I love black and white photos. There is something so magical about a photo with no colour. But sadly, black and white photos are hard to perfect.

Today I thought I'd share my top tips on how to make your black and white photos look awesome!


I used to take black and white photos in camera. It saved on editing time and it was simpler just to let the camera do it all. What a mistake I was making. The photos looked alright, but they weren't amazing.

Turning coloured photos black and white while editing gives you much more control over how your black and white turns out.


After turning your photo into a black and white try boosting the contrast. This will make your photo look cleaner and less gray. It also brightens the whites and deepens the blacks.


For example, Imogen will look better in black and white photos than Gemma-Rose. Imogen's brown hair stands out and adds more contrast whereas Gemma-Rose's blonde hair is lost. The more contrast in the original photo the better it will look in black and white.


If you'd like to find out my favourite ways of turning a photo black and white in Photoshop, please watch my latest video!

It's hard to believe it, but my YouTube channel has had it's first anniversary. I'm really excited about it.

Yesterday, I filmed a video to celebrate. As my first introduction is out of date, I did a new one! Would you like to watch?

What is your favourite question? What creature from Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit would you like to be?