Thank you all so much for your questions and your lovely comments! I'm sorry it took a while to get back to you, but better late than never eh? Some of you asked for a picture of me, so here's a few, hee hee! I'm afraid I haven't linked to anything as it would've taken too long, so please Google anything I mention that you want more info on. Ready? OK, here goes!
Where did the name Oomoo come from?Oomoo is just his nickname that the hubby gave him quite early on; his real name is Omar. His other nicknames are The Oomster, Oomstable, Omar the Beaumar and Humphrey for some reason.
How old are you?35.
Did you always feel like you saw the world differently - thus the name my funny eye?Definitely not. Starting this blog has made me pay more attention to what is going on around me visually. I find that if you slow down and pay attention to the small things, you’ll usually see something funny or weird. The name for my funny eye was just fluke; I didn’t know what to call the blog, so I went through my pictures on flickr to see if one of them had a title that would suit.
This is the picture, and as it wasn’t already taken as a blog name I used it.
How did you and your husband meet?We met on a shoot; he was a camera assistant and I was one of the models on the job. My first impression: Grumpy. His first impression: Raver. Oh how wrong we both were!
Have you ever had the perfect cupcake/muffin?I quite liked the cupcakes from The Primrose Bakery. Cupcakes were one of my cravings when I was pregnant but I find them too sweet now. As for muffins and cookies I think the gift baskets from Beverly Hills Bakery are seriously delicious…. Yum!
How about a perfect cookie?See above.
What would you recommend to see in London? Please name 5 things.Please bear in mind that I'm no party animal so my choices might be a bit sedate; the same goes for my Stockholm tips :)
1. Head down to South Bank. There's bound to be something good on at the Hayward Gallery, or you can sit out on the terrace at the Royal Festival Hall and have a drink and enjoy the river view (or wander around the building itself for some great Mid-Century design). If you're lucky and the tide is out, walk down to the beach beneath the river walk; it’s one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever done in London – it’s so surreal down there! Afterwards walk east along the Thames to Tate Modern for some more cultural goodness.
2. Visit Borough Market on a Friday (not as busy) for lunch and get a chorizo burger from the Brindisa stall if you’re a carnivore or a falafel wrap from Arabica if you’re a veggie. If you still have room then head to Konditor & Cook for some afters; their brownies are amazing!
3. You can't visit London and not go to a park; my faves are Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath. The rose garden in the Inner Circle in Regent's Park is a lovely place to wander around (you might even see pensioners steal roses when you're there - like I did the other day!) as is the boating lake and the bird lakes. If you want a more of a "wild" walk then Hampstead Heath is the place, after walking into the heath for 15 minutes or so you might as well be in the countryside.
4. Take your camera for a walk around Shoreditch and Brick Lane; there’s lots of nice street art there and you can also check out some seriously silly outfits that the local trendies are wearing. I’m allowed to say that as I’m old now ;)
5. For a meal to remember (and this one is mainly for meat lovers), treat yourself to lunch or dinner at St John’s; simple food cooked to perfection. I want to go back NOW!
What would you recommend to see in Stockholm? Please name 5 things.
1. Explore Djurgården. There’s so much to see! Have lunch or a fika at Rosendal; go for a walk along the water to Waldermars Udde; check out Skansen outdoor Museum (love that place), hire bikes if your feet get sore and if you like scary rides go on Fritt Fall at Gröna Lund (a theme park).
2. Have the biggest cinnamon or cardamom bun you’ve ever seen at Café Saturnus.
3. For shopping go to Götgatsbacken on Söder, most of the best of boutiques in Stockholm are located here.
4. In the summer a stroll by the water on Norr Mälarstrand is a lovely way to spend an evening.
5. I know it’s really touristy but I love Gamla Stan (the Old Town). If you avoid the main street Västerlånggatan you’ll have a better experience. Or have a look if you want to; it's not as bad as say Carnaby Street used to be here in the 90's (loads of shops selling souvenir tack). The cobbled side streets are really pretty and quiet and more interesting so I'd go straight there instead.
Who is your favorite writer? It seems I have different favourites for different decades; in my late teens it was Milan Kundera, in my twenties Paul Auster and now I’m in my thirties I like Haruki Murakami.
What is (or was) your job?I was a graphic designer on a magazine.
Which word would you choose to describe London? What is your favorite fast meal to make? Salmon pasta; Heat up a tub of double cream slowly in a pan and add the juice of a half lemon, some salt and some freshly ground pepper. Slice up some smoked salmon, add it to the pan and let it cook, then finally sprinkle on some fresh dill. Pour the sauce over some pasta (like fusilli or penne) and enjoy!
Why did you decide to move to London in the first place?
I’d been an anglophile since I was 12, so when it just so happened that my first boyfriend lived here there was nothing to stop me moving over back in '92.
What did you study?
I left school at 15 so I haven't studied anything specifically.
Why did you start a blog?
I was going through a particularly hard time in my life and a blog seemed like a good distraction. I also wanted to take more pictures again as working in an office had practically killed off my photography.
What is your favorite music band?
There's too many to chose from to pick a favourite but right now I'm listening to Little Dragon a lot.
Are you from Sweden?
Yes, I was born in Stockholm and lived there until I was 17.
Why did you move to the UK?
See above.
Do you like it there?
I love it, although I would love it even more if it was smaller and easier to get around! Oh, and I'd also like to have proper seasons, not just "miserable" and "OK" (which are the two seasons we get here).
Where did you meet your husband? See above.
What do you look like?
Like my mum and a bit like the self-portrait in this post :)
What do you think about London?
I don’t think I could ever get bored of this city, there’s so much to do and so much to see; you could probably never cover it all in a lifetime.
Which part/area/neighbourhood of London do you live in?
In North London. Sorry to not be more specific!
What is your favorite building in London?
You know, I’ve never really thought about it… I do love the whole South Bank complex though. It is a bit brutal but I love all the nooks and crannies (the same with the Barbican).
Who is your favorite photographer?
Saul Leiter. Simply the best.
Why don’t you show faces (apart from Oomoo)?
I don’t feel comfortable with showing too much on the internet. You might wonder why I then post pictures of Oomoo. Well, I felt that you guys had been with me throughout the pregnancy and it didn’t seem fair not to show him. Besides, I like a bit of mystery in this day and age. It’s now gotten to the point where I actually like shooting people where you can’t see their faces, and I have to remind myself not to as the photos are mementos of my life!
What is your favorite shop in London?
I don’t have a favourite per se, but I really like Shelf on Cheshire St. I just wish they sold more stuff though as I think their selection is too small!
Who are your favorite photographers?
I’m so glad you ask this and about which photography books have influenced me, it's made me go through my old books again. I used to look through photo books and go to exhibitions a lot more when I was younger and I realize now that I don’t so much anymore. I must change that! I love the work of Saul Leiter, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Nan Goldin, Alex Webb and Rinko Kawauchi. As for books here’s a list of the ones I would go back to time and time again when I got interested in photography:
“The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” Nan Goldin
“Immediate Family” Sally Mann
“Under A Grudging Sun” Alex Webb
“In Our Time” Magnum
“The Photographic Essay” William Albert Allard
“Young Chet” William Claxton
What is your ‘go-to’ lens?
My Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM.
How do you cope with the odd reality which is ‘blogging you’, ‘mother you’ and ‘you you’?
Honestly, I don’t feel that there is any difference of who I am as a blogger or a mum. The “blogging me” might be a bit annoying for the hubby and my friends though, as I’m forever wandering off taking pictures when we’re out and about!
When did it start for you, this passion for photography?
I was given an old Canon film camera when I was 10 from my godfather who’s a real camera enthusiast. He taught me all about shutter speeds and F-stops, but all I wanted was a pink Konica Pop camera like all my friends had. I’m forever grateful for his generosity and patience, as it probably took me about eight years before I completely understood what he was going on about (give me a break – I was only a kid when I started!). Somewhere there’s a box of loads of underexposed photos from back then.
Before the end of the day, what would you wish to happen?
That we all get a good night’s sleep. Simples.
What inspires you; other photographers? Light, shapes and colours?
Light, shapes and colours sums it up perfectly. It’s always one of those three things or all of them. As for photographers I find flickr really inspiring - I love that site; the democracy of photography at your fingertips. It annoys me how some people get really high and mighty about photography; I think anyone is capable of taking a good picture.
Do you set out to find the unusual, or do they just come as a surprise to you?
I never really go out with my camera with a plan; if I see something that I think might photograph well I’ll take a picture. It’s almost like going out with an in-built radar; I get drawn to certain things (especially old signs with nice lettering; shadows and patterns). I see it as a treasure hunt and I'm so happy when I come across a nice surprise.
Where was this photo taken?
At the Move exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.
Have you ever thought about putting together a self published book of your images?
I have, and I would love to one day. At the moment I just don’t have enough time to sit down and do a proper edit - but watch this space; there will be My Funny Eye books/prints in the future (I hope!)...
What is your favorite film camera?
I love my Lomo LC-A. It’s completely unpredictable, but I love how tiny, light and discreet it is (the shutter noise is minimal) .
What is your favorite camera film?
Kodak Gold 200. I love the colour and the grain you get from it.
What is your favourite book?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
What is your favorite film?
Oooh, that’s a difficult one! I’m going to go with the film I love watching time and time again: Rushmore. It makes me laugh every time.
What is your favorite music?
I can’t narrow it down to one genre but I would sum it up as “old” music like Billie Holiday, Fats Waller, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode, De La Soul, Joy Division, The Velvet Underground, Hank Williams, James Brown and loads more. I’m clueless when it comes to new music but I like Gorillaz, Little Dragon and Paul White.
What is your favorite blog?Hmmmm… I was thinking about this the other day and I came to the conclusion that the blog that has been consistently good over the past few years is
Fine Little Day. Elisabeth always posts something interesting.
What is your favorite coffee place in London?Easy; the Nordic Bakery in Golden Square! Their cinnamon buns are the best in London and I love the quiet atmosphere in there. I haven’t been in ages so I hope they still don’t play music in there as it was/is such a relaxing place to sit and gorge yourself on buns!
How many photos do you take a day? It varies depending on where I am and what I’m doing; sometimes none and sometimes hundreds. But on average I’d say I take about 20 pictures a day (digitally).
Do you prefer to post most of your photos straight out of the camera?I’m assuming you mean not messing around with them too much afterwards? I always crop in-camera but I then do a tiny bit of retouching if it needs it in Photoshop, adding more contrast (for some reason Blogger makes pictures really low in contrast) as well as de-saturating the colours and finally play around a bit with the colour levels.
What's your favorite tool when photo-editing?The clone stamp tool haha, to get rid of marks and dust that might show up. It's so satisfying to drag that thing around.
When did you start being interested by photo? I answered this one earlier :)
Do you think that blogging made your photos evolve?
Definitely. With an “audience” there’s even more of an incentive to constantly better oneself. I believe that the more pictures you take the more you train your eye. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be taking anywhere near as many pictures if I wasn’t blogging.
Who are your main inspirations?
I think places inspire me more than any particular people and I find that any place can be inspiring.
Phew!! That's it folks, thanks again for playing along and I hope you've found my answers satisfactory. Now have yourself a wonderful weekend!
