Sometimes beauty takes time

Some things and some people are born beautiful. They are born being special and precious, and are set apart from others from the very beginning. But this is not always the case and nor is it the only beauty that exists.

Sometimes some things, and some people, take a little more time. They become beautiful through the processes and struggles of life and living. And it is perhaps these processes and struggles that make these things and these people all the more beautiful.

And this beauty is not just found in the way of appearance, but in a certain inexplicable quality that endears one from the very first meeting. This beauty is not the frivolous, temperamental, fleeting kind so often found in youth – but the almost-aged, experienced and wise beauty that comes with the ticking of the clock.

So often people stop to admire the loveliness and the mesmerising display of a butterfly. But almost never do we stop to appreciate the changes, the pain, and the effort that the butterfly has gone through to achieve that beauty. From making its way through a cocoon to surviving in an unforgiving world, that butterfly portrays the true beauty that we all ought to come to appreciate – beauty that comes from survival.

Time; Our Greatest Commodity

"Time is an equal opportunity employer.

Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day.

Rich people can't buy more hours. 

Scientists can't invent new minutes.

And you can't save time to spend it on another day.

Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. 

No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow."

The Right Place at the Right Time

“Do the right thing at the right time. They may just be the little things, but they usually make the difference between winning and losing.”

-       Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Ever wondered how you came to be in a specific place at that specific time just to have something that you will never forget happen. No matter what you believe – or don’t believe – there are occurrences in our lives every day that cannot be explained no matter how hard we try.

Fate or coincidence, being at the right place at the right time is the way our lives run the way they do. Its how we meet the loves of our lives, how we get that golden opportunity to makes our dreams come true, how we see the things that we could only have ever imagined.

So when you find something wonderful happening in your life, just be grateful that you have found yourself in the right place at the right time.

Bérénice Marlohe for Omega

It wouldn’t be the first time that clinching the role as a Bond girl has set an actress’s career into top gear. And it’s no different with Skyfall’s Bérénice Marlohe.

She's been busy promoting the latest 007 movie over the last few weeks, even making an appearance in Cape Town, and posing to perfection on red carpets across the world. And now she is using her looks - and time keeping skills - to promote a new product. The French actress has become the brand ambassador for Omega watches.

All the attention the 33-year-old of Chinese, Cambodian, and French descent was getting, prompted Omega to choose her as their latest ambassador. And from the chic, elegant, and crisp images; she is sure to have many more campaign offers streaming in.

“Time’s Winged Chariot”

“But at my back I always hear

Time’s winged chariot drawing near”

-       Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress

Time will always be the uncontrollable factor of man’s life; it is one of the only things that can liberate us and imprison us.

The nature of time is almost like a butterfly landing in the palm of your hand, if you’ve ever given it a chance to; you blink and as suddenly as it landed, it takes flight once again leaving you to wonder if it had ever been there at all.

Andrew Marvell coaxed his mistress with the thought that time is passing them by and they needed to make the most of their time together; they needed to make love before their youth became their past. Life is seducing us to have our love-affair with it; waiting for us to grab the chance to live like today is all we have.

In life, all you have is the moment. Once the moment passes by, it becomes a memory only alive to you in your mind. Memories of the same event exist differently in different peoples’ minds, but the moment is the same for everyone experiencing it. All you have is that moment before it passes by, before the butterfly takes flight once again.

But sometimes, that moment is all you really need.

The Time Machine

"This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine.
It goes backwards, and forwards...
It takes us to a place where we ache to go again.

It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel.

It let's us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know, we are loved."

Project One - Dates and Info

Phase One kicks off on Friday 6th May 2011 - Once the pictures are uploaded - voting will commence.
To vote - All you will need to do is get your friends and others to type the word - VOTE as a comment on your uploaded picture. The pictures will all be uploaded into an album in the Lee Folkard Photography Page.
You can vote on as many pictures as you wish -BUT only one vote per picture! Duplicate votes will result in all your votes being deleted.

Phase One will end on Monday 16th May 2011 @ 17:00.
Votes will be counted and the Top 10 Candidates will move on to the next phase.

Shoot with Top 10 Candidates on Sunday 22nd May 2011 @ 07:00.
This is a very important date - should you make the Top 10 you will be required to be available on this date at this time for a quick shoot. If you are unable to make it - your place will be forfeited.
Shoot will take place on Umhlanga Beach. You will be required to do your own hair and make-up.
Dress Code: Jeans and a white tank top. You should be done by 09:00 at latest.

Phase Two begins on Monday 23rd May 2011 - Once pictures uploaded voting will again commence.
Your newly taken shots will be uploaded and voting again will commence.
All votes will be stripped from Phase One however, the person who was leading will start off with 10 free votes and the person who was second with 9 - and so forth.

Phase Two ends on Monday 30th May 2011 @ 18:00. Winner announced!
Woohoo! The End - One Winner takes the Prize!

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Fine Print Below:
Lee Folkard Photography reserves the right to change any details at anytime.
If rules are broken - Lee Folkard Photography can delete your entry.
Rules: Play fair. Any suspicious activity will cause deletion.
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