Digital Photography - Lesson 5

I have been busy working away on Lesson 5 of the photography course with Jessica.  Lesson 5 focused (excluse the pun) on shutter speed and shutter priority.   Having never before moved the dial on the camera from Auto this was a real eye opener for me.    I have to say I haven't returned the camera to auto.

The assignment was to take 3 "frozen moments".   This sounds easier than it was.

 I spent a day at the Falls of Clyde.   A 5 hour walk which was delightful.  The above photograph was one of many I took that day.   I had good feedback on this one and learned a lot about what I should have done!    So many things to think about it's easy to forget but I guess the more I do the better I will become.  

We saw nesting Peregrine Falcons which was fabulous.    It was a lovely day weatherwise although one minute we had bright sunshine and the other it was overcast - great exercise on lighting a shot.

Although the swan was far away I used my 55-200 mm telephoto lens for this shot. This was taken at the Falls of Clyde much further up the river.   

By the end of the week when the photographs were due to be uploaded to the group for critique I wasn't sure I had good enough photographs and so I went out and about around the Murieston trail in the hope of getting a good photograph.   Just as I was about to head for home having not managed to photograph anything suitable for this lesson two ducks appeared on the river.  

I really had to be very quiet and managed to get a couple of photographs that I could have used but this was the best.   Two seconds later the ducks flow away and the moment was lost.

I am not sure about bonding with my camera just yet but whilst I was out and about during the week with my camera I certainly made a friend with this horse.  It was very curious and literally posed for me to take photographs.    I got a few but this is the best.

  I didn't choose this as one of my photographs to upload for my class but I love it nevertheless.

I haven't had time to work on Lesson 6 yet.  Well I did a little work but it's not very good.   We are decorating the hall which is a big job as we have upstairs so the stair well is a bit tricky to do - and high - but we aare getting there with it.    We still have a lot of work to do so photography will have to take a back seat for a while although hopefully I will manage to get some images for the next lesson.

I managed to get 2/3 of the 7th block of the Latte quilt stitched.  This was a block that I was sure I wouldn't manage - the hooping looked too difficult.   I managed it OK and when the decorating is finished - or maybe whilst we wait for the wallpaper to arrive - I will get the block completed.

More later.

Digital Photography - Lesson 4

Lesson 4 on the Digital Photography class was bringing what we learned in the previous 3 lessons together.    We were to set up and photograph a still life.    Although this was very challenging I learned a lot.  

Yesterday I spent the day at the Clyde Falls in New Lanark.   I was trying to get some photographs of the Falls for Lesson 5.    The Peregrine Falcons are sitting on their eggs and we managed to see the  mother sitting on her eggs.  

The digital photography class is a wonderful class and I have already signed up for another of Jessica's classes - composition which runs immediately after this class finishes.   I think I will be taking more classes from Jessica she is such a wonderful tutor.  

Digital Photography - Lessons 2 and 3

Lesson Two was all about light.   The sky photographs were taken in order to see how much colour there was in the sky.   I took these on the same day at different places.   One was taken outside my house and the other was taken when we visited the quilt shop in Jedburgh. 

Although we have had some really bad weather the Saturday we visited a new to me quilt shop was a gorgeous day.

 I bought new fabrics for my classes that start back in September.  I already have the designs and colours planned I just needed the correct fabric.   A visit to Kaleidoscope in Milgavie the week before meant I had some of the fabrics in the colours I wanted but I needed some more.    I think I have all I need now.

The next two photographs were to show the difference in light.   One was outside and the other was inside with incandescent light. 

Lesson 3 taught us about metering.   I have to say that my old camera a Nikon 501 which I used for a few years was never off Auto.   I have always been afraid to move the settings in case I couldn't return things to normal.   I should, of course, have read the manual as you can reset to factory settings very easily which means I can experiment without worrying too much.    You would think I would have known better wouldn't you?   We were to take 3 photos of two different subjects but I will just post one of each:

I received very good feedback from my tutor on this photograph of a rose.   It was a flower from a beautiful bouquet I received from my Thursday afternoon students:

I am afraid this photograph doesn't do it justice but it is beautiful in real life.   I am so lucky to have such wonderful and kind students.

This is the river that runs not far from my house.   It was flowing quite freely on the day I took this photograph.    The next day I went for my walk it was flowing much faster and was right up to the edge of the embankment - what a difference a day makes. 

I am looking forward to Lesson 4.   I must get back into the sewing studio and start using some of the new fabrics in the new projects. 

I need to c atch up on my Latte quilt which I hope to do over this coming weekend.  I will post pictures of my progress.

Thanks for dropping by.