Day 12 - Portrait

Here is my offering for Portrait.

I guess usually this is done with humans but to be honest none of my family wanted to have their portrait taken!

I've learned a lot form this task, a lot about taking pictures of dogs anyway! It's certainty not as easy as it looks and getting them in focus is a right pain because they move so quickly! A few of the pictures I made the mistake of having the ISO way too high (default seems to be super high on auto ISO?!) to they're a bit noisy... but you live and learn and this is what this challenge is about; learning.

Nucky (the white one) was actually a bit easier to photograph, despite being camera shy, than Finlay (the black and tan one) because her expressive eyes came across better. Although I can tell what Finlay is thinking (usually "what food can I steal next?") I found it pretty difficult to get this in a photo. Sometimes I managed it but most of the time the fleeting glances weren't captured.

Again, this is a challenge I do want to revisit and try again, maybe even with willing humans next time! I want a lens that I can zoom in a bit more and get some nice candid shots... another day, another day! :)

Enjoy!

Day 11 - Landscape

I've wanted to do some nice landscape photography for all of you wonderful readers... but honestly I live in a very flat and boring area!

I looked at lots of examples that involved mountains and cliffs, rocks and beaches. My immediate surroundings, however, are a little more like fields and trees and more fields and more trees! Fields and trees ar enice, but don't make for interesting landscape photography in mypersonal opinion (I'm sure if you live in the city then fields and trees are really exciting!!).

So, I took HARVe up at the weekend while doing some exploring, you can see those pictures below, and I thought I'd also share a few pictures I took at Sutton Bank a few months ago (sadly with my phone before I had my gorgeous new camera). That should satisfy the landscape photography!

I DO want to revisit this one, but I'm also keen to get onto the other ones too!

Day 10 - Lens Flare

Hello all!

I've finally decided to update the blog!! I've had these pictures taken and edited for about a week, but honestly i don't like lens flare pictures. So they're really uninspiring!

Next one is Landscape and then Portrait. I'm off for the next two days so hoping to catch up a bit and get some good pictures in, so please keep coming back!!

In other news, this is the first blog that I'm doing using my new (to me) netbook!! I decided to get a simple little netbook for when I go to Scotland on holiday (doing the North Coast 500 tour!!) then I can do a travel blog and put my pictures on from HARVe and my action camera (a GoPro copy called an SJCAM!). I fully intend to find the Loch Ness Monster while I'm there and want to blog about it as soon as I do!! :) I have to say, this little thing (called MiniEgg) might not be very powerful, but its cute!! I like it!!

Anyway, here are the photos. I know they're crap... but landscape will be better I promise!!

Not Dead

Just thought I'd drop a note in to say Hi! I'm not dead, just busy working so not been able to be out and take photos.

That and I don't like Lens Flare, which is the next task. I've taken some (bad) pics and will get them edited tomorrow.

One after that is landscape and I'm a bit stumped to be honest as where I live is pretty flat and boring! Will need to get out somewhere else I reckon... or get HARVe out! :)

Either way, more updates will be coming.

Enjoy this photo for now! :)

Handsome boy!

Day 9 - Bokeh (part 1)

Ok ok... I know what you're all thinking "you're SO far behind!!" this is true...


I've been reading about bokeh (apparently the art of the aesthetically pleasing blurry background) and looking at other pictures. Some of them I like, some of them I just can't see the point of??

Most of the examples I've seen seem to be cities or towns with lots of lights and them all blurred out... well I live in the countryside so that's really not going to happen! :)

There is, however, a way to do it with fairy lights and a stencil... I've made the lens hood and stencil but I'll be dammed if I can get a set of fairy lights easily (they're either in the loft with the Xmas stuff, or on my tent, which is in the bag... and I'm not untangling them!). I will try to get some fairly lights tomorrow and give the stencil one a go.

Today, though, we have pictures with blurry backgrounds! I like most of them! After reading online I figured that my pictures would be crap because the smallest aperture I have is 3.5 and all the tutorials said something like a f/1.6 was needed... but I gave it a go and quite like the results!

So what do you think? Is my bokeh beautiful or does it leave you feeling cold and unloved?!

Until tomorrow xx

Day 8 - Sunset (finally!!!!)

I am an idiot.

This is official.

I've had it confirmed today.

I got back at around 6:45, had some dinner, forced Finlay (The Dog) to eat his dinner in super fast record time (which really doesn't take much convincing seeing as he's a greedy git) and got us both read. I had my camera on me, my swanky (read: cheap) new tripod on me. We raced to Hatfield Forest, parked up, did a route march through the thicket and out to the lake. I got the tripod out and hurriedly set it all up as sunset looked PERFECT for a change...

Set up my camera, checked the viewfinder and live view and though that is a gorgeous picture.... put a two second timer on it so I wouldn't jog the camera as it was taking the photo... and what do you think happened? Do you think it took that wonderful picture I've been waiting over a bloody WEEK to take?!

NO!

Why not? I hear you ask....

This is where the realisation that I'm an idiot comes into it... I'd left the SD card in my computer and didn't have a spare! What a numpty!

HOWEVER!

I couldn't let the opportunity pass so I whipped out my phone and snapped a couple of shots... and I have to say, they're gorgeous! 

I might get them printed and hang them on my wall as a constant reminder that I can do anything I put my mind to, even if it's not how I originally planned it! :)

The Photos:

This one is by the trees on the way out of the forest:

For some unknown reason, Google decided to make a few of them into a gif?! I thought it was pretty cool, so here it is!

Frustrated

So I'm frustrated...

I've tried getting a picture of a sunset and all of them so far ahve been crap. Not even Google's funky editing stuff and sticking stupid filters on top of the picture of HDR'ing the shit out of them have made them any better.

What's also annoying is that the pictures I took at E&A's wedding were a bit shit. Not that good at low-light apparently... and I don't like the flash. I'm having a grump.

So here's the picture of sunset:

There isn't one.


Grr...


I'm skipping it and going onto the next one then I'll tag it onto the end.

Annoyed.