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.

Sunset - postponed

Just adding a little note here to say I haven't forgotten about the next challenge (Sunset) just the past 3/4 days its been bloody cloudy at sunset and you really can't see much!! :(

So it's still in the planning... hoping to get some nice photos tonight.

In the mean time, have a photo from the weekend with a sunset in it! :)

Day 7 - Silhouette

I'm excited about today's blog!!! Really excited because for once I actually love nearly all of the photos I took! I don't love them because they're all brilliant photos, far from it actually, but I love them because I can actually see the potential in each one and have a rough idea of how to make them better next time! :)

Once again I didn't really have much time to devote to it and ended up rushing a bit, but the three I've got I love, love, love!! :)

Onto the photos:


Trees

It's a little out of focus because I was losing the light (as you can see, sunset) and I didn't have a tripod at the time so wasn't able to keep the camera completely still... but wow! I LOVE the colour of the sky behind the trees and the way they really dominate the picture, but also love the fact that after you've finished looking at the trees and gorgeous sunset, you just notice the tops of the tents and that adds a whole other lever of interest to the story behind the photo! :) I Like it!! :)

Hedingham Castle at Night

Again this photos is suffering from a lack of tripod and is also a bit noisy. As it's the first attempt at shooting anything at night I'm very proud :) I took most of the colour out in the editing software as it really wasn't adding much to the photo (and I'm getting a bit of a thing for this black and white lark) and that really brought out that tree at the corner of the castle. I like this, and would like to take it again with a tripod and with a bit more time to really get it right :)


Cecil The Trebuchet

What can I say? Wow.... It was a gorgeous picture without any editing, but a but of adjusting to get the colour of that sunset to pop and wow wow wow. I am SO pleased with this one I can't even begin to describe it! :) Just like the one with the trees I love this because it's got that added bonus; there's a gorgeous sunset, beautiful trees and majestic trebuchet in the middle, but as you follow the arm of the treb up to the top you notice one tiny star coming out in the night's sky. I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!! ^_^

Day 8: Sunset. I've not done this yet, so I'm a day behind. Hoping to get some good photos tonight... if the postie arrives with my new tripod today they might even be good photos!! You never know!!! :)

Day 6 - Low Angle

Day 6 is Low Angle. Just like Yesterday's high angle, low angle is instead taking photos from a lower angle than normal.

I didn't have much time to devote to this one to be honest as I was busy filming stuff and generally being medieval at the time and a large bright red camera isn't really very 15th Century! :)

All being said, however, these are my two attempts. Both of the trebuchet, Cecil! 

I quite like this one as it is so totally different to how you see the treb normally. In the editing software I really pulled out the grain of the wood, again it was a fairly murky spring day so the sky isn't overly interesting because it is all washed out. Perhaps it's time for me to play with filters?! ^_^

I prefer the first one personally, but again like this one too. I wanted to get right under it and was allowed to but was called away to do something and didn't get a chance. Over all I quite like both but wish I'd had more time to get a feel for it :)

Day 7 is Silhouette.... got some really pretty pics there! :)

Please leave comments below is you're loving/hating this blog! :)

Day 5 - High Angle

So, Day 5 has rolled around and today's theme is "High Angle". all the tutorials basically say "photos taken form a higher than normal vantage point".


It is at this part in our adventures through Niki's foray into photography that I have a small confession to make.


I own this:

This is HARVe (Hovel Aerial Reconnaissance Vehicle). He is a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Quadcopter (not drone...), and I love him!

So yes. I have mercilessly cheated on this little post! All of these high angle shots have been taken by HARVe! From anything upto about 300ft in the air! ^_^

Onto the pics!!

Hedingham Castle

The camera on my P2V (called HARVe) has a fisheye lense. I really wish it didn't. Was also losing the light, but this has so much potential! :) I'm also a bit peeved that it is wonky. I tried straightening it but that cut off half the castle :( The issues with this picture are 100% pilot error!

Cecil (Follow Her on Twitter: @CecilTheTreb)

Quite like this one. Can't see the fisheye effect too badly too which is cool, and its a lovely view of Cecil! :) Was a bit over zealous with the cropping though and appear to have chopped off a stake...

Hedingham Castle Black and White

Ok ok ok.... I actually really like black and white!!! Who knew you could get ruins and decay to show up so much better with black and white!! It was also a very dreary day in early spring so the trees are a murky brown colour! What I LOVE about this picture is how the castle dominates the right hand side of the picture and really draws your eye right up the top to the flag,yet at the bottom in the corner the black and white has really made the tents pop out, especially the stripy one! :) I REALLY like this picture!! :)


I'll be updating a few days as I've got them all done and edited now :)

Day 6 is Low angle and Day 7's pictures I'm SO happy with!! Silhouette! :)

Check out: HovelTV for footage and more pictures from the weekend as soon as I've got round to editing then waiting for my painfully slow internet connection to upload! :)

Day 4 - Texture

I'm beginning to worry I'm a bit crap at this whole photography thing... Looked at "texture" photos and thought 'no worries, looks dead easy'. It wasn't! :/

So, here's my attempts.... Bit late as I forgot to upload last night! :)


Crochet:

I like this one quite a bit, but should ahve played with the settings a bit more as it seems too bright in some places. Yeah I hear you "lighting, lighting, lighting".... vintage filter and we're sorted!

wool

Actually quite like this one too! Cropped it right down to just the wool and then you can really see not only the individual strands wound around but also the fluff. I used the 'bleach' filter for this one to take away the really bright colour of the wool, this is really cool as it made the fluff stand out a bit more


Toad In The Hole

For some reason doesn't look as yummy as it tasted or as it looked when it left the oven. I like the rough texture of the dinner and the smooth of the oven dish :)

Brick Work

You thought I'd do a post with no decay? WRONG! Even better, last post I said I didn't think black and white was my thing.... turns out I was wrong about that too! :) Quite like this one! :)


I'm going away for a few days, but the next three days are: High Angle (for which I have a plan...) Low Angle (for which I have no plan) and Silhouette! So See you in a few days!

don't forget to leave a comment if you're liking these posts, if you're not liking them... stop reading! :P

Day 3 - Black and White

Have to say, I really struggled with this one.

I don't know if it was a lack of inspiration or the fact that I got up STUPIDLY early this morning that I now feel like a zombie at 6 o'clock at night... Either way, I found this one hard.

There's six different photos here, some I like more than others. I don't think black & white really suits me, but some of the decayed stuff looks good!! ^_^

Daisy

Admittedly I put a vintage filter on this then turned it black and white...

Bridge

Quite like this one, like the mix of urban and country :)

Fence

It's a fence. I'm getting Alfred Hitchcock ...

Abandoned

Couldn't resist a bit of a mooch around an abandoned building! :) I took the contrast right down on this, so it literally is: black and white. Not sure if that worked better or not?

Abandoned Roof

The roof of the abandoned building I was wandering around. Kept this one quite bright so there would be more detail inside... I think it kind of worked?

Decayed Cross

Just for sh*ts and giggles, here's a black and whit decayed cross in time for Easter! :) This one is actually my favourite.


so there you ahve it, black and white. I'm not really overly impressed by any of them. Tomorrow is "Texture" I'm really excited about that as I'll be in London all day too! Hoping to wander around some more abandoned & derelict places... so expect lots of mould, moss, mildew and RUST! ^_^

Day 2 - Rule of Thirds

I'm kind of hoping I can look back through this blog and see my photography improving. I'm also hoping I find out what my niche is... it's certainly not Selfies like yesterday!!


Day 2: Rule of Thirds

Today's topic is Rule of Thirds. This one is chucked around a lot, I've heard about it with consideration to painting & drawing and video editing.

The Rule of Thirds is about composing the picture, rather than just snapping and hoping (dammit...). Wikipedia, the ever reliable online encyclopaedia, explains it well:

"The rule of thirds is a principle of the Golden ratio with broad application as a "rule of thumb" or guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such as designs, films, paintings, and photographs. [...] an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. [...] creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering [sic] the subject." (Unknown, Unknown)

Over all I'm quite pleased with today's photos. I cheated a bit and did most of them in auto. Which, looking back at them, was stupid really as they're all a bit too dark (despite a bit of touching up). I'll chalk that down to experience...

On with the pics...

First Picture: Spring Blossom

I like this because I tried to balance the two main sets of flowers in the top left and bottom right corners. It has somewhat worked, but I'm a little bit peeved that it's not in focus brilliantly... it was really windy.

Second Picture: A Concrete Column

I have a bit of a thing about urban photography. I love UrbExing, so this snap really is a homage to that! I think (hope) It's worked quite well and I've tried to balance the beam edge with the right vertical line. I like it anyway!

Third Picture: A Daffodil

You know Spring is here with the daffodils are out! :) I wanted to get the two left and right yellow leaves along the top horizontal line with the orange cup in the centre. I put the whole flower head in the top two thirds of the photo, it seems to work nicely. I like this one too.

Fourth Picture: My Local Church

With this photo I wanted the church to be in the distance but balanced, like an added extra to the landscape. I don't think it worked very well though. Next time I'll move slightly to the left and get the top corner of the tower on that cross, probably move a bit closer/zoom in a bit too. There really was no saving that sky either!

Just for laughs:

Decay (because I like decay!) and Finlay, knackered after our 1.5 hour excursion!

Tomorrow's theme is black and white... looking forward to that! :)

Reference:

Unknown. (Unknown). Rule of Thirds. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds. Last accessed 1st Aptil 2015.