To my learning blog for my Photography degree course with the OCA. I have been taking snapshots all my life, with ever increasing volumes during the past few years, until I decided that it was time to buy a real camera and learn how to do photography "properly". And so, during a trip to Hong Kong in December 2010, I bought a Nikon D5000 with an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lens. I was then too scared to use it, frightened of dropping it, breaking it, marking it, ruining it, pressing the wrong buttons, not being able to take any photos, etc! You name it - I was worried about it, and so I alternated between trying to use it and still relying on my dinky Nikon Coolpix pocket camera. Then in February 2012, I took a two-day course in Richmond, where "the penny dropped" and I suddenly understood about the difference between the various settings and what the balance between aperture, shutter speed and ISO was all about. In March 2012, armed with a new burst of enthusiasm and the realisation that I would one day "retire" from corporate life and hoped to work as a photographer artist (and more recently thinking about documentary photography and photojournalism), I embarked on the first module: The Art of Photography. It is now July 2012, and I am still struggling with getting exposure right and remembering to include all the elements that are important before committing to shutter, but I love every minute and can easily fill up a whole 16Gb memory card in a day (resulting in hours of processing....). I still use the auto settings every now and again, particularly when speed is of the essence, but I am getting better at understanding exposure.
Apart from being passionate about photography, I am a keen fell walker (with husband and dogs) and spend a lot of time in the Lake District (and also driving up and down the M6!), when I am not working in London. This gives me an amazing setting in which to complete my course exercises. I also belong to Kingston Camera Club, where I get some great exposure to learning from other people (and also suffer in the hands of competition judges - they are a difficult breed to please!). I am a big fan of rock music and love going to live concerts. I am hoping one day to get access to where the press stand and take some photos of the gods in action.
I am currently using the kit and zoom lenses mentioned above, and also wide-angled zoom, macro and fisheye lenses, and am particularly interested in landscape, street, close up and abstract photography. For processing, I am trying to get my head round Nikon Capture NX2, but more often than note, I rely on the basic Nikon View NX2, as it is much simpler; processing is still work in progress......
In August 2012, I acquired a Canon Powershot G12 for two purposes: one to carry everywhere with me in my handbag so that I am always prepared for some streetphotography, and two to carry fellwalking where there is likely to be a lot of scrambling and associated difficulties carrying a heavy camera and lenses (with dog attached to hand).
By January 2013, I had bought a prime lens for street photography, the Nikon 35mm f1.8 prime lens, and a Nikon 300m zoom lens for wildlife photography. At this point, I know believe I have everything I need (except a new computer!) but watch this space....
Now May 2013, I have my apple mac :-) and a ND filter. Nothing else I need...although a camera body upgrade would be good...one day!
My list of photography ambitions is very long....top of the list are polar region wildlife and landscapes, volcanic activity landscapes, street photography in New York and Hong Kong, and well, actually I'd be happy to go anywhere in the world really for street photography! And some gritty black and white portraits would be good too! Oh yes, and macro photography - I'm experimenting more and more with my macro lens, with varying degrees of succsess, and I'm always amazed by what the lens picks out (caterpillar feet, parrot wrinkles, and so on!).
NOTE - following feedback from TAOP Assessment event, I have discontinued with the concept of an umbrella blog - all links from this therefore only concern TAOP.
In August 2012, I acquired a Canon Powershot G12 for two purposes: one to carry everywhere with me in my handbag so that I am always prepared for some streetphotography, and two to carry fellwalking where there is likely to be a lot of scrambling and associated difficulties carrying a heavy camera and lenses (with dog attached to hand).
By January 2013, I had bought a prime lens for street photography, the Nikon 35mm f1.8 prime lens, and a Nikon 300m zoom lens for wildlife photography. At this point, I know believe I have everything I need (except a new computer!) but watch this space....
Now May 2013, I have my apple mac :-) and a ND filter. Nothing else I need...although a camera body upgrade would be good...one day!
My list of photography ambitions is very long....top of the list are polar region wildlife and landscapes, volcanic activity landscapes, street photography in New York and Hong Kong, and well, actually I'd be happy to go anywhere in the world really for street photography! And some gritty black and white portraits would be good too! Oh yes, and macro photography - I'm experimenting more and more with my macro lens, with varying degrees of succsess, and I'm always amazed by what the lens picks out (caterpillar feet, parrot wrinkles, and so on!).
NOTE - following feedback from TAOP Assessment event, I have discontinued with the concept of an umbrella blog - all links from this therefore only concern TAOP.
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