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A constantly curious and melancholic wanderer...

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

New Adventures

I love photography... I love looking at beautiful photos.  This has always been a hobby of mine, but I have never had the confidence or the extra time to take it further. And to be honest, I have no skills.  I just shoot from the hip and hope for the best.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take up a photography course.  Unfortunately I was not able to complete it as my camera was only able to use automatic mode and this course is focused on how to use the manual mode on your camera.  This allows you to be in control of the photo you take instead of the camera being in control, but you need a lot more skill to understand your camera.  I decided to wait until we could buy a new camera (and hoped it wouldn't be too long) and then the photographer called me with a wonderful deal -  one of her friends selling her camera for very affordable and in very good condition.

So at the moment I am waiting to complete my course as soon as my instructor returns from her overseas trips, but I have decided to start my journey so long...

I found this awesome blog (Click it Up a Notch ) on photography for beginners and teaching you the basics of using the manual mode on your camera.

Here are 5 reasons to shoot in manual mode as well as the basics of shooting in manual mode.

I recapped some of the knowledge I got from my first lesson and learnt a few more things and then decided to try it out on my little model... Mr X.  Unfortunately he got up from his afternoon nap in a very grumpy mood, so the photos show a different face than the one you normally see. I thought of not posting it, but since I am trying to be more real - this actually points out the realities of parenthood.  Some days are very hard, for you and for your little one.  You both feel frustrated and you have no idea why... I did not figure out what bothered him in the end, but lots of kisses and cuddles and dances in between trying to prepare for supper and clean up a bit before my husband came home, did alleviate some of the intense feelings.

You will see that I am really still struggling with the aperture and shutter-speed combinations, but these photos were to play around with the settings and try to get the right feel...



One very grumpy little man.  His car (which is his walking aid at the moment) doesn't maneuver as easily outside as on the inside of the house, and this was in part what led to the expressions you see... (way too much exposure, but at least got a little bit of a blurry background)  



Life is hard when you are 14 months old... 


This one is heart-breaking... Those crocodile tears that I try to kiss away as much as possible. There wasn't much I could do about the background, but hopefully if I invest in a different lens, I will be able to get those blurred or" bokeh" backgrounds the photographer speaks about in her blog mentioned above.  



Even though this is probably way too much light, I do like the effect of it... Hopefully in time I will know how to use the light more to my benefit.  



This time he didn't enjoy the feeling of the bark as much as the previous time when he stood there for hours to play...
(Will have to find out why I got a red blotch in my photo, but probably something with focusing too much into the sun. Any professional photographers out there? Please give advice...) 



There he goes... 



Not a great photo as I did not focus enough on Xander, but just one to show that he does have a beautiful little smile... (which he thankfully shows a lot) 


I really need to cut the Wild One's hair... 



My last attempt to get a smile (fail), and then caught my own shadow in the photo.  I have a long way to go, but I took a first little step... Yay

Stay tuned for more failed attempts from me and the little grumpy bunny... 


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