Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts

Friday, 12 July 2013

Rock the Shot photo competition- Sun Flare

I haven't written a post in absolutely AGES! So what better way to start up again than entering a fantastic competition run by the amazingly awesome www.rocktheshotforum.com. The theme for this month is 'sun flare' which is a technique I am loving at the moment (well when the sun occasionally comes out!) I took this photo when I was doing my 365 silhouette month but love the way my son looks like he is catching the sun like a ball. The second one is from the same series of photos and is one of my favs.

This is my photo submission for the competition

The second one is from the same series of photos and is one of my favs.

I have been absent from my camera for a few weeks now- too long as I am getting withdrawal symptoms! So I am getting back into my photo groove and am planning some exciting new ventures for the future. I am reassessing life at the moment and am looking forward to travelling new paths! New camera, new lens(?) exciting stuff!

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

A Eureka moment

Have you ever had one of those "Ahhhh...." moments that have suddenly completely changed the way you look at something? I had one today and I am feeling pretty excited by it!

Its all to do with the dreaded MANUAL MODE (dun...dun) on my camera. Its a big deal to me to get the most out of things I have and for the 2 years that I have had my prized DSLR I have been pretty much stuck in the safe auto/preset modes. About a year ago I did venture into the uncharted territory of the A, S and P modes and had a fairly successful and pleasurable experience, but I have never quite had the courage (or ability) to go "commando" and try M mode. I have read so many blogs that say once you go manual you'll never look back, so I figured hey what the heck I can do this........ha little did I know this meant I had to use what little knowledge I had about photography to get photos AHHHHH!

For weeks (well months actually) I have been clicking away in manual mode, adjusting aperture, tweaking ISO and fiddling the shutter speed to achieve the perfect portrait or landscape only to be faced with either hideously blown out over exposed shots or completely black photos with no recognizable shapes in them what so ever. Why? What am I doing wrong? This is not what the other bloggers describe when they said the using manual mode was the best thing they ever tried (I am hoping this was photographically speaking and not in general or else they must live fairly sheltered lives?!)! I was at a loss and had resigned myself to only ever being able to go as far as semi-auto- a place I was not happy to stay!

Then I stumbled across this site this morning and I finally had the "Ahhhhh...." moment I had been searching for. http://cameras.about.com/od/Advanced-Camera-Modes/a/Using-Manual-Mode.htm the most informative section for me was not to do with f-stops, shutter speed or ISO but to do with exposure compensation...who knew it could be that simple?

Achieving the Correct Exposure

Fortunately, knowing whether you have the correct exposure is not completely reliant on guesswork. All DSLRs have metering and an exposure level indicator. This will be represented both in the viewfinder, and either on the camera's LCD screen or the external information screen (depending on what make and model of DSLR you have). You'll recognize it as a line with the numbers -2 (or -3) to +2 (or +3) running across it.

The numbers represent f-stops, and there are indentations on the line set in thirds of a stop. When you've set your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to what you require, press the shutter button halfway and look at this line. If it's reading a negative number, it means your shot will be under-exposed, and a positive number means over-exposure. The goal is to achieve a "zero" measurement, although I tend not to worry if it's one-third of a stop over or under this, as photography is subjective to your own eye.

So, if your shot is going to be vastly under-exposed, for instance, you'll need to let some more light into your shot. Depending on the subject of your image, you can then decide whether to adjust your aperture or shutter speed ... or, as a last resort, your ISO.

It all seems so simple now, I had wondered for a while what that little line of numbers was for and how it would effect my pictures, now I know. I have had a bit of a play this morning and I am starting to get the hang of this manual mode thingie and have gotten some reasonable results. I will post a few photos soon to show the results of my M mode experience. Feeling pretty happy with myself now and not a moment too soon really as I am taking photos at a friends wedding (eeekkkk) in 2 weeks and I had hoped to be out of auto by then!

A couple of other sites I have visited on my M mode quest that I have found helpful.

http://etierphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/basix-primer-on-manual-settings-dslr.html

http://photo.net/beginner-photography-questions-forum/00Zuub

http://www.nphotomag.com/2012/06/03/how-to-shoot-in-manual-mode-on-your-nikon-dslr/

Has anyone else had the same M mode experiences. I'd love to hear form anyone who has mastered it and can give any helpful advice to a willing student.

I have started a 365 photo project on Instagram #oskandoly365. I'd love to hear from anyone about what you think about my photos, it's always nice to get a little critique from people (be it good or bad).

I hope you are all having a lovely Tuesday and happy snapping.

xx P xx

Thursday, 1 November 2012

Getting my photo-mojo back!

Lately I have been rather out of sorts when it comes to taking photos, which is completely unlike me as I have usually taken at least 50 photos of whatever by the time I snuggle up in bed at night. A lot of things have affected my life recently and have completely messed my mind up as far as photography goes. My photo-mojo has been off and I have found myself photoless on too many days!

I did enjoy a day out in Brick lane recently (about a month ago) with London Photo Walk, which I really enjoyed and while I didn't meet masses of people in the group (I chatted to one or two fellow photographers) I did get to chat and hang out amongst some of the most vibrant and interesting people and places in London. I LOVE the East End and don't know why for so long I have wasted my time fighting the crowds of the trendy, expensive West End. The East End is where I should have been, with it's grubby streets, quirky little restaurants and cafes and amazingly dark history...I have found my London niche and it is somewhere I will go often! The sights and smells on my walk around were something I can't describe...but I can say that it was ALL GOOD!

These are some of the photos I managed to snap while out and about...my photo-mojo was working well that day!

Since then however I have been a little flat. I have started to follow another photo challenge 365 Project.

I have taken a photo most days for this but as I am feeling uninspired they are often at the last minute and not well thought out (not something I am used to!) To see some of my 365 pictures here is the link to follow...oskandoly 365 project.

Hopefully I will get back into the groove and start back on taking 100's of photos a day again! #fmsphotoaday November has started and I have vowed to take each and every photo this month, October was a bit of a wash out! Here's the first pic for the month and November's list should you want to get involved (and I really think you should!).

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a good Halloween.....take care.

xx Pen xx

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

The last of my June photo challenges and hello July!

Why am I finding time just slipping away? I didn't feel 100% yesterday so didn't feel up to blogging my Monday shouts and today I have all of yesterdays chores to catch up with so am not sure when I'll get time to shout out for the wonderful blogs I have discovered.

I will post my photo updates from the photo a day challenge. I have a few June ones to share and also the new July ones (am still having a ball with this!)

June 26th- Where I shop. I got a skateboard for my son for his 6th birthday.

June 27th-Bathroom

June 28th- On the shelf.

June 29th- Soft. Well it is fairly self-explanatory...my baby boy's soft curls!

June 30th- Friend. This may seem like a strange thing to have as
a friend but I was slightly seedy from indulging in too much wine the
night before...so these babies were definitely my besties!

And so the July photo challenge begins!

July 1st- Self Portrait. I am still trying hard to get as many photos of me as I can.

July 2nd- Busy. I kind of cheated on this one as I couldn't get inspired on this day so I
used a photo I'd taken ages ago in Calais, France of a busy bumblebee.

July 3rd- Best part of my day. We had the school's olympic torch relay coming to our school and I had
organised a special Maori welcome for the other school. There was flag waving and singing and Oly was given the NZ flag to wave. She did it with such vigor! It was fantastic to see my wee "pommy" daughter getting back to her roots and waving the flag with so much excitement!

July 4th- Fun. As part of his birthday treat Osk and I went to Lakeside Shopping Centre
for shopping, lunch and a film. It was nice to have some alone time with him without the monster!

July 5th- On the floor. I was covering in a Year 10 History lesson... this is my camera and handbag on the floor under my desk.

July 6th- Chair. A collage of my fave chairs from around my house, technically one is a couch but I love snuggling up on it so felt it should be part of the photo!

July 7th- Garden. I am feeling quite pleased with my garden at the moment, everything is starting to bloom and the fruit is ripening. I managed to pick enough currants to make some home-made Ribena!

Well that's it so far, it's so much fun to look back at all the photos I've taken since I started doing this challenge in April. I am thinking of making a big canvas picture using the printsgram.com service to make a huge collage.

I hope the day is treating you well...I am off now to get stuck into the housework...ewwwwww there is a huge pile of ironing beckining I HATE IRONING!

What is your most loathed household chore?

xx P xx

Friday, 6 July 2012

Olympic Torch Relay Fun and Lazy Susan project completed!

Well Olympic fever has well and truly hit here now...it was the Torch relay through my town today so on mass everyone lined the streets to cheer on each of the torch bearers. The weather, in true English fashion was appalling, but despite the ever constant drizzly rain (and one or two torrential downpours) and my Bah Humbug attitude towards the whole Olympics hoohar, the day was actually a lot of fun and enjoyed by all I think (even me!). I am feeling pretty shattered now actually and am looking forward to settling down in front of the TV tonight and then early to bed...my Rock and Roll lifestyle is so enviable!

The Olympic Torch passes us going up Chalkwell Avenue.
Just after this photo was taken the heavens absolutely opened up and we had the most torrential downpour- I'm glad I got to see it and get this photo beforehand.

I missed doing my Monday Shout outs as this week being nearly the end of term is a mad one at work and I have been in everyday this week so shout outs will have to wait til next Monday, but I have finished my Lazy Susan craft project so thought I'd share that with you.

I purchased a pine Lazy Susan from IKEA about 3 weeks ago for the bargain price of £5.39! I couldn't resist such a bargain and while I had no need, or for that matter desire, to own a Lazy Susan I thought if I could make it look pretty I'd find a use for it .

SNUDDA

Lazy Susan, solid wood birch

£5.39

It was very plain and boring so I started by sanding it right back to bare unwaxed wood and staining it using strong coffee and coffee grindings.

I then drew a design on it using a French sign I got from The Graphics Fairy...but ended up not liking it so sprayed it with a very light coat of semi-gloss white to cover the design.

You can kind of make out the design I had originally put onto the board, but wasn't happy with.

All sprayed and ready for podging!

I found an old piece of wrapping paper I'd gotten from a French Art Exhibition I'd seen at the Tate Modern a few years ago and used that to cover the whole board. Using my trusty Mod Podge I spread a layer over both the board and the paper and placed the paper on top and lined it up. I smoothed out the paper to make sure all the air bubbles were out and I left to dry completely.

When it was totally dry I noticed that in a couple of places it didn't completely cover the the board and sides so I got a small piece of very fine sandpaper and lightly went over the whole top smoothing and "ageing" the edges and centre of the paper.

I sanded the edges so they blended into the sides without harsh paper lines.

I also sanded the centre of the board to give it an aged, "lived with" look.

I then gave it 3 good coats of a clear acrylic varnish to make sure it was protected from any spills or things that were placed on it. I am really happy with the way it has turned out and I am sure if I had to buy it now I'd pay a lot more than the £5.39 IKEA charged for it.

Voilà the completed project!

I trust you are all enjoying your Friday, I am now going to go out into the garden to catch the last rays of sunshine (it decided to make an appearance in the late afternoon) before the Gnats descend and it's too bitey to be outside anymore.

Did you manage to see the Olympic torch relay in your town?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I hope it's a good one for you.

xx P xx

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

My baby boy is 6!

It hardly seems like yesterday that I was waddling round grumbling about how nice it would be to see my feet again, and was this heat ever going to go away as I was too fat and not enjoying being sweaty and puffy! I guess my baby boy was listening and being kind to his Mumma because he decided enough was enough made his appearence 5 weeks early!

That was 6 years ago today, oh how time has flown. I look at him now and can't believe he is the same teeny tiny little bubba boy that was in such a hurry to arrive.

He has really grown-up into a proper boy now, still mad haired and still Mummy's little guy, but a proper grown-up boy, into all the strange things little boys find so fascinating.

1 year old eating his greens.

Skateboarding is his new craze, it's what he really wanted for his birthday, so when I picked him up from school yesterday I surprised him with a new "deck". Wow who knew a skateboard could have made him so popular. All the way out of school and along the road we were greated with envious remarks of 'oh wow you have a skateboard...COOL!' He was mobbed at the park so held court and showed off his boarding prowess (and sustained his first boarding injury too). It's off to the skate-park tonight to practice some tricks, I am sure it won't be too long before he'll be telling me about his latest ollie, being a goofy, his primo stack, fakies and k-grinds speaking in a language I'll never hope to understand and there'll be no more kisses for his Mummy in public!