First lesson in photography

I’ve been taking photographs for about 30 years always as an amature (although I did do some professional video work which helped me understand lighting and framing).

I didn’t really take photography seriously until I took an evening class in black and white photography back in around 1990.  

Daily Photo Challenge #20 – Triumph

The last day of the Photo 101 Daily Photo Challenge is about Triumph.

I spent almost the whole day yesterday taking photos around Kauai (Yes I am on holiday/vacation) which is kind of a triumph.  So as I didn’t take a picture of anything specifically triumphant below are a few I took.

The other triumph related thing is that I finally published something to Flickr which is definitely a successful conclusion to this series.

Daily Photo Challenge #19 – Double

Not exactly double but they are definitely siblings.
These are two of my favourite cameras.   On the left is the camera I have owned for the longest and was my father’s before he gave it to me; this is probably the camera that got me into photography in the first place.
On the right is one that I bought a year or two ago and is a really nice little rangefinder.  I have been using this one recently with good results.

Daily Photo Challenge #18 – Edge

had to make this one quick, struggled again to think of something I could do quickly so decided on this… I’ve tried to make the sleepers as horizontal  and the rest as symmetrical as I can.   Not really what I originally thought for this challenge.

Daily Photo Challenge #16 – Treasure

This is my grandfather’s Rolex Oyster.  It was given to me after his death and is one of my treasured possessions.  I had it fully serviced a few years ago and only wear it on special occasions – not that it’s hugely valuable (as Rolex’s go) it’s not gold and it’s not in perfect condition; it is exactly the kind of watch I like tough small and simple.  Obviously it’s not about monetary value anyway – it’s about the memory and something to pass on.

I neglected to bring a lens suitable for close up work so this is as close as I can get today.

Daily Photo Challenge – weekend activity

I managed a trip out at the weekend and took a few landscapes whilst I was about it.  I think this reasonably recaps some of last week’s themes.

Santa Monica Hills, California

Point Mugu Beach, California

Daily Photo Challenge #15 – Landscape

I am lucky to be blessed with a great landscape here but in a daily challenge like this time is limited to what i can achieve between work and sleep.  Getting to a suitable open space with a good vantage point was the challenge.

So here is my effort from the dash out in the car at lunchtime.  Not great at all, not only is the subject matter not great, the composition is poor.  I do struggle generally with landscape shots, I never quite seem to be able to squeeze the full view and it’s majesty into my lens and really capture the scene.  

Daily Photo Challenge #14 – Scale and Observation

I really struggled with this today.  I had some vague ideas but not much in the way of tools and location to expand or achieve them.

So as a ‘I have to do something’ attempt, here at the risk of losing the anonymousness, which for some reason I cling to, I took a self-portrait – ish

Daily Photo Challenge #13 – Moment & Motion

Well I haven’t had a moment to capture motion so I’m afraid i am going to use the “here’s one I made earlier” cheat

I took this picture a couple of years ago at the Goodwood revival.  If you are not aware of it it is a motor racing event in the UK which is themed around the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.  This means that all the cars are vintage racing cars which usually have a historical pedigree.  As well as the cars the whole event is vintage based with event goers dressed in vintage clothes.  It’s a really good event to go to if you have the opportunity I would highly recommended.

I will add that unlike many other vintage car events despite these cars being worth thousands (and in some cases Millions) of pounds they are still driven as real racing with all the risks associated.  Fashion is heavy on the agenda so this is not just an event for car and racing lovers.

This is a Maserati Tipo 8CM fighting for position at the Goodwood circuit

 

Daily Photo Challenge #12 – Architecture & Monochrome

So first of all I though “Yesss!” when this came through as the theme.  This is a staple diet of my photography.  So you might think that this was no challenge; on the contrary with the limitations on my time and the locality where I work where there is not much in the way of stunning architecture, I found this a bit of a struggle finding something worthy in the 30 minute stroll I have in my lunch hour around my office.

Having walked around a few times now I have a feel for what is out there so the challenge today was to look again and see if I can see something I’ve overlooked before.  This is an important lesson and something I love about photography in that in order to find the thing someone else hasn’t seen you have to take your time and look again.  Sometimes the best photos are from when I just sit down somewhere (perhaps waiting for something) and as I have my camera with me I start looking and looking again and often after a while I see something that wasn’t visible before and that’s a nice thing to see .

Anyway here are four from my walk (sorry for the quirky angles, I can’t help myself); the last one is more light and shadow than architecture but I like it anyway.

Daily Photo Challenge #11 – Pop and Colour

So day 11 is almost over and I haven’t managed day 10 yet!

The below is a bit of a cop-out as I took this picture in Paris last year.  So wilst I struggle over the mystery of my mystery day 10 photo here is a pop of colour for you. I intend to do some treatment on this photo to make all but the car black and white, in the meantime it’s just as I took it.

Daily Photo Challenge #9 – Warmth

Had to switch to my Sony DSC-QX10 for today as I needed to be portable.  Here are a few snaps from my lunchtime walk out (I do love this little camera).

Daily Photo Challenge #8 – Natural World

The daylight saving time change is what has thrown me off on this.  Last week I got the assignment as i finished work giving me an opportunity to get some shots on my way home, now they are an hour later so light is fading fast and I am already into evening tasks.  Oh well i just have to shift my thinking slightly.

The challenge was Natural world, so I took a wander out at lunchtime yesterday and on my way home before today’s challenge was set.  I think these are more the ‘cultivated’ world rather than natural but hey you take what you can get.

Daily Photo Challenge #6 – Connect

Today’s challenge caught me by surprise as firstly, I missed the email come in with it and secondly, I was caught up in my feelings about another post which makes me not feel this challenge so clearly.

These seems related and so that I keep up with the challenges I took this photo.  It’s not a great picture and was taken with my phone.

But it represents how I feel today and that I failed to connect with someone properly i just clicked the mouse instead of investing time in them.  It also reminds me that my computer is the only way I can regularly connect with my daughter who is several thousand miles away back in the UK.

Daily Photo Challenge #5 – Solitude

Solitude has been an important state in my life.  It has allowed me time to think, to understand the depths of  my thought processes and helped me find a way through things. These days I don’t have as much of it but maybe that’s because I don’t need it.

Music provides that sense of solitude to me often, quietly listening to that clear vocal, softly brushed drum or deep resonant cello; just me and the record – maybe I’m veering back into Bliss.

Photography also allows me time to think and be able to stop and look around me and usually it is a solitary process where I focus on seeing things and trying to capture what I see.  So instead of an image of solitude here are a few photos from my wanderings last night in solitary contemplation of the world around me before the light failed.

 

Angles

Peeling bark

Building in abstract

Pink bloom

Imperfect Lilly