Early on in the pandemic, I thought I would get a lot accomplished. It seemed reasonable with so many things being canceled, and being at home so much. That was definitely not the case. I didn’t accomplish much of anything in 2020.
I bought myself a real camera toward the end of 2019. One of my coworkers has an art degree, and does some professional photography. He was going to give me lessons. Like so many other things, that got put on hold.
I did some practice with the camera around this time last year, but never got around to posting any of the pictures. We went to a park so I could play around with the camera. It was so cold that day! It was the first time I used the camera by myself. The park we went to used to be a golf course, and it’s really pretty.
I know these aren’t the best shots, but I think they’re the best ones I took that day.
The park has a trail that loops around the perimeter. I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures of streets and trails. I like how it kind of looks like they don’t end. This is one of my favorite pictures from that day.
There isn’t much foliage this time of year.
There’s a pond with a bench.
And here’s the pond from a distance. I think I probably should have centered the pond in the shot.
This is where the park backs up to a neighborhood. The trees are the border.
And this is the tree border from a distance. This is my other favorite picture from that day. I’m not sure how “good” of a picture it really is, but I like the pops of green. Of course there’s the green from the evergreen trees, and I tend to like trees against sky pictures. But there are also some patches of green grass in the field. Almost everything is brown and dormant, but those little patches of green are there. It’s like they’re defying winter. Winter is my least favorite season, so I like the look of anything springlike coming in.
Do you enjoy taking certain kinds of pictures? Have you found a way to improve your photography skills?
You are on a roll this week Danielle! I have always loved photography but only use my cell phone for photos these days. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I still use my cellphone A LOT more than my camera. I guess it's because I always have the phone with me.
DeleteThe clarity of you rnew camera is terrific. I need a new camera but have been waiting till the pandemic eases and we can travel again before I do it. The best way to improve your skills is to use it. Try different settings. Shoot from the same spot and frame it different ways (wide shot horizontal, wide vertical, shoot up (branches, clouds), down (details in the earth), zoom into a tree or animal, shoot left and right. Really SEE the environment. Think of basic design principles (rules of thirds. Your eyes will tell you what is right.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The timing of getting mine turned out to be a little weird since it was shortly before the pandemic. In theory, I should have had more time to try it out. But, we haven't really gone anywhere. Honestly, I'm still working through the fear of breaking it or messing it up.
DeleteI’m also excited to see you posting again! I love to take photos and put my favorites on Instagram. I never took lessons, but had friends growing up who were into photography and they both became professionals. One has even taken presidential portraits of the Bush family. I know one tip is that you sometimes want your subject matter to be off center. I bet you can find lots of tips online.
ReplyDeleteI have an autofocus camera and just point and shoot. I download them to an Ipad and sometimes crop or lighten them there.
ReplyDeleteI’m with you when it comes to trails. I love how they draw us onward, like your first photo.
Photography is great fun. I hope you will soon get to enjoy it without Covid considerations.
I know what you mean about getting things done lately. It just doesn't seem to happen.
ReplyDeleteI learned so much from my high school photography class. I took it because I wanted to learn how to develop film (I am old; I took photography when it was all film cameras), but we spent a lot of time on how to frame photos and such.
There's lots of articles and such out on the internet about taking better photos. But practice is important also. Your photos are looking good.
I love taking photos and I'm ashamed to admit that I have a really good camera and have mostly gone to snapping photos with my phone, something I thought I would never be the type to do.
ReplyDeleteI like your photos and I don't think everything needs to be centered to look good.
Also, I noticed this morning that our forsythia is starting to bloom and I became unreasonably happy!
You took such nice snaps! I particularly like the bench at the pond. Have a wonderful day. :)
ReplyDeleteYour photos are lovely. I really like the bench by the water, I could quite happily sit there and contemplate. x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new camera. Your pictures are great, and I am glad you are enjoying capturing and sharing the things that you see.
ReplyDeleteI love taking photos. Being out in nature with my camera is one of my favorite things -- I find it so centering being outward-focused. :)
What kind of camera did you get? My daughter, who is 24, asked for a film camera for Christmas. I didn’t buy her one because we had one in our closet that was very slightly broken. We never bothered to fix it because we got a digital camera, and now we use our phones...so happily all it needed was a little super glue, and we are in business. It had a roll of film in it from 2005 when it broke, and I am curious to know if any of the pictures on it are decent.
ReplyDeleteNicely done. I think your photos are great and you are doing wonderful. I had a lot of grand plans to accomplish during the pandemic but did none of them. When it comes to photography, I just hope I take a good one with my phone. I could really use some tips.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great! I think the one thing that improved my skills was joining a photography club. We would have assignments and a small competition during the next meeting. I learned so much! Of course, those may be meeting on zoom these days, but it should still work!
ReplyDeleteBeing a photographer I take a lot of pics, esp at the wedding venue I work at. Doing wedding couples is fun, doing high school seniors is a lot of fun...but I love nature. Always had a camera from the time I was a teen but I got into photogrpahy of others in 2008. I bouhgt my first professional digital camera for a hobby. For me...and in three months I was asked to do my first wedding. It all went from there. Enjoy your camera, play with it and find what you like to shoot. Remember, not all you shoot needs to be in the center of the pic....shooting off center with a tree, or flowers, or rocks in the pic makes for several things to focus on. ENJOY.
ReplyDeleteOops, I'm a bit slow off the mark here! I don't have a camera or any great interest in taking photos, but Jenny takes loads, especially when we're on holiday. That looks like a splendid park. I'm surprised there aren't lots of people walking around it - in particular dog-walkers, who'll go out in the filthiest weather!
ReplyDelete