Drought (1st May)

I really enjoyed doing this exercise. I had thought about possible subject matter for a few days, most of which was outside, but it had been pouring with rain for several days. I initially thought about going to the M3 motorway and then remembered the waterfall at Virginia Water. This afternoon the rain finally stopped and the sun appeared so I dashed over to the park. It turned out to be a good decision because the waterfall was far more boisterous than I had ever seen it before. The floodwater was obviously coming down from across the lakes. There were very few people in the park and I was able to set my tripod up and get almost solitary access to the space. I had seen incredibly beautiful shots of water taken by other people and I wanted to see how it was done.

I knew this meant slowing down the shutter speed, but found that with my first frames all this produced were some badly overexposed images. Following the rain the sun was now quite bright. I went as slow as the camera would allow adjusting the shutter speed manually but the problem remained and I was a bit flummoxed. Then I remembered what was once known as film speed and wondered what ISO setting I was using. As I suspected I had it on a relatively high ISO and once this was reduced I was able to slow down the shutter speed and start to achieve the motion blur I was looking for.

This was one of those instances where looking through the viewfinder was not enough, I needed to know how the camera worked in order to get close to what I wanted to take. Although I think there were a couple of overexposed spots where the sunlight was hitting the top of the waterfall I was pleased with the motion blur shots, they turn the water almost into fabric, like a veil sitting over the rocks. I think this is something I will come back to in future in terms of thinking about photographing movement.

The Aperture exercises (17^th & 18^th April): I just wanted to get going so started on the bookshelves and then went to the University carpark. I’m not overly pleased with the content of either of the sets of images but I guess I tended to treat it more as a technical exercise than an opportunity to be particularly creative. This is something I need to be mindful of in future as engagement with subject matter seems crucial to producing a good image.

My preferred image for Simon’s Cat is where that book is the main focal point. I think it carries more interest and draws the eye in more effectively than the others. The parking images are all a bit dull and I don’t find that any of them have a particularly strong focal point.

Different focal lengths (17^th April): Well this is it, toe in the water. Having read through the exercises I was clear on what was required and as I was sitting in the garden when I read through what was needed I decided to use the bird feeder hanging in the apple tree as the focal point.

I was doing fine until the requirement to close one eye, which threw me because I then couldn’t see very well through the other eye. I decided I would just have to do what I could and moved on to using the three focal lengths.

Holding the printed images against the subject is not something I had done before and it was really helpful in reinforcing the differences between the focal lengths.

Reading through the introduction I feel relatively comfortable with the approach. I was really pleased to read the section about equipment versus image as it made it clear that while technical ability has to be part of the process it is not going to be the sole focus. The text seems to suggest that it is important to strike a middle ground between knowing the equipment and seeing an image. Otherwise, for me there is a danger that you always need that extra lens, the latest gadget, which could become somewhat debilitating in terms of actually taking strong images.

I am probably one of those less interested in the equipment and more concerned with how I find a good image. I don’t think I am fearful of the technology but I do see it more as a tool and I know I quickly lose interest if there is too much talk of f.stops, stopping up and down, quantifying focal length etc.

I really liked the notion that ‘the most important piece of equipment you own is your camera’s viewfinder. How you use that makes the biggest difference of all.’ Freeman, M (2010) Photography 1: The Art of Photography, OCA: Barnsley, England

I opened the front door expecting to sign for another box of stationery  or the latest batch of printer inks and I am asked to sign for a box with OCA marked on it. I know what that is. The Art of Photography has just arrived. I had uhm’d and ah’d and printed the programme out about five times before I finally signed up.

Work seemed to have settled down a bit and I was ready for a new source of inspiration. I did the OU Digital Photography course last year and really enjoyed it and now wanted something with more progression. I use my cameras all the time these days and build more and more visuals into my consultancy materials. This seemed like a great way to combine both interests.

I opened the box to find the contents beautifully wrapped in red tissue paper. They had a sense of care about them. I felt like I had just been given a very precious birthday present. It was interesting because it meant I had suspended any of my concerns about how technical the course might be, I was genuinely excited about exploring the contents.

Time to get more familiar with how the OCA works and what is expected.