Frost 3

Another frost shot from the photos I took the other morning.  I like the way this turned out. It's the remnant of some flower from my mom's garden.

Frost 2

Another frost picture I took the other morning.  I would like to have gotten closer to the frost in the photo, but I was having difficulty with focusing when I did that.

Frost

I went out early this morning to try and take some photos of the frost.  The above photo is of frost on the windshield of the car with a little early morning sun creating sparkles on some of it.

The majority of the shots didn't turn out, but I was somewhat satisfied with a few of them.  Out of about 80-90 shots, there were maybe 3 or 4 that I thought were OK.  I wonder if I need an actual macro lens in order to take decent shots of frost.  This is one subject I would like to learn how to take good photos of.

Photography Learnings - Part 1

I need to get out and take more photos.  I don't want to keep posting different shots of the same subject, otherwise you (and I) will get bored of this blog.  Until then, I thought I would post some of the things I've been learning about photography recently.  I want to try to create awill try to post these hints and tips I've learned, and post some links to other articles that may explain what I discuss better. 

I am by no means an expert photographer, but what I post is what I am learning as I venture into the wonderful world of digital photography.  If anyone reading this can explain the topic I focus on little better, or has some links on the subject, or can even add their own thoughts on the topic, feel free to leave a comment.  Just remember to be nice; I am learning and don't claim to know everything. 

Get To Know Your Camera

This is probably one of the biggest tips I've read about recently.  Not every camera is the same, nor does it have the same setup.  It's wise to learn how to operate your camera correctly, otherwise your photos won't be as good or as creative as they could be.

It seems that most people, upon purchase of a new camera, are excited to take photos immediately.  They go out to a location where there is plenty of opportunity for stunning photos, or they prop up a common household item on the table, or use their friends and family as subjects, and begin clicking the shutter.  Once the photos are uploaded, the new photographer doesn't see the photos he/she thought had been taken (colours aren't accurate, someone has a tree growing out of his/her head, the dog started scratching his ear and there is a big blurry spot from that).  Granted, some shots might turn out great, but they could have been much better shots if the photographer knew how to change or use the features (or even know what the features are) on their camera.

I am guilty of this very thing.  I got my Pentax K200D a little over a year ago and was in love.  I looked briefly at the manual, but I wanted to get out shooting photos.  I have gone over to a photographer friend's home to get her help in taking photos (like practicing lighting or depth of field), and we've gone out to a park to take some photos.  However, at one point, I needed to set the white balance to a specific setting.  I didn't know how to do this.  On this particular day I was at my friend's home, and she was able to get on the internet and find an online copy of the manual for my camera.  By using the manual, she was able to discover how to set/change the white balance, so I was able to make the necessary adjustment. 

Sadly, I quickly forgot how to change/use this feature and never adjusted it again for some time.  Trust me when I say that I have now gone through the manual to see how to make this particular adjustment again, and I use it all the time (though I do admit that sometimes I forget to change it until AFTER I get home and realize I didn't make the changes while taking the photos).  But, I am still learning and I now make the changes a lot more than I used to.

While I am still new to photography, and will also admit that I need to go through my manual more and actualy take some photos using the particular features on my camera (this helps me learn and remember what to do for those specific features, and when to use them), I think learning about your own camera and how to operate it is one of the most important things a photographer can do.

If you have any thoughts on this topic (or links) and would care to contribute, please leave a comment.  Remember, be nice.  I want this series to be all about learning and helping photographers to grow in their learning and photography.

Gerbera 2

Same pot of daisies as the prevous one, this time I took a photo with the morning sun coming through the front window.

Gerbera Daisy

I bought a pot of Gerbera Daisies today (three blooms on it).  These have never been a flower I had been attracted to for some reason; I don't know if it was because I just hadn't seen them often before or what.  Lately, well at least since this past spring or early summer, I've found myself liking these flowers - so much so, that I've added them to my list of favourite flowers.

The actual flower on this isn't as bright pink as the photo shows.  It's more of a subdued, faded looking pink.  However, I should say that it's not faded from being in the sun, but it's just the shade of pink.  I don't remember if I used the flash on this photo or not (I suspect I may have), but I did play around with it in Photoshop Elements.  No matter what I did with my adjustments, I couldn't get it to look like the colour it is in reality.  That being said, I do like the way this photo turned out.

I would like to also take this time to thank Crista over at Nature As Is.  She has awarded me with this Friend Award!  Thank you so much Crista! 

If you haven't been to her blog, please go visit her.  She has such a lovely and friendly blog and has lots of great photos of birds and nature.  I haven't known her long, but she is very friendly, positive and kind.

Now I must pass this award on to six other bloggers.  Be sure to check out their blogs as well:

1. Pixellicious Photos - another very friendly blogger and awesome photographer

2. Georgiana - sadly, I don't get to her blog as often as I would like.  She is a writer/author and is a great inspiration to me (even though she doesn't know it).  Right now, she's working on NaNo, and I wish her all the best as she strives to finish 50,000 words by the end of November!

3. Jodi -she's very caring, kind, and an awesome person.  She's been busy with school lately (amongst other things), but I'm sure she'll be back to blogging soon (and hopefully her computer issues have been resolved!).  She makes great cards and has her own Etsy shop, Flutterbye Dreams (be sure to check out her awesome items for sale - clippies, toothfairy pillows, felt finger puppets, and more)

4. NannaPEI -  such a friendly lady - and very crafty too!  She's working on some slippers right now, but sadly she's not liking the yarn (which I don't blame her at all, because I've tried using that yarn too and it's not all that great to knit with).

5.  Chris - another kind and friendly woman.  You should see the cards she makes - so awesome!  She really inspires me with my card making - though I'm not all that great at it yet (need more practice, I think).  Be sure to stop by her blog and see her great work!

Moon - Sort Of

This is a shot I took the other night.  I was attempting to get the moon between two sections of the tree.  Unfortunately, the cloud covered the moon.  Also, I think I moved the camera a little or the tripod wasn't stable enough.  I do know I need a better tripod though.  Anyway, the shot turned out a bit of shake to it and it was quite dark.  In PSE, I lightened it up some and applied the dry brush effect and got what I think looks like a painting.  It's not the best shot, but I kind of like the way it looks here.

Cluck, Cluck

A friend of mine and her husband got three chickens for their children as pets.  I believe these are Silkies, and they are apparently a good animal for a pet.  They are super soft!  I got to pet this one, and she didn't even try to bite.  I don't know too much about this kind of fowl, so I'm just going by what my friend told me (they did research).

Lines

Bare birch trees at the park.  I like the lines the trunks make, but the little branches seem to take away that effect some...

A Church

I took this photo of a church (not mine) back in September.  I should have gone back when then leaves were pretty colours, because there are a lot of them in the area where this church is located.

A Rose By Any Other Name

I took this photo last Sunday at church.  I've adjusted colour and contrast some using Photoshop Elements.