Snap Happy

I've just had a fabulous three days on a course organised by Aberystwyth Uni on how to use my digital camera properly for outdoor photography. There were eight of us on the course, the other seven all coming from Aberystwyth so they stayed on site at the National Trust Stackpole Estate whilst I was able to drive home every night and dry out.... It was run by professional photographer Andy Davies and he was an exacting task master - but in a good way. I now know what all the buttons and functions on my camera mean. Automatic is banished forever.... gulp! We finished yesterday with a presentation of ten of our photos and now have to do a portfolio of another ten on a common theme by the beginning of December in order to gain the credits for the course. I learned some key things, one being that 'the photo is in the camera' i.e don't go messing about with it too much in Photoshop later, get it right at the outset. All photos were taken in RAW and saved as tiffs but my connection is so poor they just won't load so these few are jpegs. They are not as sharp as my originals so I need to work out how I can upload the better versions.

As I used to work for the Trust I know the estate and the area well so when we went to an event on site on Saturday afternoon I spent more time talking to people I know rather than getting my photographs done. My friend Emma was there with Alex, a local falconer so I was lucky enough to get up close to Popeye, a European Eagle Owl. She held him while I took some photos and he was very obliging but often moved at the vital click. Curses. Must try harder.... and talk less...

I took tons of photos of windy clifftops and frothy seas, craggy rocks and wild flowers, flying herons and gliding swans..... but under scrutiny I now see what works and what doesn't. So, I need to think of a theme for my portfolio. I might continue with my Postmans Knock theme of 'Taking Flight' but I need birds and butterflies as acquiescent as Popeye to make that work perhaps?Will have to think about that but in the first instance just have to keep using the camera in the 'new' way to reinforce what I think I've learned. Wish me luck.