Sunday, 28th February 2010 - Photo #59

Meet Percy! He lives on the girls wooden house/potting shed at Mum and Dad's and when it is windy he goes like the clappers!!

My camera really struggled to auto-focus on him as he keeps rotating and his wings spin round but managed to get a couple of close shots using my close-up filter.

I wonder if I could enter him in the Natural History category?

Saturday, 27th February 2010 - Photo #58

As a family we love our music (not all the same kinds though!!) and last year we decided to go to a family orientated festival for the weekend. This morning a card came advertising this year's festival and it is 3D so I decided to photograph it and try to get the sheep in focus and the writing blurred. The coloured sheep are Latitude's trademark and were actually there last year (until it rained on the Sunday!)

Some of the bands we saw there last year were Spritualized (Carl's favourite) Little Boots (the girls favourite) Mika (my favourite) Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and loads more. They haven't announced yet who are playing this year but we are going to book anyway. Unfortunately, they don't allow DSLRs to be taken in unless you buy a press pass (and with camping security is a factor too) so my little point and shoot will have to do. I took it last year and it was fine.

Friday, 26th February 2010 - Photo #57

Went over Pit Close with Zac tonight after work, trying to get a photo of the sky. Tried a couple of places for a panoramic shot but they didn't work out too well. I've warmed this one up abit without going too orange (hopefully). One trick I did try was put the flash on for the foreground but it didn't light the trees up too much, I think I was abit far away.

Thursday, 25th February 2010 - Photo #56

Been to Simon Mackney's studio tonight with the Camera Club and had a go at a professional photo shoot. It was great and the model was lovely (unfortunately, I didn't catch her name). I like this one because of the perspex that caught her reflection.

Thanks to Barry for organising it.

Wednesday, 24th February 2010 - Photo #55

I was thinking about what to photograph for my blog today, as I had missed the light to take one outside. I decided to take this seed head and acorns which my Mum brought me back from Graceland. I have grown up with Elvis, thanks to my Mum, and love his music. She went to Memphis a few years ago and brought me back these souvenirs. I thought if I ever lose them or they break at least I'll have a photo of them.

I struggled to get my camera to focus with my close-up filter on and was getting frustrated, so I took off the filter and moved away slightly which seemed to work much better. I used a shallow depth of field to make the leaf in the background blurred. The picture below shows the trees they came from and Elvis when he first moved into Graceland with the trees behind him.

Tuesday, 23rd February 2010 - Photo #54

Been reading in Scott Kelby's book about portraits, he recommends using natural lighting only (great if you have American sunshine I suppose), positioning your subject near a window, take the photo with their eyes about a third of the way down (not in the centre) and use a plain background.

This was the best of the bunch and it's Hope but she kept moving to watch Countdown! Any movement means it blurs without using flash and is tricky. I did use a tripod though which really helps. I've put a very slight soft focus on it as well. At this rate the girls are going to start wanting paying!!

Monday, 22nd February 2010 - Photo #53

Ok so Carl might never have his name in lights but here it is in brick! It's at Pride Park and was laid there when the stadium was built.

I was passing and decided to take a photo of it to keep but I forgot where the brick actually was!! So spent a good 15 minutes searching for it (they are on the floor outside the turnstiles at the back of the stadium). It was freezing too so I hope he appreciates it. Our friend Blair has one too but it was so cold I gave up looking for his but when it warms up abit I will take one for him too.

The brick is actually red but over time has gone abit grotty looking so I've put a black tint on the photo to make the writing stand out and I think it gives it an old 'newspaper' feel.

Sunday, 21st February 2010 - Photo #52

"The Snowy Day"

Woke up to a thick covering of snow this morning so decided to take my camera on our walk with Zac. The girls met up with friends and made a snowman and a snow settee!!

Zac loves snowballs nearly as much as his frizbee so I tried to get an action shot of him jumping for them.

Saturday, 20th February 2010 - Photo #51

Bought Kirsten a new light fitting for her bedroom today, it's abit like a crystal chandelier. So I thought I would play about with the reflections from the crystals without using flash.

This one is quite close up, I like it because it looks very opulent and it's the sharpest as I didn't use my tripod due to being balanced on Kirsten's high cabin bed!

Friday, 19th February 2010 - Photo #50

Saddlergate, Derby

Went into town this lunchtime as Carl was off work and took my camera just in case. Unfortunately, it started raining as we were walking round but I managed to get this shot walking up Saddlergate.

I've tweaked the saturation which has brought out the blue of the shop signs but other than that it's as I took it.

Thursday, 18th February 2010 - Photo #49

Alison and I took the kids to Swadlincote Ski Centre this afternoon for tobogganing and snow-tubing. It was so cold! Whilst we were waiting for their turns it started to snow too, we couldn't feel our fingers and feet. The kids didn't mind though.

I took a few shots of the slope in portrait mode to make a panorama and ran them through my ArcSoft Panorama Maker software but if you look closely at the person in black with the red tube half way up the slope something funny has happened to his/her head - it's missing!! I'm sure it was there when I took the photos!

This one is Kirsten on the toboggan, I'm going for a motion shot but it was hand held with freezing fingers and snowing (that's photo speak for a bit rubbish but you get my drift!).

Wednesday, 17th February 2010 - Photo #48

Had another photo shoot this morning with Hope and her friends. Made this collage in Picasa, I thought it was abit Andy Warhol-esque!

Tuesday, 16th February 2010 - Photo #47

With it being Pancake Day today, I was going to take a lovely M & S style close up of a pancake at Mum and Dad's. However, they were all eaten before the lens cap had even come off!! So I had to make do with a slice of lemon.

Unfortunately, I put this in the window to get a bright shot but the lemon went abit in the shadow.

Happy Pancake Day!!

Monday, 15th February 2010 - Photo #46

Another easy blog today, although I am really late posting it, due to going to camera club tonight. My friend's son wanted a collage doing for his bedroom and is learning to play the guitar. He wanted a rock edge to it so I thought the black background would work well.

Still got alot of editing to do as there are alot of photos to go through but I think this is getting on the right lines (hope he likes it).

Sunday 14th February 2010 - Photo #45

"Hands of Time"

Been to Mum and Dad's today to fetch the girls back and on the way picked up my Grandma. I took my camera, tripod and black background material as I fancied doing a picture that incorporated hands. There were 4 generations there today and I wanted to show this somehow without taking a portrait of our faces. I wanted to show the difference between our hands and also how hands can tell alot about a person. Mine and my Mum's wedding rings make our hands easy to recognise, Hope's got obviously alot younger skin and my Grandma is wearing her favourite cat ring.

I've made it black and white to make the hands stand out from the black background.

Saturday, 13th February 2010 - Photo #44

Whilst the girls are away Carl and I went on a long walk with Zac and I took along my camera and tripod, as I fancy a go an HDR image. I took some shots with different exposures of St Mary's church at Weston but need to get the right software.

Took this one just before the rain started as I like the reflection of the bridge in the canal. I've also cloned out Zac's lead as it was abit off putting but had he not had his lead on it would have been a picture of him swimming instead!!!

Friday, 12th February 2010 - Photo #43

Got back from taking the girls to my Mum and Dad's and this is what I was greeted with!! Along with an M & S meal for 2, which was gorgeous. Right, what gadget is he after buying now?

This took ages to take, auto focus really struggled to lock on so I switched to manual focus which took every time, great, until I looked at the pictures and they were awful. This is the sharpest and I've highlighted the shadows to make the background just look abit blacker.

Thursday, 11th February 2010 - Photo #42

Been practising with my close-up filter again today (and the trusty tripod, amazing what a difference it makes). These seed heads of the ivy on our fence are a lovely shape so i thought I would try and get a picture of some.

I've messed about with the saturation to make the colours abit more vivid.

Learned something useful, my close-up filter just fits onto my uv filter (good for protecting your lens), when I think of the times I have taken the uv filter off first with freezing fingers trying desparately not to drop something!!! Doh.

Wednesday, 10th February 2010 - Photo #41

Today's blog is all about shutter speeds which I am trying to master at the moment. Believe it or not these two photos were taken a couple of seconds apart, the only difference being I put the light on. The bulb was too bright for the camera to take the photo at first so I had to play around with the settings to get the second one sharp enough to see the bulb properly.

Here's what happens when you put the two together!

Note to self - must clean them!!!

Tuesday, 9th February 2010 - Photo #40

"Our Walk in the Woods"

We have some woods near us that Zac loves running through, so I took my camera on our dinnertime walk. Everything is starting to turn green thank goodness although it was still cold.

My lesson learned today is always check the settings of your camera before you start taking pictures as I must of accidentally turned the dial on my camera as I put it away yesterday and it was set in night time mode!! Some of the photos were really bright as it over compensated for the light. Whoops!!

Monday, 8th February 2010 - Photo#39

Took my camera to town with me as I was meeting Mum and we looked around for what to take as my blog photo today. Mum noticed that a closed down Estate Agents (next to the Guildhall) had a large picture of Joseph Wright's painting "A Philospher lecturing on the Orrery" in it's window. We went to Derby Museum a few years ago and this is my favourite of his paintings. I love the light on the children's faces. Mum thought the chap with his head in his hands looked like Bruce Forsyth (honestly!)

A tip I have picked up from my many photography books is that if you take a photo of something interesting at a museum/gallery/zoo always take the information panel that is next to it too. Then when you get back home you can bore family and friends to your hearts content!!!!

Sunday, 7th February 2010 - Photo #38

Been to Elvaston Castle this morning, desparately trying to find another animal picture for my attempt at a Print Panel in next week's competition at the Photo Club. Unfortunately the one that I was going to use has some 'burn out' on it (bright white patch right on the forehead of a female sheep with two ewes) and no amount of editing seems to fix it. So I have tried taking another animal quickly, this is the best of the bunch.

In magazines that I have read about taking animal pictures it says to have them looking straight at you, so I suppose this one ticks that box although if it had lunged for me I don't know what I would have done! (Not a big fan of getting close to big birds!!)

Saturday, 6th February 2010 - Photo #37

We have been cleaning out the garage this morning and I found this lovely bird house that I had for my birthday years ago. Once it had had a good dusting I used a tripod to get it nice and clear and a large aperture to get the background blurry. I had to clone out a big spiders web that is just inside the hole to make it look more inviting!

Who knows we might even get visitors to it this year! (I'll keep you posted)

Friday, 5th January 2010 - Photo #36

Now that I think I have aperture and depth of field sorted I am turning my hand to shutter speeds. I noticed that the sky at the bottom of our garden was a lovely blue and the street light glowing orange. So I put up my tripod and used a long shutter speed, unfortunately, it started raining after this first shot so this is it.

Will keep trying and get back to the books!

Thursday, 4th February 2010 - Photo#35

Easy blog today, done a photo shoot for Jude's new bedroom picture. Here he is mixing some 'chunes'.

First time I've used my lights this year and the practise is paying off, less and less rejects - hooray!!!

Here is the final picture.