So I figured that going out with my camera to practice when I got back would help me to figure some things out. It did not. I ended up taking 160 pictures of which just under 40 of them are any good. This is hard. I really wanted to be good at this. I wanted to find it natural and I desperately wanted to understand.
I took some shots on my terrace and then I took off for a walk. The light started to fade after a while so I found it harder to get the shots that I wanted....doubally harder! A few good ones came out though, totally on a fluke though.
Sunday 21 August 2011
Lesson 1: Remove Lens Cap
So, today I went to my photography course. All in all it was good. There were about 10 of us which made for a good group. We met in the Green Bar in the Royal Festival Hall on Londons Southbank. We spent an hour going through the details of ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture and how and why to set up the camera using the A and S funtion on our cameras. Whilst I had no problem actually setting the camera according to out tutors instructions I have not grasped why we are doing it. So I dont know what it means to have high aperture or fast shutter speed. I know what effects I want and largely by taking a million pictures by purely twiddling with the settings I can sometimes achieve this, but it is fluke because I have not set the camera specifically, I have just twiddled knobs. Fail.
Example below of the focus being on the bottle with an out of focus background and then a shot with focus on both nearground and foreground.
Example below of the focus being on the bottle with an out of focus background and then a shot with focus on both nearground and foreground.
Monday 15 August 2011
Photography Course
I forgot to say that I have booked my course with Frui. It will be this weekend. I'm really looking forward to going. I have so many questions about my technique. I feel that I can't move forward without this course.
I also have another course to attend with a company calle Xccentric. Not sure of a date for this one yet. It's still a beginner level course but more classroom based.
I will be an expert in no time!
I also have another course to attend with a company calle Xccentric. Not sure of a date for this one yet. It's still a beginner level course but more classroom based.
I will be an expert in no time!
Sunday 14 August 2011
West Side Story
I bought a book last week by TimeOut called London Walks. It is written by writers from London and includes some people I recognise. Today the boyfriend and I decided we would do one of the walks that was quite close to home and I thought it woud be a chance for me to use my camera.
I think I got some interesting shots but they just don't seem crisp enough. I don't know if it is a light thing or a general camera operation thing. I suspect the latter..
The following are some shots that I took;
I think I got some interesting shots but they just don't seem crisp enough. I don't know if it is a light thing or a general camera operation thing. I suspect the latter..
The following are some shots that I took;
Saturday 6 August 2011
Royal Masonic Hospital: Ravenscourt Park
I didn't actually realise how closed I lived to this. It's just there, empty. The gate was opened so we were able to just walk right in. There was CCTV cameras and the lights were on. It was quite erie actually. It is a beautiful Grade 2 listed Art Deco building.
The building originally opened in the 1930's by King George V, it was built by and for the Freemasons. By the 1970's other private hospitals were opening in London and it ran into financial difficulties so by the end of the 70's it began treating non-Masonic patients. By 1994 the Freemasons closed the hospital after a mass vote. It was leased to the NHS in 2002 who used it as a treatment centre to cut patient waiting lists. It worked for a while but the hospital never had as manay patients through the doors as they originally expected and consequently they were operating at a loss and underusing the beds 106 beds - perhaps a victim of its own success with the backlog of patients being cleared. In 2006 the hospital closed with remaining patients being transferred to nearby Charing Cross.
I'm not sure of plans for the future. It certainly doesn't look like there is anything happening at the moment in terms of development. It is a real shame. We could only look at the front area, there is a whole other section around the back, its a really big site.
The building originally opened in the 1930's by King George V, it was built by and for the Freemasons. By the 1970's other private hospitals were opening in London and it ran into financial difficulties so by the end of the 70's it began treating non-Masonic patients. By 1994 the Freemasons closed the hospital after a mass vote. It was leased to the NHS in 2002 who used it as a treatment centre to cut patient waiting lists. It worked for a while but the hospital never had as manay patients through the doors as they originally expected and consequently they were operating at a loss and underusing the beds 106 beds - perhaps a victim of its own success with the backlog of patients being cleared. In 2006 the hospital closed with remaining patients being transferred to nearby Charing Cross.
I'm not sure of plans for the future. It certainly doesn't look like there is anything happening at the moment in terms of development. It is a real shame. We could only look at the front area, there is a whole other section around the back, its a really big site.
Friday 5 August 2011
It's Not Terry's, It's Mine!
On our first day in York we went on a City Sightseeing Tour of York which took us past the Old Terry's factory. On the second day I decided that I wanted a closer look. Getting in was too easy, the gate was open and we just walked right up. We could have gotten into the buildings easily too but I'm too chicken. Matt freaked me out and made me think we were going to get attacked by drug dealers and as I only had my camera a few days I wasn't about to chance anything. Turns out I may regret my pussying out...
The building was great. Its such a shame that it is not being used for anything. Its pretty substantial too, there were some parts that were bordered off so we couldnt get too close. We only wadered round for 20 minutes or so because I was getting jittery. What can I say? I'm a girl.
So a little bit of history... Terrys of York (Originally Bayldon & Berrys Confectionary before Joseph Terry married into the family and took sole ownership in 1823) and Rowntrees were two big Quaker families who produced confectionary in York. Terry's originally had a factory in the city, on the site of Clementhorpe next to the River Ouse, but rumor has it Rowntrees bought the land next to it so they couln't expand - Now called Rowntree Park. Consequetly in 1926 Terry's moved their production plant to Bishopthorpe Road in York. It was here in 1931 that the Chocolate Orange was born.
In 1939, during WW2, it was used to manufacture aircraft propellers. After the war it was reverted back to a chocolate factory. In 1975 United Biscuits bought it, then in 1993 American firm Kraft took over the business from Terry's and merged it with Jacobs Suchard forming the Terry's Suchard brand. Finally in 2005 Kraft moved production to Europe, mainly Poland, and closed the factory doors.
Since then it has remained empty. There have been a few attempts to submit planning applications, the most recent, in 2010, being for it to be redeveloped into hundreds of homes and hotels. We visited in mid 2011 and there was no sign of development.
The building was great. Its such a shame that it is not being used for anything. Its pretty substantial too, there were some parts that were bordered off so we couldnt get too close. We only wadered round for 20 minutes or so because I was getting jittery. What can I say? I'm a girl.
So a little bit of history... Terrys of York (Originally Bayldon & Berrys Confectionary before Joseph Terry married into the family and took sole ownership in 1823) and Rowntrees were two big Quaker families who produced confectionary in York. Terry's originally had a factory in the city, on the site of Clementhorpe next to the River Ouse, but rumor has it Rowntrees bought the land next to it so they couln't expand - Now called Rowntree Park. Consequetly in 1926 Terry's moved their production plant to Bishopthorpe Road in York. It was here in 1931 that the Chocolate Orange was born.
In 1939, during WW2, it was used to manufacture aircraft propellers. After the war it was reverted back to a chocolate factory. In 1975 United Biscuits bought it, then in 1993 American firm Kraft took over the business from Terry's and merged it with Jacobs Suchard forming the Terry's Suchard brand. Finally in 2005 Kraft moved production to Europe, mainly Poland, and closed the factory doors.
Since then it has remained empty. There have been a few attempts to submit planning applications, the most recent, in 2010, being for it to be redeveloped into hundreds of homes and hotels. We visited in mid 2011 and there was no sign of development.
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