Learning Better Photography

Just back from an intense, educational and inspiring week at Haliburton School of the Arts, and we're both exhausted! I took a course on photography and travel writing, so I'm hoping it will help me improve my blog, both with better photos and better writing! 

Grass in the early morning light

We had two instructors, who were outstanding. I moved a long way beyond the 'auto' setting on the camera, and learned about white balance, ISO settings, and depth of field. I'm now shooting mostly in 'aperture-priority', and have significantly improved my range of options for pictures.

Water spray

One morning we were challenged to get out with our cameras by 6.30 a.m., to take advantage of the early morning light, so these pictures were mostly taken then. It's the magic hour for photography, and I'm determined to make a date with myself to get out early at least occasionally to take advantage of it.

Willow trees

We also practiced close-ups, using a combination of aperture and shutter-speed settings to get the close-up while leaving the background blurry, and sometimes focusing on just part of a subject, like this.

Woodfern