Photography

[Keith Nelson]

Yes!

 

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Katie ( @katiebagshawe ), great topic idea! There definitely are some avid photographers in this group… I’ll try to track down who it is, but I think typing in “photography” in the top right hand search bar of the website might reveal those who enjoy this hobby. What a neat way to honour your Dad! I also have an interest in photography but certainly haven’t invested the tools in this new hobby; something I really appreciate and respect for those who have taken up the hobby.

Do you have some insight or tips you could provide to Katie, @keithn? 🙂

[Ron Johnson]

Katie ( @katiebagshawe ) , There is a wealth of information on the Internet (Youtube, for example). As you move along you may want to consider using an application that allows you to do post processing to enhance your images. Examples are: “Photo”, if you use Apple computer, or Lightroom. You will eventually want to shoot in Raw format which preserves the maximum digital information. It is a great hobby and allows creativity and capturing memories.

 

All the best, Ron

[Charlene Marshall]

It looks like we have a few avid photographers as part of the forum, thanks for sharing these tips Ron. I am sure Katie will appreciate them 🙂

Charlene.

[Katie Bagshawe]

Hello @ronjohnson! Thanks for sharing. I have used Photoshop in the past for some basic post-processing to maybe enhance color saturation so it’s nice to know I’m a bit ahead on that one. My Dad actually read about processing images as raw which I think the camera is set to, but I need to read up on this a bit more. I’ll definitely check out YouTube as video guides can be a lot more helpful than reading books with something so practical I find. Thanks for all your tips!

[Cloud Mason]

Hi Katie,

Sharing your Dad’s passion for photography is surely a wonderful thing. I’m an extremely serious amateur photographer. I’ve had the bug for over 50 years. Here are a few tips:

• The best camera is the one you have with you.
• You don’t need an expensive DSLR to take great photos. iPhones and others have excellent cameras with wide-angle lens focal lengths which is great for landscape photography.
• I recommend early to mid-morning and mid- to late-afternoon times for shooting landscapes.
• Take photography classes at your local community college or online. Here’s a fabulous resource for photographers of all skill levels: https://www.photo.net/
• Shoot, shoot, shoot. Take pictures of anything and everything all the time.

I was going to include a few of my favorite shots but the insert/edit image function does not seem to be working. Here’s a link to a shot of a Blue Morph butterfly taken with my iPhone 5:

http://www.as.utexas.edu/~cloud/photos/Blue_Morpho_butterfly_CIMG3138.jpg

 

Thanks for sharing your stories and advice. Earlier, I read your excellent post on palliative and end-of-life care. Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights.

[Katie Bagshawe]

Wow! @cloudmason that picture is absolutely stunning! The detail is absolutely phenomenal!

Thankfully I’m quite lucky in that my Dad invested in a DSLR camera, a Nikon DS5000 which we’ve had for a few years but I’ve mostly been lazy with it shooting in automatic. I did recently start playing around a remote control on it to take pictures of birds in our garden which has got me inspired me to start using it properly. I live on the edge of the Peak District National Park in the UK which is a stunning place so I’ve got the perfect opportunity to get some landscapes. I’ve done moving image in the past for film studies so have some (very basic) knowledge of photography but nothing more than that.

Your advice on time of day to shoot is really handy actually as I find sunrise/sunset lighting always sets a landscape picture on fire for its beauty. There are some day courses nearby where landscape photographers help you get the most out of owning a DSLR in manual mode so I might just sign myself up for a course and have a go.

Thanks for your advice and support! I’m glad my post on such a sensitive topic was helpful to you. I’m always worried about writing such potentially upsetting topics on here as I know not all will want to use these forums for that purpose.

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Cloud,

Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful response to Katie ( @katiebagshawe ) – I am sure she will appreciate reading your insights and tips! Your kind words meant a lot to me as well; I find Katie’s posts very informative and helpful as well.

My hobby is more scrapbooking and crafting, but this past December I was challenged to do a mini scrapbook called a  “Daily December”. I sat with friends and prepped a small page for each day, whether it was 4 square photos on a page, or one 4X6″.. the idea was to simply take a picture each day of something that happened in December. It didn’t have to be anything extravagant, it could be the first snow fall, some Christmas lights, a recipe you enjoyed … anything really, just was to encourage us to take more photos. The woman leading it lost her husband suddenly in January 2017 and knows the importance of just documenting memories. I am so glad I did it, I love looking back on the big and small things I captured in photos! Kind of unrelated I guess, but your last point about “take pictures of everything all the time” reminded me of this album!

Thanks again for writing!
Charlene.

[Katie Bagshawe]

That’s such a beautiful idea of documenting each day @charlenemarshall! It’s a beautiful way to make memories. I did consider buying an instant old school type camera for that purpose because I thought scrapbooking and framing memories would be a great gift to give to people during the holidays as a little memento of the time we shared. I am always inspired by scrapbooks of people having been on holiday but it can easily become quite expensive!

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Katie,

Thanks for your kind words! Yes, the “daily December” album was something new I tried this year although other friends have done it in past years. It’s something I hope to do every December and it was quite easy! Do you know what I got for Christmas and love for the purpose of easy scrapbooking/framing? I got a small Canon photo printer, which prints wirelessly from my phone or camera so it makes scrapbooking much easier! The biggest size it can do is 4×6″ (because it is meant for small projects) but it also does small prints, like 3X4″, 2×2″ etc which can make some scrapbook pages really fun. I would have invested in this myself (about $150) if I hadn’t gotten it for Christmas as it enables to me to print pictures at my leisure which I like. Of course the quality isn’t the best but for what I need it for, it works well. This is the one I have: http://www.canon.ca/en/product?name=SELPHY_CP1200_&category=/en/products/Printers-and-All-in-Ones/Home-and-Photo-Printers/Mobile-and-Compact-Photo-Printers

 

I love it! It certainly can be an expensive hobby, I’d hate to know the amount I’ve invested in it over the years but now that I have all the stuff, making memories is quite special to me and its very therapeutic to do as well. Happy photo-taking!

Charlene.

[Katie Bagshawe]

Thanks everyone for your enthusiastic responses! I’m currently looking into doing a short course to get the most of my DSLR in manual mode so you’ve all definitely inspired me to have a go. I’ll share the results!

These are some of my old favourites over time. They are by no means perfect, but we all have to start somewhere! Hopefully I can document some of the beautiful scenery here in Derbyshire and the UK to share with you all. It’s certainly a stunning place.

These are of the vegetable patch in the garden where I aim to grow pumpkins and squash every year. This was probably my most successful year where we managed to harvest about 5 pumpkins. Spot the butterfly on my stone monk.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14563900150/

I adore lunar shots and this is probably the best I’ve managed to get so far.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14756530665/

This is one of the towns in the Peak District National Park called Bakewell. It’s gorgeous to visit on a summers day as it’s full of pubs and the river is beautiful to sit and eat fish and chips next to.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14733519326/

This is Monsal Dale. In the bottom of the photo is an old railway viaduct that is now a trail where you can walk for quite a few miles even going through the old tunnels.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14756220602/

I’m not sure if me or my Dad took this, but this is the RAF Red Arrows, known for their air displays. We were both determined to get a good shot of the coloured smoke but I love the positioning and formation of this shot against the perfect blue skies.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14754165444/

This wasn’t taken by me but my Mum whilst on holiday somewhere with my Dad. I just thought I’d share it as it is a beautiful picture, but also because it’s nice to hopefully share more of him as he was before he was poorly.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125671145@N02/14564606947/

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Katie,

What beautiful shots, thank you for sharing them! It makes me want to visit where you live, such amazing architecture, very different from where I live in Canada. Are there lots of old stone buildings, or pebble stone roads? That is what I envision when I see some of the pictures you share. Someday I really want to get over to to Europe! It looks so different than here, but in a beautiful way. Thanks for sharing… I feel like I could be quite peaceful there 🙂

I love the photo of the planes and the colours trailing them… amazing!

Beautiful capture of the butterfly on the stone monk as well! I have no doubt that it was a sign someone was with you in that moment 🙂

Take care and talk to you soon,
Charlene.

[Katie Bagshawe]

Thanks @charlene! I live in Derbyshire which is pretty central to the UK (about two hours or so to the coastline) and right next to the oldest National Park. I’ll hunt out some pictures to show you of the landscape as it is stunning. Everything is pretty stone and brick around here as it’s all old villages and towns that fill this area, most of the more modernised buildings exist more in Manchester which is about forty-five minutes from where I live. If you like walking then the Peaks is the place for you!

Here are some gorgeous pictures of the Peak District, most of these really inspire me to get out with the camera as all this is a ten minute drive from where I live. https://www.peak-photos.co.uk/photographs-of-the-peak-district

[Mark Koziol]

Hello Katie, if you don’t mind I am going to reply to a couple of your posts today. Charlene has a large amount of responses to get to. As I am new, most of the responses go into her inbox. I hope you are ok with this. My wife is into photography as well. She also enjoys taking pictures of landscapes and seascapes. The area you live in is amazing and I am happy you are participating in a hobby you enjoy. Best wishes mark

[Katie Bagshawe]

Thanks Mark and lovely to meet you! Landscapes and seascapes are the best kind if you ask me, they can be rather invigorating for the soul and it’s a lovely way to capture a special moment. I’ll keep sharing the more I get into it!

[Mark Koziol]

Thank you Kate for sharing your work. I anticipate your next works. Mark

[Cloud Mason]

Awesome work, Katie. You live in such a beautiful area.

~cloud~

[Katie Bagshawe]

I am very lucky indeed to have this gorgeous national park on my doorstep. It’s celebrating 70 years since it was created this year, and it’s also the oldest national park in the UK. Lots of history to it but lots of interesting mythology and ghost stories to be shared as well! Can’t wait to get out with the camera and hopefully share some stories about my home county with you all.

[Nikchron]

35mm is the best vintage result.

DSLR’s are great pieces of hardware, plus add photoshop software magic. Then the sky is the limit!

The new cellphone cameras are catching up but lack pro adjustment for studio work.

Currently saying my paper route money for a GoPro 6 with Drone.

[Katie Bagshawe]

I was chatting with a work colleague the other day who showed me some drone footage he took in the Yorkshire Dales that looked stunning! However, I wouldn’t trust myself with such an expensive piece of kit.

A part of me was considering a GoPro for when I’m travelling so that I can shoot videos as well, but I still like the idea of traditional still photography so I might take my DSLR with me to Washington in June to have a play with some landscape photography.

I used to work with 35mm as a Projectionist at the cinema before it converted to digital. Miss those times!

[Charlene Marshall]

Hey Katie,

Are you just hitting Washington in June, or going anywhere else? DC is beautiful 🙂
Charlene.

[Charlene Marshall]

Ah, thanks so much for providing this information @nikchron! I know the avid photographers in this group, including Katie, will find the information you shared helpful. Thanks for writing 🙂
Charlene.

[Mike Ktori]

I’ve been involved with photography all my working life; technical stuff like microfilm production and photofabrication. When we retired I took up bird photography and loved it. Now I have to carry oxygen equipment everywhere I go and I simply cant walk very far so no more birding. To take it’s place, I’ve started photography benchtop stuff like waterdrops colliding and macro. I’m told that I don’t have very long so I plan to keep busy.https://photos.app.goo.gl/6w37FPNifrhn72hM8