Macro

Week Four of the challenge ran from the 20/1/13 till the 26/1/13.

The theme was Macro.

Macro is basically just a close up, photographing the details not seen otherwise. My last blog previewed the theme through practice shots and it is a technique I have picked up easily and have enjoyed using. One thing I did learn was macro shots work best when using a good natural light, not always easy if it is overcast outside as I found out!

Day 1 - Snow Covered Leaf

Day 2 - A Bowl of M&M's

Day 3 - Minnie Mouse Ears

Day 4 - Pink Artificial Flower

Day 5 - Rice Cakes

Day 6 - Window Hinge

Day 6 - Wet Leaves - Taken on Iphone

Technique Practice

The following photos were just practice shots for the theme we were given for the current week. Being it is a technique that I had not used properly before, I felt it was necessary to have a go before tackling the theme.

The theme given was macro. These are shots that are close ups. Problem with close ups, they can become blurry with the wrong settings. Amazingly I found the setting I needed which I didn't know I had on my camera till now!

The Letter P

Week 3 of the challenge ran from the 13/1/13 till the 19/1/13.

The theme for the week was the Letter P.

Similar to the previous week, I thought it would prove very challenging to find things to photograph that began with the letter P. Luckily, different ideas sprang to mind each day especially mid-week when I had a chance to get a photo I knew no one else would be able to get.

Day 1 - P is for Princess

Day 2 - P is for Palace

Day 3 - P is for Politics Book

Day 4 - P is for Prima Ballerina

Day 5 - P is for Parcel

Day 6 - P is for (Foot) Prints in the Snow

Day 7 - P is for Pipes

Blue

Week Two of the challenge ran from the 6/1/13 till the 12/1/13.

The theme for the week was Blue.

Definitely a challenge as it made me think whether I had enough items that were blue! Turns out I have more blue items than I actually realised, so it made the week a lot easier than expected. 

Day 1 - Boo the Bear

Day 2 - Matthew's School Jumper and School Council Badge

Day 3 - Bathroom Tile

Day 4 - London 2012 Bottle

Day 5 - Window Blind

Day 6 - Rachael's School Tie

Day 7 - London 2012 Flag

Gardening World

Due to the theme changing weekly on Sundays, week one of the challenge was from 1/1/13 till 5/1/13. 

The theme was Gardening World.

Not so easy for me, considering I do not have access to the garden on my property. So all the shots I took that week were done from my windows, using the zoom. The garden is also not that interesting at the best of times, but luckily some work was being done, so the garden was and still is a mess, so that gave me an opportunity to get some different shots, even if they were not so great!

Day 1 - Tree that overhangs the fence into our garden directly outside Rachael's bedroom window.

Day 2 - Pile of branches from tree that was cut down before Christmas.

Day 3 - Tree Stumps

Day 4 - Potted Plants/Trees

Day 5 - A Messy Garden

The 2013 Challenge.

I am an extremely keen amateur photographer. Keen to the point that my friends and family moan at me about the numbers of photos I take and post on Facebook. Though it does amuse me how, on occasion, they have asked me if they can use the photos because they forgot their cameras!

It has taken me a few years to find a camera that I really love and produces fantastic images. I found it thanks to a friend who had taken better photos than me at a concert we both attended despite me being sat nearer to the stage! After a conversation on Facebook, she recommended the Canon Powershot, which I now proudly own, the SX150 model.

The problem is that I never know how to use all the settings. I tend to just use the Auto setting. I am always too lazy to read the user manual and honestly a little bit scared to do anything else but auto. So this year, I am determined to learn how to use my camera properly! Admittedly, I would love to own a DSLR camera but I think I best learn how to use my camera before buying one!

At the very beginning of January, a friend of mine on Facebook decided to set up a group for keen photographers as part of a challenge for 2013. The aim is to take a photo a day, based on the theme set each week. So far, I have managed to keep up and now I have decided to start this blog to document my progress, in the hopes by the end of the year that not only will I know how to use the bulk of the settings on my camera but producing better photos as a result!

So the plan is to blog the photos weekly, though I do need to catch up already! Each blog will be titled by the theme and where possible information will be provided about the theme and about each photo taken.