Third Lesson : More Technical Stuff

Today, the lesson centred on some of the technical aspects of a digital SLR camera. We had briefly touched on Focal lengths in the previous week, and the differences between those quoted for a digital SLR camera than for a normal point and shoot type. For my camera I have to apply a factor of 1.5 to the film focal lengths being quoted.


We also went through the different settings that can be used when taking pictures (eg Automatic, manual, etc - always use P as a default as this operates like Automatic but gives you more control over such elements as the flash and white-balance).


When using the focuspoints screen, try and use the setting which utilises all focal pints at once as this will place more of the picture in focus.


White balance settings are to be used to adjust for colour under different types of light, (eg indoor, outdoor, fluorescent, tungsten, etc). The deafult setting is AWB (Automatic White Balance).


Picture Quality is based on the number of pixels used. JPEG and RAW have the same initial quality. RAW files are much bigger but enable far greater manipulation.


Metering settings are Evaluative (Matrix), Partial (Central) and Spot (Spot). Use Evaluative as the default. Exposure will be based on the whole scene.


ISO - has an Auto setting, reacts to sensitivity to light. A higher ISO is more sensitive to light but contains more noise (film grain). You should use a higher ISO if you do not wish to use a flash.

Second Lesson: Urban Landscapes

For our first assignment, I had the disadvantage of not having access to the car, so I decided to use my local surroundings. Indeed two of the three shots were taken from my own house. The photographs have to be of an urban landscape, they must be in black and white and we have to state the shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focal length setting (whatever that might mean - so much to learn!)

The three images that I have chosen are:


I like this image. It was taken early in the morning against a stormy looking sky. I like the patterns made by the telephone wires, broken by the pieces of litter that have become snagged, and I think the silhouetted rooftops and aerials give it atmosphere.

(technical details: 1/60, F 7.1, ISO 200 - I'm sure that means something to somebody!)




This local alleyway was just what I was looking for, but the image did not come out quite as I had hoped. I have a sharp foreground and a slightly blurred background, which is fine, but I wanted the background to be more blurred. I also tried to get a sharp background and blurred foreground but failed dismally. Still, that's why I am on this course. Always learning .....

(tech details not known due to accidentally wiping the image from the flashcard)


The third photo is that of the local skyline which consists of chimneys, rooftops and aerials, complete with evidence of the local seagulls that roost there every spring. Again the sky was stormy and the black and white brings that out quite well giving a gloomy feel. I wanted to blur the background a little but could not achieve that without also blurring the chimney-stack, so i left it as it is.

(tech. details 1/80, F 5.6, ISO 125)

First Lesson

At the ripe old age of 50 (okay .... 51) I have decided to start a new hobby by signing up for a photography course. I hope to follow my progress (or lack of it) through this blog. As I have never written a blog either, this is also a new adventure. Wish me luck .....

The course started on October 1st and so, armed with my recently purchased Sony Alpha 250 digital SLR, I joined the other dozen or so budding photographers for our first class. They seemed a friendly bunch and appeared to have a complete mix of ability and/or experience which immediately put me at my ease. We introduced ourselves to the group, had a look at a few different types of cameras that the tutor had brought in with him, filled out some introductory paperwork and had a brief introductory session on focusing and focal points.

At the end of this first session, we were given our first assignment (that didn't take long!). We have to provide three pictures that we had taken prior to our starting this course, together with three pictures under the heading of "urban landscape".

The pictures I have chosen for my initial pre-course shots are the following:


These three pictures are from a set that I took along Brighton beach shortly after buying the camera which was this camera's first outing. This picture shows the remains of the old West Pier. I like the idea of the image, but would have preferred it to be a little more central and the background to have been darker. maybe this course will show me how to achieve that.





This picture was an attempt to show how odd this merry-go-round looked, stood in isolation on the beach. There were no other rides or attractions anywhere near it, and it all seemed a little sad, despite the beauty of the ride itself.

Again the image didn't quite work because I could not get far enough back to show quite how isolated it was (there was an unsightly wheelie bin just off to the left), and also I think the remains of the pier in the background are distracting.


My final image is of a lifeguard being extremely vigilant on a completely deserted beach. Not only was there not a single person in the sea, there wasn't even anyone sat on the pebbles.

My main criticism of this picture is that I would like to get rid of the slightly distracting yellow buoy out in the sea.




These images will now form part of my workbook and show my starting point for this course. It will be interesting to see the initial efforts of my fellow classmates.