january. it was all things.and it was one thing...january was moments and january was a year.// patricia highsmith //
||| images taken with iphone + edited with vsco |||
i'm back home now, refreshed and ready to tackle shakespeare studies and whatnot. i suppose the winter doldrums have washed over me, leaving me uninspired hardly touching anything but books and music [but what more could a girl content herself with?]; but the pear tree across the street blooming has given me hope that warmer days are coming. it's mum's birthday. happy birthday, to my wonderful, amazing, brilliant, hard-working, fantastic, incredible mom! {"baked you a soufflé to-day, but it was too beautiful to live." ;)}. i hope someday i can explain to her how amazingly grateful i am that she's my mum.
postscript // i haven't been writing much of late. or photographing. or come to think of it, journaling either. i can't even remember the last time i took joy in snapping the shutter. i guess i'm stuck in between who i was and who i want to be; and i'm gathering the courage to try something new. thanks for all the support/love/and sticking with me these past few months! ya'll are the best.
p.s.s. do ya'll have any tips/links for shooting in manual? i am so stuck with photography right now; and really want to learn how to shoot manual; since I shamefully haven't gotten the hang of it after four years of owning a DSLR.
p.s.s.s. our consulting detective has returned to the states and the game is BACK on. how did you enjoy the premiere? I must admit, that I have already seen the whole entire season, and am already anxiously awaiting season 4 to launch on Christmas of this year. *sqeeeee*
Absolutely beautiful; your photos have such a heartfelt vibrancy and depth to them.
ReplyDeleteI'd be more than happy to give you a few tips and hints on shooting in manual! I ONLY ever shoot in manual and I find that by doing so I'm producing much better images than I would if I shot in auto (if I may say so myself). Some general rules?
1) ONLY allow yourself to shoot in manual; pretend there is no other setting; that way, you'll have to/be forced to come to grips with the settings.
2) Setting your ISO to auto is a good idea, unless you want a particular dark or light look to your photo. An ISO of 200 is pretty average, especially during the day. When it's dark, I recommend using a higher ISO (e.g., 1600).
3) The higher the number of shutter speed (2000, for instance) the darker and more stable your image will be (it's best to have a higher shutter speed when it's bright outside). A slow shutter lets in a lot more light (so setting your shutter on about 200 when you're inside in the evening is a good idea!). A slow shutter is also really good for fast motion blur images.
4) Play around. When you wake up in the morning and your camera is beside your bed, pick it up and play around with the manual settings - just have fun! Or, when you don't have anything to do, just pick up your camera and mess about with the settings. That's what I did! And now I only ever shoot in manual.
5) Aperture… I could go on for ages, but I'll let this >> http://clickitupanotch.com/2010/09/shooting-in-manual-the-basics/ << explain the rest. :)
xx Acacia
Thank you so much, dear heart! You are such an incredible photographer that I feel like I'm only getting the best of advice. ;) I'll start playing around...do you have any tips for filming with your camera on manual?
DeleteMuch love and gratitude!
Set a higher shutter speed (and sometimes and a lower ISO) to get a grainer look at night… besides that, I often apply film grain to my photos anyway! :) xx
DeleteBeautiful post, I love seeing the flowering trees in your pictures, we are still in the grip of hard winter where I live.
ReplyDeleteAs for photography, definitely check out Click it Up a Notch:
http://clickitupanotch.com/
I just started shooting Manual this weekend! The blog and website are very, very helpful, tutorials, ideas, etc., all explained very clearly.
Those photos are so gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAnd, I understood that reference. :D
And also...I totally loved Sherlock Season 3. That finale...woah.
ReplyDeleteoh dear, these are stunning!! i feel like just dropping my textbooks and going to a peaceful place by the water like in your pics... <33
ReplyDeleteand about shooting manual... although i only shoot in manual now, i don't feel like i fully understand what i'm doing of if i even do it right, i kinda just do it :P so my first tip would be just use manual! just play around with different ISO, aperture, etc. i usually like to keep my f stops in the lowers numbers possible (in my 55mm lenses i thin the lower number i get is 3.5 or something... dreaming of the day i get to have lenses that do a 1.8...!) and i like the lower number (which actually mean bigger aperture, so more light coming in) because they create a cool depth of field in the photo with the things in the background looking blurry. and i'm also not afraid to blast my ISO to the max in low-light situations if i don't wanna use flesh. they might have some grain in it but i still like it that way xD i guess that's what i know the most about manual. but just don't be afraid to try it!! :)
xoxo
-- gabi
Ooh.. that last picture is so going on my pinterest board :) It's so pretty♥
ReplyDeleteThe blossoms look so pretty! We don't have any signs of spring here yet. :(
ReplyDeleteI've been in a bit of a photography rut myself, so I totally understand! Since most my days are spent either working or doing stuff around the house I have a major lack of inspiration. Hopefully once spring decides to make it's appearance I'll get back into the wing of things.
I wrote a couple of posts on my old blog that would be helpful for shooting in manual: http://sereinasphotography.blogspot.com/search/label/Shutter%20Skills. If you look up manual photography on Pinterest you'll come up with lots of good links. It's all about finding that right blog/book that explains it in a way that makes sense to you. :)
I would start shooting in aperture or shutter priority before going completely manual. I always like really blurry backgrounds, so I like to choose the aperture. Usually when I'm shooting I'll start by picking the ISO (trying to keep it as low as possible), the aperture, and leave the shutter speed for last.
You should seriously consider getting a lens like the 50mm f/1.8. It's pretty cheap (for a lens!) and you can get lots of blurry bokeh with it. I just brought it up 'cause it seems like something that you would enjoy and would inspire you.
i guess i'm stuck in between who i was and who i want to be; and i'm gathering the courage to try something new. ugh, you said it, woman. i have had NO inspiration lately - i've started writing again, but it's been a little forced; making myself write words, and examine the soul for anything that makes sense, and is worth reading. i haven't taken a picture (except for the two scenic shots in my last blog post) in weeks, and my journal has been sadly neglected. ah, well. as Beatrix Potter says in the movie "Miss Potter", You see, we can't stay home all our lives! We must present ourselves to the world, and we must look upon it as an adventure!
ReplyDeleteyes, now i just need to find out what i want to do, and how i'm going to do it. ;)
anywayyy. this really turned into rambling - and all i got on here to say was how much i love this. your honesty, your writing, and those swoon worthy pictures. [faints] love you bunches and bunches m'dear MH. i'm so glad you're my friend.
xxx, Pond ♥
You are such an artist Grace!
ReplyDeleteShooting in manual eh? You go girl!
I absolutely love the power you have over your camera in manual, I have never shot in any auto functions since I got my first DSLR.
Advice? Practice practice practice. And know your camera and how it handles different light situations.
That is all I got.
You are a dear.
And I love your blog.