Trees and stuff

It has come to my attention that I haven’t blogged for quite a while, and as the weddings and gigs are winding up for the year I’ve been looking for some other things to point my camera at to keep me going.

Recently I’ve been trying to help my friend with her photography, but after seeing her first lot of photos it was evident she didn’t actually need much help. Some of the landscapes she took on a weekend away were fantastic, and honestly, better than any landscapes I feel I’ve taken. In fact, landscapes have always been a bit of  a problem for me- trying to turn a big inanimate scene into something dramatic or exciting (or even just nice to look at) had always proved to be a bit of a problem for me.

I took a Landscape photography course a couple of years ago and it helped me look at things in a totally different way. For me, landscape doesn’t have to be all big sweeping views and beaches and mountains- it doesn’t have to be about the bigger picture- and as a result, my coursework project concentrated on the minutiae that makes up the landscape at some bigger tourist locations in South Wales, whether that be a flower or a discarded cigarette or an empty packet of Quavers blowing around in the wind. The module helped my photography in other areas too, but since I finished my course I haven’t really done much similar- mainly taking photos of people- so when I was asked if I wanted to go to Westonbirt Arboretum a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance. How would I see things with my camera?

We may have been a week or so late to catch the autumn colours in their prime but there were some beautiful species on display and some lovely colours to capture.  I’m quite pleased with my results in many cases. It’s nice thinking more about composition and colours rather than the actual subject, but I think I’ve got a decent mix of both, overall.

Thanks to Jenny and Jim for a great day out. Next time make sure I have a bigger coat.