h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Took a gamble last night: I finished taking photos in Corfe and watched with impending doom as the rain cloud rolled in huge and black. Fled for the car.

Driving back to Weymouth I could see the storm piling in from the sea. But the point is it was moving AWAY from the sea! So tired and hungry I decided to risk driving to Portland again.

I set up camp on some rocks to the far end of Checil beach with waves crashing hard against the rocks.

I was able to get the complete evolution of the sunset in clear blue skies fringed with orange.

Some of my best photos yet!

I really must learn more about photography. It sounds like it's giving you an exciting time!

TRiG.

I'm occasionally asked how I got into this.

Two things,

As you know I used to carve pumpkins for Halloween*, and despite all the effort I put into carving them, the photos would never been good enough, too shaky, the colours were wrong, it was too dark, under/over-exposed the flash desaturating everything it was horrible.

I remember seeing some portrait photos, the kind where the subject is properly lit and the background is blurry.

And I thought that's what I want - a pumpkin portrait!


Separately, I was looking for a new hobby, I had finally settled upon solving cryptic crosswords. Morse does it so why not, seems like it'd keep my brain in gear and I've always disliked them for not understanding the rules, so I set out to learn the rules and work out how to solve them.

This was until the thought struck me: "Oh well done Richard - you've given yourself another hobby you can do by yourself and indoors."

Which is when I began thinking more about getting a camera, I researched the available and what was affordable. Got my Canon 450D as a combined effort of modest savings, Christmas and Birthday rolled into one.

The camera shop people will always ask what sort of pictures do you want to take, and it's a sensible and important question, but impossible to answer! You only really get a feel for it, once you start.

I used to main sources of info to learn more about photography.

Those were The Digital Photography School
http://digital-photography-school.com/
Who have some excellent tutorials and weekend 'challenges' to motivate you.


I also read Trey Ratcliffe's blog "Stuck in Customs" which is all about HDR photogaphy, and was where I learnt a lot about various kinds of software and editing tips.

In both cases I have occasionally downloaded (paid for) the E-books both sites offer which have been useful manual to refer back to when Preparing for a new project


As I sat on that rock on the Portland side of Chesil Beach, eagerly fingering the button on my cable release, having set up the filters and focussed to infinity and the sea splashing a few feet in front of me, with the sun dropping and changing colour, I did think back to that decision about hobbies several years ago now.

At least I'm out of the house!







*since moving last year to take up work, I am bereft of my father's drill and shed where I could indulge this eldritch practice undisturbed.

Stuck in Customs:

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/



I should add the DPS forums have a very good share your shot and Critique my shot separation - which is good if you just want to share or get some feedback, but it will be honest feedback.

< I finished taking photos in Corfe >

That sentence singles you out as a grockle straight away. The village is Corfe Castle, not Corfe.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Corfe+Castle&hl=en&ll=50.642058,-2.060366&spn=0.017799,0.073729&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=4.339929,18.874512&oq=corfe&t=h&hnear=Corfe+Castle,+Dorset,+United+Kingdom&z=14&layer=c&cbll=50.642176,-2.060652&panoid=_liS0lh3gYXMSvV6nJ-AoA&cbp=12,125.2,,0,-5.97

I presumed it was "place" x "thing".