PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE - WEEK 7: NATURE

After my recent "altercation" with our PC I've decided it may be high time to start making use of the spanking new Mac Book Pro we got for Christmas...

I'm slightly nervous about making the leap to Mac, but my lovely friend Belinda (who, as an aside, is just about EVERYONE'S photography mother on this journey) has promised to hold my hand and drag me kicking and screaming gently lead me through the transition.

Anywho.

Our theme for this week was "Nature". I'm unsure whether I really pushed the boundaries of this topic like I ought have, that said the "Harry Potter Houses"  inclusion was a perspective I wouldn't have otherwise sought out so it did challenge my eye (If you're still scratching your head it's meant to look like a lightning bolt...just incase you hadn't already seen it...)

Learnings for this week:

1. I'm starting to see the limitations of my faithful 450D at its max ISO of 1600. The integrity of the pictures are significantly grainer than I would like when not using a flash. I'm going to have to look into this more going forward.
2. My son is a silly billy. But a gorgeous one who I love endlessly. The same goes for my husband who's even more awesome and even more silly and who I love endlessly plus, plus, plus. For Valentines Day we both agreed NO presents...so of course I brought him an ace suitcase for all his trips and he turned up with two photography magazines, a packet of my favourite lollies then we promptly headed out to dinner at the French Cafe...Romance win!
3. I'm well aware that the picture from the 16th looks like a still out of Little House on the Prarire. While out walking I noticed some wild flowers growing in a paddock. I made a mental note to head back in the car with the camera when I got home. I'm learning more and more through this challenge that a great deal of photography is about being in the right place at the right time. That said my mother commented to me this week that it's amazing how much "luck" is the result of perseverance & planning. In this instance after arriving home, grabbing the camera and gunning back around the corner I was nestled in the dirt about to take the shot when a Monarch landed 10cm away and boom what you see is the below. My learning. You've got to be in to win. The picture would have been just as beautiful sans Butterfly but like breeds like. Beautiful places tend to attract beautiful things - so if you're wondering whether to go back for the shot or not I say GO....GO!

Looking forward to next week and can't WAIT for Saturday night, we've got our first group meeting to do a night shoot!!!

Want to join us? Email me - cullenjacq@hotmail.com.

Also - welcome to my mother in law Sal who's just joined the blog community. She's still setting up shop but check her out here: http://anothergenerationgrowingtrees.blogspot.com/

Jacq