It’s lovely to really start seeing signs of spring popping up everywhere, now that the sun is finally shining. Bluebells starting to appear in the woods.
Whilst white daffodils grow by the side of a lake.
Just got to love spring
Old Watermill
Lovely spring day, had the day off work so thought I would get out practicing taking more photos.
So mountain bike out, camera kit all packed and off I went. I hadn’t been cycling for long when I came across this lovely old watermill just outside of Petersfield in Hampshire.
Using Shutter Speed Priority to help slow down the movement of the water, and then converting to black-white using Adobe Lightroom when I got home, I managed to achieve the above image.
The day was also spent taking time to practice using both ND and GD Cokin filters, using these filters together can help slow down your camera speed on bright sunny days, and also help capture any cloud cover there maybe
When using both Neutral Density and Gradual Density filters together, you need to take care. As doubling up filters can create an unwanted purple tint on occasions.
Also Comes in Red
Just got to love working at Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, yesterday I was lucky enough to capture a Spitfire burning off excess fuel, and today’s lunch break has been spent watching people test drive Ferrari’s.
Which provided me with the opportunity to practice Shutter Speed Priority, whilst trying to add that slight blurring motion to the background, as I hope the below image shows
Just a shame I only got to practice with my Nikon D7000, and didn’t get chance to test drive this lovely looking Ferrari 😉
Spitting Fire
With the weather being warm and sunny, it’s been a great couple of days just to get out during my lunch break a practice playing with Shutter Speed & Aperture Priority on my Nikon D7000.
And as the photo shows below, being in the right place at the right time can also help when it comes to capturing a great shot.
Above image clearly shows where these great World War II aircraft, might just get their name from 😉
Daughter joins JustGreatShots
So after a lovely walk around Petersfield and Steep Marsh in Hampshire with the family and our camera’s, it would appear that JustGreatShots has a new amateur photographer within the group. Our daughter Jessica spent the day playing with her Nikon D3200, learning how to use both Shutter and Aperture Priority and trying to get to grips with Depth of Field.
The above image was taken whilst she learned about Shutter Priority, with the below image being taken whilst she learned and practice using Aperture Priority on her camera. This was her first time taking photos not using AUTO, so if my 17-year-old daughter can do it, so can you 😉
Go on give it a go, switch that mode dial over from Auto
Shutter Priority, Hangers Way Walk
Today has been spent going for a lovely walk around Hangers Ways just outside of Petersfield Hampshire, during our walk we came across a couple of lovely little waterfalls which allowed us to practice using Shutter Priority,
The above and below images aren’t amazing, however, you can see by just slowing your Shutter Speed down by 2 seconds you can start to slow down the motion of the flowing water, and by just upping your Shutter Speed to 6 seconds the image starts to look just a little softer.
Hints and Tips into using Shutter Priority to be written shortly,
Aperture Priority Practise around Old Portsmouth
So spent the other evening out around Old Portsmouth learning more about using Aperture Priority, so what is Aperture Priority you might ask yourself and what’s it all about.
Aperture Priority on your camera will allow you to set and control the F stop (the amount of light you let into your lens) whilst the camera controls the shutter speed required to capture the photograph.
The above image was taken just as the sun said goodnight, which allowed me to capture this anchor silhouette.
JustGreatShots now on Twitter
With JustGreatShots Photography website now up and running and starting to grow, we thought it was time to also start sharing our work. So JustGreatShots has just been created on Twitter and linked to our site.
Trying out our new Manfrotto 678B Monopod
So finally managed to get out and about this afternoon with the camera and our new Manfrotto 678B Monopod with tilting head. Well, what do we think of this monopod from Manfrotto? To start with it’s like all other Manfrotto kit well made and up for job and even comes with 8yrs warranty, but as it’s so well made I can’t see it being needed 😉
Taking photos with a Monopod if you haven’t yet tried one, is just like having a third hand which helps remove that unwanted camera shack without having to set up a tripod. And unlike a tripod, a monopod is just a little more flexible when all your looking for is that extra steady hand when needed. Long-Exposure photographs, however, will still require a Tripod as even the smallest amount of movement could blur out your shot.
Monopods also work very well with panning and action shots, as they allow a little more free movement with your camera, and a lot lighter than carrying around a tripod on those long walks.
Hints and Tips Page
Well it’s been a day more about learning how to use WordPress than taking photos, however with a little practice I’m happy to say that I’ve just managed to post our first Hints and Tips page, hope you like and I hope it helps
First Hint and Tips, Getting that panning shot
We are a Husband and Wife Photography Team 