Evaluation.

Before this course I was a complete novice and apart from using an instamatic camera I knew hardly anything. I had never used a DSLR before. The first couple of weeks I was excited by the challenge but then missed some of the course because of a prebooked holiday to America. I did take my camera with me and tried to experiment with what I had been taught to date. America is an ideal opportunity for a photographer and in Arizona the weather lends a perfect clarity to the views. Arriving back home and attending a couple more sessions I became a bit overwhelmed and wondered if I had taken on too much, being behind and all. However I decided to bite the bullet and take one step at a time. Gradually I began to get a feel for the camera and what we learned in the lessons began to make sense. As I started to understand the mechanics I began to relax and enjoy myself more. The main concern I had was matching up the Aperture and Shutter Speed, but I kept on persevering and eventually it clicked.

My final pieces were based on Woodland and Trees. I have an affinity with woods and find them timeless and tranquil, although they can also be forbidding and mysterious places. It was enjoyable to travel around and find different scenes to photograph. I was going to base my work solely on these aspects but having seen the work of Josh Sommers and Helen Sears I decided to utilise portraits of girls superimposed on to the trees to give an added nuance. Helen Sears' work is very delicate and she uses layers incorporating female heads and lace. This gives it a very haunting feel to the photos. Josh Sommers run along a similar theme but are more powerful and direct and clearly uses photoshop to manipulate them. I feel that the faces enhance the mystery and serenity of the woodland photos without detracting from the basic imagery.

Before each of my travels I ensured that I had the correct attire, trying to cover every contingency as well as a fully charged battery, enough space on my memory card, my tripod and my cameras manual. I would plan before hand the area that I wished to view and would make sure that I had my map available. The camera  that I used was a Nikon D3100.

Problems that I encountered were mainly logistical, finding places that allowed a photographer to set up in safety and in public places. So many beautiful shots are positioned on a hairbend with no parking signs and traffic going at an amazing rate. Once or twice the days that I went hunting for good photos were also days that had gale force winds that stung the face and turned fingers to ice, let alone causing the tripod to shake dangerously making photography impossible. Solving these problems meant taking more journeys back to these places and investing in good quality gloves.

When I first started taking the photographs it was largely experimentation and trial and error but gradually I had a feel for Composition, Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, White Balance, Focul Point and Depth of Field.

Overall I am pleased with the outcomes of the work although I always think I could do better. You can never have enough photographs to choose from, so I have learnt that always having a camera at hand and using your eyes to see things in a new light is beneficial.  I found it difficult trying to choose a theme within the context of Landscape. I do tend to be quite indecisive and I think sometimes it's better to make a decision rather than floundering around. The other problem was finding the focul point. If there was a path or a clearing in the wood it was easy, but if it was just trees and vegetation it was hard to get a focus. Photoshop almost floored me, I did find it quite difficult to come to terms with but after having some instruction and a lot of playing about I started to get the gist of it. This I feel is going to be an ongoing journey.

I have enjoyed this course thoroughly and I am looking forward to taking it further.