My Photography Journey So Far .....

This probably should have been my first post, but I am always keen to share photos before sharing information, so please forgive my random order.

We have owned our DSLR Nikon D3000 for a couple of years, after wanting a better camera to take photos of the dogs. Not really knowing how to use it, I occasionally got some really good photos, but most of the time they were not so good. But why on earth were some of my photos stunning and the rest were total rubbish? Maybe a photography course was needed to get to grips with the basics. Thanks to Groupon, I found the ideal course - not too far away, a good price, not set in a studio and would show me how to get the best out of my camera without being too technical.

So in October 2011, I attended the How to Use Your SLR for Beginners course with Photobarn Photographic Training in Northumberland http://pathway.photium.com/. A fantastic start to understanding why some of my photos are rubbish and some are fantastic. I now had a good basic understanding of apertures and shutter speeds which had previously been a complete mystery to me and appeared to be very complicated.

The Dripping Tap - taken on the first part of the
Photobarn course

After practicing with my photography for a couple of months, I decided I wanted to do the second part of the course to take my photography skills even further. So in mid January 2012 I returned to Photobarn and had another fantastic day. It was a small course with only 4 of us attending and we had a dry day, if not a little chilly. It was the first time I had concentrated on photos of people, rather than pets, and I loved every minute of it. I now had a better understanding of light and how to use it to capture better photos. If nothing else, the cup cakes and buffet on these courses are well worth the visit.

The Model - taken on the second part of the
Photobarn course

During this time, most of my practice photographs were of dogs, as they are always willing subjects and I always have a dog or two with me. At the end of January, my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a family party. I bought a flashgun for my camera and took photos of the party, in order to practice my photography skills and give my grandparents a reminder of the day that they can keep forever.

60 Years of Marriage and Still Smiling

I had now decided I wanted to broaden my range of subjects and not just stick to dogs. As I live just outside of Newcastle and have some rather famous photographic scenes on my doorstep, I wanted to learn how to capture the beauty of Newcastle. Again, thanks to Groupon, I found a night-time course that would allow me to learn 2 completely new skills - night time photography and landscapes all in one go. So, in February 2012, off I went with my camera and borrowed tripod, to take some photos of Newcastle at Night. I thoroughly enjoyed learning a new skill with a group of like-minded people and got some lovely photos out of the evening.

The Theatre Royal with Light Trails - my favourite from
the evening

Thanks to my dad, I now have a quality tripod that does not blow around in the wind. I got this just in time for the Global Rainbow to arrive in Whitley Bay and thought I had better not miss an opportunity to practice another new subject. So off I went with my husband, camera and tripod in tow, on a blustery and cold Friday night (yes, we know how to live the high life!) to capture the Global Rainbow in all of its glory http://yvettemattern.com/

Global Rainbow in Whitley Bay

And that brings you up to date on my journey with photography so far. Hope you are still with me and will join me on my journey in the quest to learn how to capture better photographs and develop my skills as a photographer.