A bit of stuff has happened lately, my camera isn’t fixed and probably won’t be as I’ve decided to upgrade at the end of summer rendering my little 1000D forever in a debilitated state however to my surprise its not out of the game. I’m sure if you’re familiar with the error 99 message on Canon cameras, It could mean that any one of a list of problems have occurred and according to H Lehmann of Stoke On Trent (who I rate very highly) my 1000D is in need of a new shutter which will set me back £162 and in my honest opinion I feel that this is somewhat excessive for the age and model of camera I have despite for that price, Lehmann’s also provide a full service and a 6 month guarantee on the whole camera. But to me its just not financially viable.
Anyway after collecting my camera from the post office yesterday I was able to alter a few of the settings which has maintained my ability to capture my memories and experiment with the only form of art I really enjoy creating. I also think its time for a quarterly update on how I’m progressing in the world of photography.
So today we went to Chester Zoo for a few hours and I managed to capture some great stills. I’ve been experimenting with a lot with the user defined setting on my camera and I rarely shoot out of manual mode which from reading information on the internet is a positive step. As you have may already know I love this light in the spring months and not just to take pictures of what’s happening in my life but also Isabel and I are planting an array of flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs and she seems to love gardening with me as you can see.
Here is Isabel watering the Strawberries that funnily enough are a year older than her, I planted them the year before she was born and they seem to have lasted very well. The still itself is what I’m typically trying to achieve; a simple image that tells a little story. I love the simplicity of the colour and the way the spring light highlights all that pink. I’m still yet to enter into the routine of cropping and the blue tarpauline covering my wheelbarrow could have been dealt with but I kind of like it, its a perfect image of what goes on in my garden.
And the Zoo
I didn’t really spend a lot of time going crazy in the zoo, I did discover that my camera fits in the pocket of my coat its that small (its not like a compact SLR but its still little). As the day went on I did alter some of the settings to get it back to how it was before it broke. The Meerkats were very much on form today and if it wasn’t for the triangle roof of the Rhino house in the background it would be easy to think you’re not in the heart of Cheshire. Again more cropping could be achieved and the more pictures I take the more I feel I should spend more time on touching up but that will come in time. When I talk about the settings, I have been messing with the white balance a lot and depending on where I am depends on how my camera is set but generally living in North Wales there is a lot of green outside and I love to highlight this, its a really big part of where I live. I also like the warm oranges and reds so I tend to have the white balance on my camera set between green and magenta.
I do love the spectacle bear, they seem so placid and laid back and there was a time I would see them every time I would visit the zoo and then all of a sudden they disappeared. I was in for a treat today, one was out playing in full view and I managed to capture the moment when the bear stepped over a stream, i’m well chuffed with this.
Finally
This is what digital photography is all about for me, I take a thousand photos and and if I had to choose one this would be it. I’m very proud of this picture and It will definitely make its way on a wall in my house. I am reluctant to post this on the internet, I may be biased but this is fantastic to me and my little (broken) Canon 1000D and the amazing 50mm f1.8 Canon lens has really shown what can be achieved. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
