We Are Obscure (and so it begins........ again)

Over lockdown pt1, I started carrying my camera out with me more, and taking pictures of things I noticed that I usually would just walk past and not see.  This has mainly been (but not restricted to) street art/graffiti.

I submitted one of my non-graffiti pictures to Claire - @so_she_smokes - and she picked it to appear in the first issue of her new quarterly zine Obscure Quarterly.  It's a superb collection of photography, poetry and short stories, and I'm proud to have one of my pictures included in it.

It will be out at the end of the month, but I strongly recommend keeping an eye on her Instagram account, and picking up a copy, when it comes out.  A great read, and it's been put together with a lot of care and thought.  It just looks great too.

 

Couple of photos

Been carrying the camera about in the mornings.  Here's a couple of early morning shots in Glasgow.

Gordon Street

Rogano Oyster bar

I took these with my bridge camera, which is compact enough to throw in the rucksack if I don't have much space, and want to carry a camera "just in case".  I'm going to go back with the DSLR and see what I can get when I'm not rushing to get somewhere.

Been a while

Just realised that I've not posted here in a while!

Since the last post was about starting a photography course, then this one is too.  I've finished the basic course and started the intermediate, and in between, had a wee break in Marrakesh.  So, that's us pretty much up to date.

Last week, at the course, the instructor asked where I'd gone on holiday.  The exchange went something like this....

"So where did you get to on your travels?"

"Marrakesh.  It's getting to be my favourite city"

"You'll have had some great photo ops there.  Hope you took your camera."

".............."

"You DID take your camera?"

"Well, I only had hand luggage, so not exactly.  I did take a wee compact camera, and I did get some cool photos though."

"Hmmmm.  I'll let you off I suppose."

One of the lions in George Square, from the first photography course

Photography course

So I’ve started on a basic photography course at the local collage.  It’s running for 8 weeks on a Tuesday night.  I think I need to do this as without it, I’ll probably never take the camera off the automatic setting, and that would (a) be a shame, and (b) a waste of money, as I could have opted for a cheaper point and shoot rather than the bridge camera I went for.

I used to use (and still own) a 35mm SLR, and my wife was wanting to get me a digital one for my birthday a couple of years ago.  On the advice of a friend who’s a photographer, I went for the bridge.  His reasoning was that it’s a fair bit cheaper, and while I can’t change the lenses, it has the features of an SLR, so I can find out if I want to use them or stick to auto.  If I use them, then I can upgrade to an SLR, and worst case is that the bridge is a really good camera to take on holiday and keep handy for snaps, when I’m not planning to take pics, and having to carry about a larger SLR. 
If I DON’T use the manual features, then it means money hasn’t been wasted on something that won’t be used, so it’s a win-win.

Since the auto feature is banned in the class, and we’ll be using manual all the time, I’ve already started looking as SLR’s in the camera shops and drooling a little, so I think I know how this is all going to pan out.

Travels with the camera

Flowers on the banks of Loch Venachar