In the last year I've gotten back into photography in a big way - finally I've started teaching myself how to use my camera on modes other than "automatic" after about ten years of promising myself I'd do so. I've also been getting out with the camera more regularly. As a result, I've had quite a few more photos to share.
Many of these I've shared here already in other posts, such as the various Saturday Snapshots posts I participate in. Other Saturday Snapshots posts I've done are made up of older photos that I've taken over the years but never processed into something I liked.
On to the photos:
1. Tofino Sunset 2:
The most spectacular sunset I saw at Tofino through two separate camping trips last year. The sheer range of color still amazes me.
2. Tofino Sunset:
This was taken earlier in the same day as the sunset above. Green Point Campground near Tofino is really a spectacular place!
3. Great Horned Owl:
This one was a real stroke of luck, as one of the other people on the path pointed the bird out to us. Said bird seemed more than happy to pose for the camera though after we spotted it.
4. Mushrooms:
You can't always stand, crouch or squat to get the photo you want. This one and all my other mushroom photos resulted in muddy knees and elbows as I tried to get the camera closer and closer to the ground for some different perspectives. However, it was definitely worth doing for this one!
5. Twilight Mushroom:
For this one, I ended up using the flashlight on my phone as a secondary light-source as twilight was fast approaching. First time using the technique and I'm quite happy with how it worked out. No idea what kind of mushroom it was though, and this time I was able to keep my knees and elbows clean by sacrificing the jacket I'd been wearing by kneeling on it.
6. Thistle:
A thistle that looks a bit like a firework. There's something about flowers on a dark background like this that I really like. I'm still trying to figure out how to get that effect consistently though - without simply imposing it in post-processing.
7. Warbler:
A flock of birds. a fruit tree and a convenient window. The three elements do sometimes combine to create a nice image, and this one was the best result I had. The consensus is that it's some kind of warbler.
8. Rose with Droplets:
One of the rarer times when I was deliberately attempting to set up an image and not just taking advantage of something already together - i.e. a garden flower and bees. I've been fascinated by photos of flowers with droplets of water and this was one of the photos from my first attempt at taking my own pictures.
9. Night Sky:
My first successful attempt at night-sky photography. This is definitely an area that I'm planning to practice more of, as I found it really enjoyable. Just need to find an area that's truly dark enough at night though I think.
10. Rabbit Portrait:
A fairly tame rabbit I was seeing regularly at Rathtrevor Provincial Park. A bit too willing to pose for my photographs if you know what I mean.
I got both a new camera body and a new lens last week and this is the first photo I took using them. The camera is a Nikon D7100 and the lens is an 80-400mm - bought used so I'm not sure of the precise model. This picture isn't the greatest I'll admit - I took it hand-holding rather than using a tripod and also on manual focus 100%. Thanks to the weather, I didn't want to take the time to set up a tripod - not in six to eight inches of snow and -4 degree weather.
