Something else that has been like using a film camera is the G2 with it's flippy screen. Having got fed up of the view switching between screen and viewfinder, sometimes inadvertently, because of the 'eye sensor' I switched the damned thing off and turned the screen to face inwards. This leaves the viewfinder in operation all the time - or at least until the screen is flipped open. The result is that more often than not I take a shot and don't bother checking the screen to make sure I got it right.
Now and then I blow it, but mostly it means I take more care in the first place. Screens are great for checking for flaws in repeatable shots, but they can become a crutch. More thinking and less chimping is demanded.
While weeding out dross from my photos I've realised that among the recurring themes are hedges and walls. Sometimes, and most interestingly, shots which reveal hints of things on the other side. This is something else I'll no doubt be making a conscious effort to photograph in the future.
I had deliberately framed the shot so the word sat at the bottom of a portrait oriented frame. However that left too much 'nothing' at the top. The solution was to get rid of the 'nothing'.
Down at the beach the last couple of evenings there hasn't been much going on. Despite strong wind the kite surfers weren't in much evidence, those who were around were heading home when I arrived on Friday. The tides are big at the moment so the sea goes a long way out. By the time I reached the incoming tide the few bait diggers out there were heading home too.
What I did pay close attention to while on the beach was the colour of the wet and water covered sand. It actually is as blue tinted as appears in my photographs. Maybe it's the colour of the sand - which isn't golden unless bone dry, and the beach is quite mud like in places below the high water mark - maybe it's the light.
A friend of mine has recently bought a set of 'landscape' filters. I guess they have their uses. What I can't be doing with is all the fiddling about. I tend very much to react to things spontaneously. The clouds were moving and changing quickly the other day. How I could have got a tripod set up and slotted in the correct filters before they had shifted to capture the frame below is beyond me. I'm not suggesting it's a fantastic picture by any means. However it's pleasant enough. The colours are harmonious,. the clouds have form and dynamism, and there's a sense of space.
This wide angle perspective is one we've come to accept, even expect, in landscape photography. It's undeniably dramatic. I'm not so sure it matches the way we see the wider view though. It might match our perception though, as we don't tend to concentrate our vision in one place when taking in a scene. As a way of picturing the world I think it is somewhat overdone.
On a technical note the picture above was made using a lens which my camera shop manager reckons is unpopular and pretty pointless. I find it useful, and practical. More and more I'm coming round to the opinion that if you want to make better photographs you don't need technically better gear you need gear which gets out of the way when you use it. Using my DSLRs has become instinctive now. I don't care that they only have 12 mega pixels when I could 'upgrade' to two or even three times that.
Nor do I care that my pointless lens isn't high on the performance charts. It does it's job by covering a particular range, making (more than) sharp enough prints with nice colours. This last thing is neglected by the measurement geeks. Handling, practicality and above all image aesthetics are what matter for me in selecting equipment for successful picture making. Get that right and you can concentrate of seeing pictures. That really is the most taxing part of photography.
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