Week One ....

So, I've started my learning by doing the Introductory section of the course and am now ready to kick off this weekend with the various projects and finally the Assignment (in time!). I really thought through the notion that many people (including probably me in the past) take about the same time to compose a picture as they do to press the shutter release. I'm sure its a slight exaggeration but I get the point. Method is key but thinking that through and having the eye to do it seems very daunting at this moment in time. That is what the course is for!

I've started setting up lists of photographers to look at that are mentioned as well as thinking about collecting objects as well as ideas to photograph in the future. I will at this rate end up with lists - I need to make sure that they don't just stay like that. I also want to look at Edward Weston's day books to give me an idea of the style and the sorts of things that he wrote in them about the photographs that he took.

Also during this week I've been preparing for these two portrait sessions that I've gone and got myself bookings for. A little nerve-wracking to say the least especially when you start reading about the problems around lighting as well as just getting the subject to pose in such a way that is flattering to them as well as producing a good photo at the end.

Lots of books arrived this week - went a bit crazy on Amazon - but managed to get the three books recommended for the course and will start to look at these on next weeks travelling to the Netherlands.

Finally, Matthew and I had a good session last night with the alphabetti spaghetti - I've attached the final shot. It was just a bit of fun but the more important aspect was the siting up of everything and the trialling of different lenses to get the right exposure and one that we were both happy with. Lots of failures before we got to the final picture - including around the use of equipment such as tripods and where reflection of light was coming in from. But great fun all the same.

In this coming week, I'm putting my mind to getting some of the projects done and under my belt. It will help me feel better and that I will have really started the course.