Resolving to Resolute...or something

Dear, gentle readers, how wonderful it is to converse with you once again!

Evidently 2013 is set to be a busy year, as evidenced by the fact that I have renamed it "The Year of Getting Shit Done".

Normally I have a highly bohemian like need to not confine myself to the rigours of resolutions, bucket lists and the The Secret (retardedly inane book, tells you to think positive. Yes that's it.). But sadly this way of thinking has not got me as far as I'd like? Well this isn't to say I'm not fairly pleased with life in general because I am...but sometimes you just need a little more.

Which leads me to this! My little list of things to GET SHIT DONE!!!!

GET SHIT DONE

1. Learn a spot of coding.
2. Work on learning actual photography and not just dabble exclusively in macro-photography?
3. Make a bucket list.
4. Someday enter DIFF.
5. Try to stop getting 'hangry' so much, i.e. hungry-angry
6. Write a little more. It's totes a muscle.
7. Generally be nicer to everyone.
8. No doing my doormat impersonation. That shit be done.

I am painfully aware that this list is fairly similar to my resolution list, well that just cos I'm consistent so yeah, that's it.

Now bearing in mind that Marx says that man is a constantly evolving being, this list will most likely evolve and grow. So high five self and let's GET SHIT DONE!!!!!!!

This Year's Girl

Firstly HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!!

I happily celebrated my birthday on the 6th and let me tell you! The love I have for that day is grotesque! In a good way of course. Although seeing as I keep getting that much more ancient I should chill on the happy... Alas I don't anticipate that happening any time soon!

Thankfully I have an amazing boyfriend who feels the need to, not indulge me but rather, go completely bat-shit. Interpretation? For lack of a better word I do tend to get spoiled!

Part of said indulgence includes "Birthday Eve" which began with delicious sushi at Daruma... All I shall say is my belly was happy! You should totes check it out.

Saturday morning included an early birthday breakfast with the boyfriend, his BFF and my BFF and random hangers on followed by Sunday road tripping! And let it be known, Richards Bay is the ass end of Kwa-Zulu Natal. This was made infinitely bearable with this fancy new iPad I'm tinkling on, courtesy of the very perfect boyfriend.

Finally celebrations culminated in a Monday morning decorated desk of awesome-ness! Pleased as punch does not describe me right now, add many an excited expletive and there it is!

The Wish

Hello readers that amount to one!!

Hope your New Years Eve went splendidly! Mine was fairly awesome. Two words. Melted. Cheese. Hell’s yes people, fondue was all up in my grill on NYE and making my belly baie happy”!

As many will say, and many will equally disagree with, New Year resolutions are not my thing. I don’t do it, I think it is pointless. But to prove a point (mostly to myself, Lord knows I need some motivation!) for the year 2013 I shall me making a few resolutions. They’re all likely to change and alter as fits of genius strike me (lols sure that’s what you call them!), but I’m hoping to stick to it! Motivation!! Also I’m getting dangerously old so it’s pretty much time to do something awesome before my impending hip replacement!

New Year’s Resolutions 2013

1      Work on my blogs.

Yes I said blogs. You’d think one who updates as little as I do would not have more than one and yet...

2  Spend more time learning photography.

A fancy camera does not make a photographer. #justsayin

3 Write more.

What are writers if they don’t write; nothing more than pointless.

4 Apply for DIFF

Been trying to do this forever.

5  Be a nicer person overall.

This should be humanity’s general goal.

6 Make a concerted effort to regain the healthier lifestyle of my earlier twenties.

Gaaawd the fact that I just typed “earlier twenties” made me vomit in my soul. Also forgive the extreme amount of narcissism and female baggage found in this resolution. We all revert at some point. 

Let's go 2013!! Whooo and Hooo

Lessons

One of the things I’m very quickly learning about photography is that you can take hundreds of pictures and have maybe four of those will actually be somewhat decent enough to edit. Well it’s either that or I’m really doing a bad job at this! It’s the former! (Eek I hope!)

So I was being lazy and decided Assignment 2 was not for me, but thankfully my better sense prevailed and these are what I have to show for about thirty minutes of lying on cold tiled floors whilst my boobies and ribs were crushed under the weight of my hair. Good Lord, do I need to work out!

Anyway back to the point!

My fav pair of Iron Fist graced our oh-so-subtle floor tiles whilst I set up my camera about half a metre away from it and prepared! Okay so the entire Assignment centres on Aperture which, from my vague understanding, is the lens of the camera or rather controlling that lens. Works like the eye’s iris, if the environment is dark it gets larger to allow light in, if the area is full of light it decreases in size so less light gets in. So here goes!

• ·         Camera set to Aperture Priority
• ·         Smallest Aperture F22 (Photo 1)
• ·         Take shot. Hold camera still.
• ·         Largest Aperture F5.6 (Photo 2)
• ·         Take Shot. Hold camera still. 

Photo 1 F22:

Photo 2 F5.6:

School Hard Part 2

Okay back home from second lesson and honestly I sat down with every intention to write but oh how my bed beckons...

Sleep....zzzzz.....zzzzz...

Sleep has been had, now rundown of last night. Btw I know I'm reusing a Buffy title here but go with it!

Assignment 1 Crit:

Focus on object, so there aren't too many vying for attention Assignments can be edited in terms of lighting, cropping etc- mine were not. But for the next assignment editing shall be on like scone! (Gaaaawd let's pretend I never said that!)

Today's class dealt with various elements of photography, the basics I suppose.

ISO- simply how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light. 

Shutter Speed- this is just the amount of exposure time, i.e. the length of time the shutter remains open.

Aperture- decides how much light will be let into the lens, or my take on it, a simplified take. 

All of these elements are really in depth and eeek will do them individually as I learn more, but for now...

Assignment 2:

1. Photograph a subject using the smallest Aperture (F22)
2. Photograph a subject using the largest Aperture (F5.6)

Subject needs to be the same object and angle.

Good luck me! 

New Moon Rising

Readers...what up!

So Assignment 1 has been completed to best of my ability (read: lack of abilty) and here they are!

Because I know zero to minus zero about photography I went to the one place I could get really amazing shots without actually knowing how to get a great shot, enter Durban Beach Front.

If you're from SA or have been here then you know how amazing it is, every single day! And shame on you naysayers who say nay!

Most of the shots were crappy, but as the wise Stephen has said, "Out of 500 shots they'll only be 10 or so really good one's that you could use."

The first shot was a low angled photo. I took about a gazillion low angles of stairs, flowers and ither random shite and then whilst walking along the pier I look down and see this.

A little boy had run into the surf and it was beautiful. Words are seriously failing me now, shitty considering this is a written medium and all, but this little boy was bursting with joy and it was lovely to witness and capture. Not sure if it comes out in the photo to anyone reading this but it certainly did for me. whilst the technique may not be there I think this photo contains the spirit.

North Beach 2012

The second shot included was meant to be a photo depicting the Rule of Thirds. I'm not sure what the heck this is depicting except a bad shot of one of the most gorgeous skylines I've ever seen.

Durban Skyline July 2012
 

The final shot was a high angle. Now high angles sound fun and easy, but you look uber retarded taking them! I stomped around the beach front taking shots of everything from tree's to decrepit old buildings and even this really tall dude. Nothing really worked.

This however is not too bad. uShaka's Cargo Hold restaurant, not the yummiest food around but delicious views!

uShaka July 2012

 

In my head I have some really gorgeous pictures that are just waiting to come out, hopefully someday I'll know enough about photography tp make it come out. :)

 

(Eek how Dogie Howser was that!! Yikes! Goodnight!)

 

School Hard

Good evening faithful followers, the lack of faithful followers and whoever happens to pass by!

Firstly I haven’t posted because I’m lazy…sorta. My last job had me by the proverbial nuts which ended with me not posting, not sleeping, always eating and rocking myself in a dark corner of any given room.

Guys I suffer from a serious case of OCD and as you know I haven’t posted in like forever! But I have been copiously writing in the last couple of months, just not posting.  So the compulsive in me tried in vain to back date my posts. That did not happen. It clearly did not work. So gentle readers I'm hoping to update aplenty!

Getting back to previously written posts, enjoy the first!

18 July 2012

(So yesterday was the mum’s birthday and we nom-ed at Nourish! If you haven’t been there, do yourself an immense favour and go now!)

Today I began this really awesome photography course with Stephen Railton Photography, thanks Groupon for that awesome deal.

Now for those of you who know me, you are aware of my complete inability to direct myself, I generally follow the skyline and move towards what looks most familiar. This was the strategy employed today whilst trying to find Mackeurtan Avenue, see Durban North region.

This resulted in me being 45 minutes late to a two hour class, Mr Railton was kind enough to give me a courtesy call, whilst stuck in non-moving Inanda traffic, in which I assured him I would be there...eventually.

The class is being held at Northwood Boys, and BTW FYI every high school smells the same. 

It smells of shame, disinfectant and mass amounts of sweaty boys-many of which were running around as I parked off.

I dash in, trying to be inconspicuous and trip across my own legs and find a seat at the front of the class- high school déjà vu.

Okay! So back to the class!

There was, as I’m told, a fantastically compelling intro (which I missed) followed by camera basics, i.e. this is the lens. But high five self, I totally knew my lens! The rest of class centred on types of camera’s, flashes, presets, len’s etc.

Then The Rule of Thirds came into effect, the basic concept of which I understand, but alas we shall how this comes out in the photos. Finally Composition was discussed at length, I won’t bore you with the details.

Assignment 1:

1.  Photograph a landscape using the Rule of Thirds.
2.  Photograph an object from an extremely high angle.
3.  Photograph an object from a low angle.

Parameter's include Complete Auto and Composition.

Boom! Next post, the fruit of my Assignment labour!