DSLR photography

Learning the delicate art of travel photography

Learning the delicate art of travel photography

Since I've been practising DSLR photography, I really wanted to bring my camera on our trip to Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE. We were both a bit nervous about having it with us because we'd be very sad if it were lost or stolen, but I figured it was worth the risk. It's not every day that I get to practice taking photos in cities other than my own, never mind on the other side of the world.

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Stop Tolerating Winter and Start Loving It

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Stop Tolerating Winter and Start Loving It

I have relatives that live in California and every time I talk to them they try to convince me to come live there. The main draw, in their eyes, is the perpetually mild weather. Who wouldn't want to live in a place that's sunny with an average of 20°C all year long? I wouldn't. I live in a city that spends almost half the year under snow. And I love it.

Learning DSLR Photography: Summer Fun

Learning DSLR Photography: Summer Fun

My latest photography adventure happened on Canada Day. I don't think I can remember a July 1st that wasn't sunny and warm and this year didn't disappoint. We spent the day in a park surrounded by good friends and later went home to barbecue. We set up a slackline, hung a swing in a tree, played frisbee and bocce ball, coloured, played music (my friends did while I took pictures), and drank boozy blueberry lemonade. We couldn't have asked for a better July day.

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Learning DSLR Photography: Chocolate

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I'm stepping out of my comfort zone again to show you another experiment with DSLR photography. I interviewed a local chocolatier (the blog post will be published here soon) and she gave me a box of chocolates to try. More beautiful than most, these chocolates lend themselves to photography thanks to their vibrant colours and unique shapes and textures. They taste pretty good too! Here's the story of a beautiful box of chocolates told in pictures.

DSLR photography - chocolate

Even the box is beautiful. It's inviting me in...

DSLR photography - chocolate

This is the magical view you get when you open the box.

DSLR photography - chocolate

Contemplating the chocolates...

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I love reading the descriptions. They really make the flavours come alive.

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Time to try the first one!

DSLR photography - chocolate

That's cassis coulis (like blackcurrant jam) and white ganache (chocolate mixed with cream). Yum!

DSLR photography - chocolate

And this one is pistachio!

DSLR photography - chocolate

Just one left! Yes I ate them all in one sitting.

DSLR photography - chocolate

All gone! Feeling a little sick...

What did I learn?

  • That I need more lighting than I think I do. Even with big windows I realized I could have used a lamp or two since most of these turned out too dark and I had to use editing software to brighten them up.
  • Take more pictures! Try more things! I wish I had turned the box around to get it from the other side, that I had taken the chocolates out of the cups, and that I had captured more of the insides of the chocolates. I could have photographed my messy fingers too!
  • Can I turn the camera more? Almost all the pictures are the same direction. They work, but it would have been good to try the other way too.
  • Need to be more careful about focus - I use automatic focus and sometimes I don't love where it chooses to focus. I need to pay more attention to that.

Have an idea about how I could have made these pictures better? Leave a comment! Let me know what you've learned about digital photography.