Monday, 17 February 2014

Inspiration: trying out the new camera

Trying to capture the moon from our bedroom window
Last week was our half term week and at the risk of becoming scarily predictable, we headed down to Northumberland to the cold coast for a family holiday.  It was definitely the worst weather week we have had there, but it didn’t seem to matter.  The children enjoyed the familiarity of returning to the same known place and we got to relax, visit bookshops (well, actually only one fabulous second-hand bookshop, Barter Books in Alnwick) and go for bracing walks/jogs. 

The harbour at sunrise

Sunrise, looking away from the harbour
The week also gave me the opportunity to try out my new toy – a new digital SLR.  It was a belated Christmas present as R didn’t have the courage to buy it on his own, which was probably the right move!  Digital SLRs have moved on so much since we bought our original one about eight years ago and it is going to take some getting used to as there are so many touch screen buttons and gizmos that I have absolutely no idea how to use.  Of course, it would help if I read the manual, but... it is not going to happen. 
Walking on the sands at Alnmouth.  Yes, the boys are wearing shorts.
Sand break at Alnmouth

Still, the week was a great chance to experiment and try different settings.  Here are some of the better ones.  There are lots more pictures of the sea, but I thought after the post the other week, you would be more interested in these.
http://www.alnwickgarden.com/
Water feature at Alnwick Gardens

At the end of the week, we headed up to Edinburgh, where I spent a delightful Saturday with Thistle Quilters.  They were a wonderfully friendly group and I had a great time showing them some of my Unsung Muses work, which had travelled down to Northumberland specially with me and then sharing my paper pieced bowl techniques.
One of the giant drains of the fountains at Alnwick Gardens
Small stream in Alnwick Gardens
Alnmouth
Alnmouth
 

6 comments:

Maggi said...

Very inspiring photos. The moon shot is so atmospheric.

Gillian Cooper said...

Thanks Maggi. Glad you like it. The moon had been clear earlier in the evening, leaving lovely shadows on the water, but by the time I went to photograph it was cloudy. So a totally different effect!

Margaret Cooter said...

Seeing Alnmouth from the train is always a delight … maybe one day I'll be able to visit it!

Gillian Cooper said...

You should try and visit, Margaret. The Northumbrian Coast is really beautiful and, especially in Feb, relatively quiet. I'm sure you'd find lots to inspire you.

Vicki Miller said...

What a load of inspirational photos. You new camera is obviously a good one.

Gillian Cooper said...

Thanks Vicki. I am really pleased with the camera - I ended up getting a much more expensive one than I intended, full of gizmos, but I'm hoping it will take really good basic photos too!

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