End of Co-op; Beginning of Photography?

Today was the end of the trimester at co-op. While it is nice to have a long break ahead, Greg and I will miss teaching.

One of the highlights this last trimester was a photography class I took as a student during one of my free hours. It was fun getting to know our camera better and learning tips for different kinds of shots. But it has increased my desire to pursue photography as a serious hobby, which would require a better camera.

Given Greg's shaky job status, and that our camera does a decent job, it's hard to justify buying a new one. At the same time, I get frustrated at its limitations. Certain lighting situations produce awful results on ours while giving fantastic pictures on one student's pricey camera. Who knows? Right now it is a desire, but I will be content with what we have.

In the meantime, here are some shots I took as part of my homework:

Bark using macro setting (for close-up detail)

Through a red twig dogwood, whose leaves are not yet hiding the beautifully colored branches for which it is known.

Silhouette shot: Taken against the sun.

Landscape that turned out very dull.

Same picture edited in Paint Shop Pro. Black and white, increased contrast.

Edited again, this time hue and saturation tweaked.

This sounds totally guyish, and I usually don't notice cars, but I love the interior and exterior design of our car. Here is the steering wheel area. Edited to black and white with high contrast.

OK. Now, my girly side coming out. Lol! I just love the light through the pink curtains and colors.

A bridge over a swamp at one of our parks. Edited to be sepia.

Same bridge with Kylen and Greg. Edited hue and saturation.

Wooden sign at the park.

Diagonal lines. Those are fallen leaves still hanging around after winter!

Lesson on shooting animals. The fold in the background cloth is annoying, but I love the look on the dog's face.

Capturing animals in action. Heavily cropped.

Lesson on portraits. Hubby's head is tipped back a bit too far, emphasizing nostrals too much.

Our final lesson. We used a square frame made of plastic pipes with a sheet draped over it. The front is open, and spotlights are used on the sides. The light gets diffused nicely through the sheet. I LOVE the effect. Might have to have Greg build me one of these contraptions.