Another Monochrome Day

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Janice

While our little dog, Annika was looking up at me, I grabbed my camera and took her picture. She wanted to go for a walk, so we did. We’d had an early morning rain, but it had stopped and the roads were dry. We walked around the RV park and I took the photo below of one of the cozy cabins available to rent. We are in our 5th wheel trailer, but maybe next time we’ll rent a cabin.After our walk, we went home and I had a cup of coffee. Seemed like another good subject for a monochrome.

Tomorrow I plan to move on to the sepia setting, but this won’t be the last monochrome photos you see on Plum Bird Corner. I think I’m hooked.

Monochrome Photography

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Janice

I took this monochrome photo today, as we drove back to our camp ground. We are spending a few days in southern Utah, RVing in our 5th Wheel trailer. While studying my digital camera and the manual, I learned how to photograph in monochrome and decided that today I would use this setting for all photos.

The mountains in the far distance are part of Zion National Park. I get goose bumps just looking at this photo. Zion seems even more mystical in monochrome. These photos make me feel like I’m looking at photographs taken in the 1950s.

We made a stop at the local hardware shop, and if it wasn’t for the modern car, again I’d think I was looking at the 50’s

This last photo is of my camera case resting on my lap. My jeans are dark blue and the case is chartreuse. It’s amazing how the monochrome setting works. I have a feeling I’ll stay in this particular setting for at least another day, and then on to Sepia, I think.

Digital Camera Closeups

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Janice

Today was my day to practice close up settings on my digital camera. I started out by taking this close up of a pink hibiscus flower.

Next I photographed this rose that is well past its youth, yet still beautiful. I then began to wonder if I could use the close up setting in combination with my zoom lens, while photographing the wild birds that visit to our backyard fountains daily. Below you’ll see some of the results.

There is a flock of blue birds that visit us often, and I’ve photographed them before, but never in such detail.

This pair was certainly enjoying the cool water.

Here they are thoroughly enjoying their bath. I could have watched these happy birds all day, but they only stay for a few minutes before heading on their way.

This last photo amazed me. I wish I’d been able to see more of his tail feathers in this shot, but still wanted to post it because I love seeing the details of his feathers and his bright eyes.

This was my third day of learning more about my digital camera, and each day has been more exciting than the last. I really can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Another Digital Camera Lesson

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Janice

Yesterday I learned about the iA (Intelligent Auto) setting on my digital camera. Earlier today I took this photo of my neighbor’s hibiscus. I noticed the colorful flower as I turned into our driveway. As usual I had my camera with me, and couldn’t resist using it. The camera was in the auto intelligent mode, so I didn’t have to make any adjustments. before taking the picture. One of the advantages of this setting.

Later I decided to try out some of the other settings available on my Lumix digital. I started with the Sports mode. It’s recommended when taking pictures in bright daylight. This mode has a faster shutter speed to freeze action. I also practiced using the zoom lens.

I enjoy taking photos of wild birds and thought that the Sports mode might be a good choice to capture the action of the birds enjoying their late afternoon visits to the fountains in our back yard.

This is a Black Phoebe that visits our yard every afternoon.The zoom lens allowed me to take this photo from across the yard.

Here is one of many finches that regularly drink from our fountains.

I’ll continue to read my manual and try different settings. I still have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to learning. Today I used the Sports setting and the zoom lens, and I got a little more practiced at photographing wild birds in our yard. Having a camera in my hands certainly does make me take a closer look at the amazing world around me.Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Learning to Use my Lumix Digital Camera

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Janice

Above you see my Lumix DMC-ZS40 Digital Camera by Panasonic. I bought this camera last year when I started my Plum Bird Corner blog. Photos are a large part of a blog, and I knew I’d need a camera that I could use for close up photography and distance shots as well. I was taking a photography class at the time and my instructor recommended the Lumix as a camera that would fit my needs. One of the advantages of this camera over my last one, is that the Lumix has both a view finder and a monitor display. You can see both on the photo below. I usually use the monitor, because it shows me exactly what I will see in the recorded photograph. If I’m taking photographs on a very bright day, it’s not always easy to see what is displayed on the monitor, so in this instance I use the view finder which can be adjusted to suit my vision.

I’ve been very happy with my purchase, but today while looking at the manual, I realized that the Lumix does so much more than simple basics. I decided right then and there, to start from the beginning of the manual and really get to know my digital camera.

Today I started by learning to use the Intelligent Auto Mode or the iA Mode. In this mode the camera optimizes settings to match the subject and recording environment. It’s recommended for beginners, or if you’re in a situation where you want to be ready to take a photo quickly, without making adjustments to focus and exposure. Below you see two photos that I took in iA mode. By the way, all digital cameras have a fully automatic mode.

I’m very happy with this photo of our hibiscus. All I did was point and shoot. The camera did the rest. Next I photographed two pieces of ceramic green ware that I’m currently working on. Once more the camera did the work. I simply had to frame the image and press the shutter button..

I’m really looking forward to working my way through the manual and learning all there is to know about my Lumix DMCZS40. I’m hoping you’ll follow along with me as I learn and share. Perhaps you might learn something new and helpful about digital photography as well. I’d love to hear if you do.