The Nursery

Feeling refreshed and inspired this week. Rich and I had such a wonderful weekend away down to the south coast, it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Attending Tim Coulson's photography workshop, aptly named 'The Nursery' on Saturday, completely exceeded my expectations. We were joined by a lovely small group of bloggers, crafters, designers, budding photographers and hobbyists in Tim's home. Tim's passion for people and photography just lights him up from the inside out. He shared his knowledge on the key technical elements of shooting but also how to connect with your subject and how important it is to be present, in order to see and capture those moments within moments (emotional shooting).

My tech-head husband, bless his stay-up socks, has tried many times over to teach me the technical stuff.  Some of it stuck but for the most part it was just a case of, waaaay too much information, too many options, where do you even begin?

What I've learned from Tim about shooting on manual is that I can keep it simple, stick to a couple of settings that work for most situations and train my mind to understand how the technical elements work together. It was a revelation! It's actually starting to make sense. After 'hundreds of days' of practice it will eventually become second nature and not get in the way of emotional shooting. I'm looking forward to that!

The thing about shooting on manual is the image is just so much better when you get it right. It's such a thrilling feeling too, I'm hooked!

These are some of my favorite images that Rich and I captured at the workshop's practical live shoot. We couldn't have asked for more, a breathtaking setting with magical afternoon light, beautiful subjects and expert guidance from Tim and his clever 'profesh photog' friends, Annette and Luisa.

On Sunday, we spent a gorgeous day in Berry. Keen to keep practicing what we had learnt, our cameras shot in manual all day. It was slow going, but I felt so empowered!

A huge thank you to the talented and generous Tim who is so willing to share his experience and knowledge with all of us. And to his (seriously) beautiful wife and son for having us in their home. The good news is, The Nursery may be coming to a town near you. I couldn't recommend it highly enough, I'm still smiling!

Thanks also to the group, it was so inspiring to spend a day learning and creating with lovely people. Rachel, Greer, Jodi, Roberta and Kelly have also blogged about their experience and shared their awesome photos. Check em out.

How clever are we! 

Proud as ;-)

Belinda x

We were here

I love taking pictures. To capture the grandest or the smallest of moments, preserve precious memories or attempt to bring a creative idea to life. I'm not great at it, I've always been a lazy student but ever since I got my first Instamatic camera as a teenager, photography has always inspired me. I'm not sure why exactly why we're so compelled to document the story of our lives, come to think of it. Is it about capturing those flashes of beauty in the world, the connections we make in life, perhaps to leave our mark, make sure history remembers that we were here.

In this digital age, we have limitless creative license to experiment. Hello Instagram, I love you!  While I am grateful for that as I learn to use my digital camera properly, I do have a sentimental attachment to film and old cameras. The cameras above & below are some of the manual cameras in our ever growing collection. I haven't been in a darkroom since high school but there was something about processing everything yourself and not having that instant gratification that I took for granted. You had to take more care and time to capture something to film which I love and I miss that now, it's sad to think it may disappear. 

While sticking mainly to digital, Rich and I go out to practice shooting whenever we get a chance. I try to stick the manual settings but I have no confidence in the choices I make so a good photo with all the right settings is mostly down to luck right now, not control. Which is completely frustrating!

This weekend holds a extra special treat. Rich and I have been lucky enough to score a coveted spot at Tim Coulson's, The Nursery photography workshop tomorrow.  If Rich and I were one person ('Belch' as my sister would have it) we would make an awesome photographer. He's got the technical side sorted and I love composition. We need some help rounding out our strengths. I'm rather in awe of Tim's ability to capture the truth in things and people. His are the kind of images that leave you mesmerised by their beauty and spirit, they connect with you. I'm incredibly excited have this opportunity to learn from such an amazing talent, it's going to be a great day!

No doubt, we'll come home with some newly acquired mad skills and, lots of photos.

Because we were here, and we lived.

Have a lovely weekend!

Belinda x