....and so we begin

19 magpies in a tree, what do we get
when we see this many?

Welcome

Thanks for visiting! 

This winter I have decided to get back into my photography. I spent a few months last winter really trying to take inspirational photos but I quickly lost interest because I was forcing myself to find something. I was recently bought a decent camera bag (INCASE sling pack) which is perfect for my uses. I don't have many lenses, or equipment so it's good for me to take my tablet and my camera out every where I go and I know that its going to be safe. 

I moved to Ulsan in South Korea a few months ago and this place is much more lively than where I used to live. My job is much more of an improvement too! I took up a couple of new hobbies - snowboarding and photography - both of which I am getting the hang of pretty quickly.

I've taken my camera out a few times this past month or so and using my basic tools - a Nikon D5100 I bought last year along with the kit lens - a standard 18-55mm Nikkor - I think I have definitely grasped the basics.

The idea of this blog is simply to become a better and hopefully more professional photographer. I don't expect to get there quickly, nor am I expecting it to be easy, but like most hobbies I want it to be fun and I also want to be good at it. I will continue to use the low end tools that I have to develop and hone my skills.

To the pictures

Beads, glorious beads.

I recently visited a local market, looking to take find some inspiration and capture what has got to be the busiest place in every Korean city. Ulsan is no exception - these markets are bustling even late in the evening. I took to taking pictures of brightly coloured subjects, something to help me get my grounding and something sort of comfortable.

Shops were littered with these fish hanging from
hooks.

Bright sauces and Kimchi

Cabbage, the main ingredient in Korean Kimchi

A bike positioned carefuly in the middle of a busy shopping market.

I then tried something new, taking pictures of things that were a little more out of my comfort zone and trying to be a little more creative. It's definitely hard with the setup that I have - my 18-55mm is typically f5.6 at 50mm which means I need a very long shutter speed. I do like this picture - I think it's got a lot to say. Things move on. 

Towards the end of the afternoon, the weather
began to change.

Part of my learning stages has helped me become more comfortable with shooting live subjects. I have come to realise that, as long as you're not in people's faces for an overly long time, and can get in and take the shot quickly, you won't upset that many people. 

DigitalRev - a site that I watch religiously has some really good advice.