Laying A Firm Foundation

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I am so excited!!  My passion for photography is growing and my heart is singing.  But it is also telling me that every project needs a solid foundation on which to build.  Well – I know very little about photography, or about how cameras work, and even less about photo editing.  So I set about searching the web for a course in digital photography.  And – I found one!!   It is a 10 week course with the Open University.  It covers the basics of digital photography and editing and includes a full download of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4, which is mine to keep!  [If you're interested in trying it for yourself, the next course begins 1st May 2013, current price £220]

I quote from the course introduction: “T189 has got to be one of the most enjoyable, creative and collaborative modules that the Open University has ever produced…Beyond a little theory and lots of practice, enjoyment and passion are the keys to improving your photography.”  

And so, 1st October, I began my first session and today I completed my first assignment, concluding by uploading 10 photographs to Open Studio.  I thought you might like to see a few of them:

A Beautiful Summer’s day on the River Dee

Wild Flowers Growing in the Churchyard at Llangollen

Foxgloves, Grasses and Mossy Rocks on the Shores of Llyn Celyn

Fallen Branches Near Llyn Celyn

View From The Pier In Llandudno

View From The Wales Coastal Path Near Borth Y Gest

“To put it bluntly,

I  seem to have a whole superstructure with no foundation.

But I’m working on the foundation.”

Marilyn Monroe

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73 thoughts on “Laying A Firm Foundation”

    • Thank you, Tina. I’m in the third week now, and finding it hard going. I would suggest that you first know your way around your camera and understand the various settings. I have only ever shot on AUTO, so trying to find the various settings and how to alter them is very time consuming. Good luck.

      Reply

  5. Good morning, Lizzie Joy…what beautiful photos….

    Your pretty wildflowers in the churchyard are called “Fireweed.” They’re often the first plants to recolonize an area that has been burned by fires…we have them here in our Utah mountains…and I’ve seen photos of them on Montucky’s blog also…. Those pod-like things will open later in the season and release a beautiful white feathery substance that catches on the breeze and floats away, carrying the seeds wherever the winds take them.

    I love the last photograph…steely sky and sea and complementary greens and the silhouette rock…what a view one would have from that little house on the ridge, too…so very nice.

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  6. Great photos. You have done excellent work. My favorite photos are from the top Fourth and fifth. I have never been on photographic course and that’s why I am amateur. My interests in photography are very wide and due to that I shoot photos from various areas of human being and nature of course.

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    • Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I do so enjoy your wonderful photos. This is my first photographic course. I would like to learn more, especially about editing. Blessings..

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    • I am indeed Poppy. It’s been a hard week. How the OU can say it’s 10 hours work per week is beyond me. The work this week involves really knowing where everything is on your camera. But they just say “Look in your manual”. So – I found a manual on-line, printed out all 114 pages, but still cant find half the things I need. I am not technically minded. I really need them to tell me how to find everything on my camera. It’s no good just saying to me “Change the ISO”, or “increase the focal length”. I need to know HOW???? Thank you for thinking of me. I’m having a day off, today, to rest my poor mind. I was really stressed yesterday!!

      Reply

  9. Another on-line course is lynda.com. I pay $25USD monthly for my subscription and I have unlimited video courses to watch. It doesn’t have a teacher like the one you’re taking, but it’s helping me a lot to see rather than read the various Photoshop techniques. I love Lightroom, but the learning curve drove me nuts.

    Thanks also for subscribing to my blog and liking my photos. You have a bunch of great ones also!

    Nancy

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your nice comment. I am encouraged when others find enjoyment in the things I share. Blessings from Lizzie Joy

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  14. I’m so excited for you to enroll in this course. You will have great fun learning and I know your photography will soar ! I particularly like the wildflowers against the church and the blue fencing along the water.

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    • Thank you, Emily. I am so grateful for all of your support and encouraging comments. It’s a nice thought to think that my photography may ‘soar’ with my new learning curve. Thank you. Have a beautiful day.

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    • How amazing that you’ve done the course!! How did you find it? I’ve only done one week but I found it a lot of work, supposedly 10 hours weekly, but I spent considerably longer. Thank you for your nice comment. Blessings.

      Reply

  20. I thought I responded to this post, but I guess I didn’t hit the right button. I was just wanting to congratulate you on following the passion of photography. You have a good eye already and this course will help to sharpen it even more. I look forward to following your progress. Thanks for sharing it with all of us.

    Reply

    • Yes you did respond earlier and I did send a reply. Gremlins in the system again, I fear. Thank you anyway for your good wishes. I’m really looking forward to taking my passion forward. Have a good Sun-day.

      Reply

  24. So good I liked it twice oops but :-) Wishing you lots of fun with your venture Lizzie , as you say it will give a Structured Foundation to your ongoing photographic travels [ love the quote :-) ]
    I have heard a lot about Adobe Light Box so look forward to seeing what you do with it .

    Reply

    • Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoy the photos. Hopefully they will improve greatly over the coming weeks. They do say that practice makes perfect, and I’m certainly going to be getting plenty of that with this new course. Blessings, and have a wonderful Sun-day

      Reply

      • It sounds like you’re just having a ball! I’m so happy for you and I look forward to seeing more pics! I suspect Hubby is getting me a camera for my upcoming Birthday so maybe i’ll be joining you…but shhh don’t tell him what i suspect! ;-)
        Blessings to you to and have a wonderful day!

      • Thank you for your kind thoughts and support. I hope you get the camera you want. My passion for photography is growing by leaps and bounds. I can fully recommend it!!

  29. How absolutely wonderful!!! You have an extraordinary eye for catching a moment. This will only enhance your artistic abilities. I will be anxiously awaiting updates. And you have inspired me to look for a similar course in Canada. Thank you so much for the idea!!!

    Reply

    • Thank you. You’re such an encouragement to me. My inner voice speaks loud and clear now. I could not ignore it’s guidance. I do realise the importance of laying down a firm foundation and this course certainly fits the bill. I asked for something to appear that would be right for me and then I just believed that it would come. The very next day it was here for me. Blessings.

      Reply

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