Wandering Camera – June Linky Party

Camera And Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

Welcome to June’s Wandering Camera linky party. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your photos.  I love photography, so it’s a lot of fun to see and read about what everyone sees through the lens.

In my attempt to be outside and continue to take photos, I had to make a change in May.  I am not a morning person, so asking me to get up at 5:15 AM regularly will likely result in a disaster of some sort.  However, with the approaching summer it is getting too hot for me to be outside in the afternoon.  So I am up before dawn to go to the park for running at daybreak.  I may moan and groan to get out of the bed, but one look at the misty landscape around me with the Sun trying to break through the night’s cloud layer brings a big smile on my face.  Every time!!

However, just as I was starting to get used to going out in the mornings, I had to put a skidding halt to it during the last week of May.  I am taking care of a kitty post-surgery (not Montague).  So, photos had to be taken mostly around the house during those days.

Hope you enjoy this month’s collection of photos.  They are, as usual, in chronological order.

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

1. Mustard flowers

2. Peacock stationery from Florence, collected during my first-ever overseas trip

3. I love Magnolia flowers, the petals are so fragrant

4. Balloons overhead

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

  

5. Sunrise through dark clouds

6. The only glimpse of the pink setting Sun during the whole day

7. Raindrops on grass – looks more like an alien sea-creature

8. Star Thistle is not nearly as pretty as Cotton Thistle, but I still love the colour

  

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

  

9. A glimpse of red

10. Kitty paws are cute, huge tufted Maine Coon paws are even cuter

11. It’s starting to turn yellow and brown around here

12. Misty morning

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

13. 18-year-old whisky, may all Friday the13ths be this good

14. Red-winged blackbirds by the river

15. River trail, lined with mustard blooms

16. Green Teasel, I had only spotted the dried ones until now

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

17. Knitted sweaters doubling as kitty bed for Charlie

18. Hot air balloon catching the first ray of sunlight

19. Rising sun lighting up the misty grounds

20. Homemade soap at last

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

21. Blissfully sunbathing, unaware of the upcoming surgery

22. I love red in nature

23. And yellow flowers

24. Lovely jasmines

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

25. Time for travel planning

26. New Zinnia

27. Comforting – warm colours and they remind me of my grandmother

28. One of these is unlike the others

 

Photo Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

29. “Are you done yet? I would like to close my eyes!!”  I love those blue eyes!

30. Too hot to be outside, so playing with paint inside

31.  Addicted to thyme, it’s human catnip for me!

 

Squares And Plus Quilt | Whims And Fancies

 

Apparently all the yellows and reds from this month’s photos seeped into other things.  I had wanted to make this quilt in a completely different colourway.  However, the urge of using red and yellow was too strong, so I gave in at the end.  Funny how sometimes your surroundings affect your creative mood so much!

 

Shutter Speed

I had mentioned in last month’s post that a well-exposed photo is a combination of three settings – ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. I covered the topic of ISO in March and Aperture in May.  Lets talk about the last factor – Shutter Speed.

 

Setting Shutter Speed

You will need a camera with either M (Completely Manual) or Tv (Time Value Priority) mode to set the Shutter Speed manually. In M mode you can set both Aperture and Shutter speed yourself. In Tv mode you only get to set the shutter speed. Based on your setting, the camera sets the Aperture to get a well-exposed photo.

 

Amount Of Light

You probably already know this – More light equals faster shutter speed, much more conducive to taking any photo.  When there is less ambient light, you will have to keep the shutter open longer.  Taking a photo with longer shutter speed is usually much harder to do without a stand.

 

Still Vs. Moving Objects

Shutter speed becomes less important with still objects.  If you are taking a photo of a building or a mountain, you can leave the shutter open for a long time on a stand and not worry about blurring since neither object is moving.

With moving objects shutter speed becomes a bit more important.  The longer the shutter stays open, more blurry the moving object is going to be.  For example, when I was taking wildflower photos during windy days, I had to keep my shutter speed at least at 1/250 sec.   The moving flowers became too blurry otherwise.   You will notice that when you take photos of indoor events, people always end up being blurry.

 

Aperture, ISO And Shutter Speed

If you remember from my post about aperture, it determines the sharpness of the photos as well as the brightness.  Higher aperture gives you sharper photos but reduces light and vice versa.

In situations where you want sharp pictures AND your shutter speed is not fast enough, you will need to set your ISO to a higher number. That will enable you to set the aperture to a higher number while keeping a fast enough shutter speed to obtain a well-exposed photo.

 

A Little Trick

This one requires you to relax and needs a bit of practice.  if your shutter speed is still low even after setting the ISO and aperture, you can do this to take a halfway decent photo –

Relax your shoulder and arms and as you are breathing out slowly, press the shutter release button to take the picture.  I find myself being much more stable as I am breathing out. I sway too much when I try to hold my breath.   Of course this doesn’t work when the shutter speed is closer to a full second, but most times I can still manage to take a photo without a stand.

 

Image Stabilizer

A lot of point-and-shoot cameras and lenses come with image stabilization now-a-days.  This helps a lot with taking photos in low-light situations.  So if you are shopping for a camera or lens, you may want to keep that in mind.

 

Keep playing with your camera settings and you will see the difference.  Change the shutter speed around and take photos, note how the photos get darker and lighter.  As I said before, photography is very hands-on.  I hope this encourages you to experiment with the manual settings on your camera a little more.

 

Now it’s your turn to share your photo posts. I always look forward to seeing them. Every photo is special because it suspends a moment and everyone sees the world around us differently! So don’t compare and contrast, just have fun and see the world that only your eyes can see!

 

Badge to share on your post and website

Camera And Photography Linky Party | Whims And Fancies

 

You can add any number of links to your posts from the previous month. The posts should have photos in them, with a story or anecdote. Your project photos (quilting, sewing, painting, knitting, etc.) are most welcome. You can also write a new post to link up. Please do not link up posts that are older than the previous month, they will be removed.

Please make sure to include the badge or a text link back to this site on each post that you link up. You can also add the badge to your blog. I am happy either way as long as you link back :-)

Spread a little encouragement amongst each other.

I will leave the link-up open for two weeks.

Wandering Camera is a monthly event that will run on the first Thursday of every month. The next post and link-up will be on the 7th of July. If you follow me via email, bloglovin or facebook, you will get a reminder.

Have fun!!

 



I am also linking up on Photo Friday, Our World Tuesday, Life Through Lens and Through My Lens along with other linky parties on my sidebar.
 

24 thoughts on “Wandering Camera – June Linky Party

  • Taking Better Blog Photos and Photos in May - Black Walnut Stitch Studio June 16, 2016 at 05:50

    […] am linking up with Soma at Whims and Fancies to share my favorite photos from last month.  Some are from my blog and some are from the rest of […]

    Reply
  • Lisa @ LTTL June 14, 2016 at 10:37

    I used to do a month in review post. I might have to begin that agin and then link up with your party.

    Your post was a fun review of May. I was trying to figure out if you are in the Southern Hemisphere… heading into fall. Or, maybe you are just beginning the summer dry out period. Either was lovely shots.

    Thanks for linking to Life Thru the Lens

    Reply
  • Prunella Pepperpot June 10, 2016 at 10:20

    Your images are gorgeous as are your cats!
    Loved reading your camera tips. Your quilt will be stunning.
    Have a super weekend :)

    Reply
  • Anne June 10, 2016 at 09:01

    Beautiful photos. The furry kitty paw photo really caught my eye as I have a furry toes kitty too. I’m not a morning person either but when I am up early it’s alway so peaceful and the light can be so beautiful. I need to go back and reread all your photography posts and then experiment with my camera more. Thanks for sharing the information.

    Reply
  • Karen June 10, 2016 at 06:58

    I’m new here and so glad I found you. I have much to learn about photography and am working my way backwards with your posts. My favorite here is the beautifully lit apple. I love red in nature, too!

    Reply
  • Kate June 9, 2016 at 03:42

    Beautiful photos! Thanks for the tips, one of my goals for the year was to learn how to use both my DSLR and my point and shoot cameras more effectively. Love the colors in your new quilt project.

    Reply
  • Villrpses hage June 9, 2016 at 00:36

    A nice atmosphere in your photos!

    Reply
  • Kaja June 8, 2016 at 23:51

    Thanks for the tip on breathing out – something I could do with generally anyway!

    Reply
  • Lara B. June 8, 2016 at 20:43

    So many beautiful photos, I don’t know what to say first Soma! I love those darling kitty paws. Getting up early to run in such a beautiful setting must be great incentive. When i was young I ran every morning at 6:30 in the mountains and it was wonderful. Especially when you surprised animals as you came quietly through the mist. The raindrops on the grass does look like an alien creature, LOL. I like how all the colors had an effect on your fabric choices.
    Thank you for all the information about shutter speed. I really need to become more familiar with how to use my camera. Right now I just take so many photos that a few are bound come out nice. I love your tip on relaxing and breathing out. I hope to link up this month, but will have to see how I do.

    Reply
  • Janine June 8, 2016 at 00:55

    I like the way your photos document your month. You have another beautiful collection for May. I hope your cat is recovered now :)

    Reply
  • Alycia June 7, 2016 at 18:42

    Such gorgeous photos! I get up early too – but most the time I don’t have my camera – I may start taking it with me after your inspiration!

    Reply
  • Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts June 6, 2016 at 07:20

    Your photos are always so gorgeous. I love the way you get the lighting perfect every time. I’m practicing but still struggling – some days are better than others. :) Thanks so much for all the information you share here Soma, and thanks for linking to Main Crush Monday!

    Reply
  • Hanna’s Post: Brown | Nero's Post June 5, 2016 at 12:05

    […] linking at Whims and Fancies’ “Wandering Camera” June linky […]

    Reply
  • Mary June 4, 2016 at 18:18

    Wow, Soma…..your photos are absolutely glorious. They should be in a coffee table book. The magnolia petals and the comforting colors would be two of my favorites this month, but the kitty paws and your wonderful soap are close seconds. The early morning shots are well worth the groans you must experience at that hour. You inspire me greatly.

    Reply
  • tubakk June 4, 2016 at 11:49

    I love all your beautiful colours.

    Reply
  • Cheryl June 4, 2016 at 09:45

    Beautiful photos as always! I love your macro plant photographs and the kitties the best!

    Reply
  • Dixie June 3, 2016 at 16:06

    Hope kitty, Charlie is doing well.xx to him.
    So many beautiful photos here, Soma! Sunrise and sunsets are lovely. Reds and yellows so vibrant, yet can add a mellow feeling too. Great colour coding with watercolours. Beautiful county side.
    And I love the soaps. I bet they smell wonderful.
    Before this turns into a tome, I want to say thanks for sharing the camera tips.

    Reply
  • susie June 3, 2016 at 12:38

    Wow!! These are stunning, Soma! I love seeing your world through your eyes and your camera! The details you highlight are just amazing.
    I wanted to reach out and touch those sweet Maine Coon paws !!
    Hoping Charlie will be on to recovering rapidly!
    Thanks for sharing these with us.
    Susie

    Reply
  • Ruth Bourke June 3, 2016 at 08:04

    Loving kittys paws and the one looking out the window! I am not a morning person for getting up early. Alarm goes off at 7.15 and I hit snooze straightaway. Have great admiration for your early start!

    Reply
  • Kim Sharman June 2, 2016 at 18:51

    I love getting up before dawn in Summer as there are always so many different plays of of glorious light….though not so in Winter..the bed is much more inviting. Sublime photos as always, Soma. I do believe your kitties have the best sleeping beds, hand made quilts, knitted woollies…., no wonder they always have the look of satisfaction with their lot. More wonderful helpful advice……if only I could remember it. =) ‘Tis a pity I can’t follow you around with your camera for a month watching you in action. =)

    Reply
  • FVITH June 2, 2016 at 17:15

    Charlie is a gorgeous cat. The hot air balloon picture reminded me of when I went hot air ballooning – it really is a once in a lifetime experience.

    Reply
  • krislovesfabric June 2, 2016 at 13:37

    Oh, Sorry – was it Charlie?!! Hope all is well! I have been dismal at photos this month but you have outdone yourself! I love the autumnal vibes of your colors ;) And those new quilt blocks are gorgeous, that red fabric is beautiful – especially when combined with the others. Now that Evan is out of school for a few weeks I only have to get up at 6:15 instead of 5:50 every morning so I get to be a morning person – and like it :) We just inherited a lab puppy in need of a new home this week from a relative that was too overwhelmed to train him properly so my hands have been full and ummmm challenged. And now, for some reason, I am hungry for a plum, good thing we have some downstairs!! Thanks for sharing all the beauty surrounding you (and shining from you)

    Reply
  • Sandra June 2, 2016 at 08:25

    Good to know on the breathing out! I hold my breath too, and always seems to wobble, as in just now on my morning walk when I was trying to get a cool shot of weigela by the lake. LOVE that new quilt!! Hope Charlie is doing well; I’m living with a recovering pibble from knee surgery right now, a long road ahead yet. Also totally relate to the up at the crack or before, of dawn; I’m up at 5:30 5X/week for yoga. The rewards are truly priceless.

    Reply
  • Susan June 2, 2016 at 07:15

    Love the sunset and sunrise photos as well as the kitties. I hope Charlie is recovering well. I also like your red yellow and blue blocks.

    Reply
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