Welcome

"The camera is a tool for learning how to see".

I don't remember where I read this. I thought it was Henri Cartier-Bresson but now I'm not sure who said it or even if it's a reliable quote, I've read so much about photography lately. What I do know is that it rings true for me. Since I picked up a camera six months ago, I've been learning how to see... the beauty and mystery in the world us, the potential picture in front of me. I'm learning how to see. It's a trip, and I'm going to share my journey here.

I'm starting with a picture I took a few months back at Taieri Mouth, Otago. It was one of those beautiful late summer mornings, still and quiet. I expected the boats to be going out at this time, but the fishermen had to wait for the high tide so they could clear the bar of the river mouth, so I had plenty of time to look for nice pictures. The challenges of the light meant I had to do a little manipulation with this, combining 3 exposures to get a High Dynamic Range image, and tone mapping it to create the final picture. That all sounds complicated, but with an application like Photomatix, its fairly easy. That said, I still had to do a little fixing of the hot spots near the "God Rays". But there you have it, one of the first big steps on my journey.