For Stage 3 of my photography course we are spending more time out on location.  For our first trip we spent a couple of hours enjoying the bluebells at Wytham Woods.  Found on the outskirts of Oxford, it’s not somewhere I’d been before and I was looking forward to a nice walk with friends.

We met outside the village pub and headed on to the woods.  There was a bit of a mix up with lifts so our tutor had to leave us to rescue a damsel in distress but luckily a Stage 6 student was with us and knew the way. This was the day that my camera started to play up, not always able to focus, so at times it was a little challenging.  I still have managed to capture that beautiful carpet of blue that I see in others photographs, but then I guess I never know how true they are, or whether they’ve been highly edited.  Apart from cropping, I’m really not a great one for editing and have never used Lightroom or Photoshop.  For me, it’s what you see is what you get!

Anyway these were my favourite shots from the trip.

We worked on a new technique, well for me anyway.  Trying to capture an Impressionist style shot, focussing and then moving the camera up or down as we depressed the shutter button fully.  Not all of the shots worked but I like this one.

And maybe even this one which looks totally different I think.

At the end of the session I was a little bluebelled out – so a bit of pink finished off my trip.

I used all three of the lens I’ve now got – 18-55mm, 50mm, and my 70-300mm whilst enjoying the bluebells at Wytham Woods.  Working on different angles and different details.  It was an interesting and sometimes frustrating exercise.  But so nice to be doing it with a group of people, who have become friends.  People with a shared interest.  It’s the one time of the week I have pure me time, and I’m so glad I started the course in September.

Today we’re off to Wheatley Birds Of Prey centre, somewhere else I’ve never been and I am so looking forward to it, and hoping my camera behaves!  Wish me luck