So This Is the Life of a Knitter?

I started blogging nearly 6 years ago. At that time, I only had a miserable little point-and-shoot, and no photo editing software. I learned very, very quickly to make my photos look relatively decent.

Then, inevitably, I bought a DSLR. I still have it, and use it for all my photographing needs. It's an ancient 400D, but works well for my needs with the nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8) lens. But this time of year, especially, is so very hard for shooting nice pictures - there just isn't enough light, or there's plenty of hard, bright sunlight combined with bright white snow. Neither are very good for taking pictures.

So last weekend, on a whim, I went and bought a studio lighting set. And I have since then discovered a whole new world. The combination of lighting, my camera and the wee lens is quickly becoming an adventure, which will probably take me years to learn.

I can say for a fact, though, that in the first 15 minutes of shooting, using my learning technique of oops, wait a minute, let's try again and oh no nononono, I learned more than I have in years. And I am happy with the results.
FFI

Now, I must say, I am by no means a proper photographer. I still use my DSLR very much like a point-and-shoot. I won't take pictures with the full auto setting, but have very little understanding of how good photos are taken. So I apologize for my pictures have looked horrible in the past, and they certainly will continue to look horrible in the future. There are so many things wrong with my photos, even the one above, that it will take me years to learn even the basic things about photography. Or let me put it this way: my camera and my lens and all of the equipment I have are capable of taking very good pictures; it's me who needs to learn how to use them properly. And that will take time, lots of it. But I can say one thing: I love learning this new stuff. I never knew that blogging would eventually lead me to learn new things about this wonderful world of photography. So, I started blogging about knitting, and now I am a knitter blogging about photography! Who knew this would happen? :)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

7 comments:

Taina said...

Oo, minkälaiset setin hankit? Nimimerkillä, olen kovasti yrittänyt perustella itselleni miksi en tarvisi studio-olosuhteia...

Tuulia said...

Aika peruspaketti, 3 x salama (olikohan 500-wattisia), kaks kangasta (musta ja valkonen, 2 x 3m) noille telineet, snootti, 2 softboksia, 4 eri väristä geeliä ja kaukolaukaisin. Toimii oikeen hyvin, verkkokaupassa on monen eri hintasia paketteja. Tota saa tulla kyl testaamaankin, jos varottaa etukäteen et ehdin pistään sen kasaan. Normioloissa noi majailee softbokseja lukuunottamatta yhdessä aika näppärän kokoisessa laatikossa.

Jane said...

Love your picture and am excited to see how your shots develop. I've always thought you took great pics anyway, but it's always great to learn more.
I'm having a similar experience. My knitting and blogging are leading me to develop all kinds of skills that I wouldn't otherwise have learned.

Tuulia said...

It is exciting, Jane! I never thought knitting would lead into some understanding of photography, visual design, photo editing, writing etc. It's wonderful where a pair of needles and a ball of yarn can take a person! And the best thing of all are the fellow knitters. I would be a very lonely person if I didn't knit.

enkulin käsityöt said...

Upea kirja ja upeaa neuletta.

Päivi, Lankakomero said...

Mistä verkkokaupasta ostit? Olen jotain tuon tapaista settiä ebaysta etsinyt, mutta en ole vielä mieleistäni löytänyt.

Tuulia said...

Päivi, kurkkaapa verkkokauppa.comin tarjonta. Siellä on monen eri tasoisia settejä eikä kovin kalliitakaan :)