A Trip to the Manchester Velodrome

Last week my class from Stockport College and I went to the Manchester Velodrome to try out shooting fast paced action!  We had a chance to try different lenses and lighting.  I used three different lenses - fish eye lens on my 18-55mm lens and a 700-300mm lens.  The zoom lens really came in handy but the technique of photographing moving subject is really difficult - it was a great learning experience and I did come out with a few good shots.

It was good fun and has got me interested to learn more! xx

Shooting People

As well as practicing my photography in my spare time I have been getting the camera out at work also. I work in video production so being able to be creative in other areas is great fun. If there is any type of promotion needed, pictures for news stories or head shots for team members, I will have a go!

We have a new recruitment department at Winning Pitch and so I took some pictures of the new team. I edited them in Photoshop Elements. I enjoy the end product when I take pictures of people, but really need to get out there and do more!

Here is the webpage: http://www.winning-pitch.co.uk/executive_resourcing/meet_the_team/

x

Theme: Looking Up

Here are another couple of photographs from my shoot out in Manchester city centre in October at night. I love taking pictures of tall buildings, getting right under them to exaggerate there height! I edited them in Lightroon - enhancing the colours.

Theme: Blue

This was taken in St. Lucia. I do believe that it is a Frigatebird, which is a type of sea bird. Taken for the theme - Blue.

Theme: Architecture

This week I went out into Manchester with my photography class (from Stockport College) and we practiced shooting in the dark using long exposures and high aperture settings. we used street lighting, lights from windows and cars. So this week the theme is Architecture!

I was quite proud of this shot, it is a really interesting structure and luckily the lighting I ended up with was quite nice. xx

Theme - Alphabet

Hi Everyone,

I have just returned from my honeymoon and it was amazing!

I highly recommend St. Lucia, it is so lush and green and beautiful! Great for photographers. We stayed on the Northwest coast of the island.

My latest theme that I had to shoot for was 'Alphabet' and I found many little scenarios that fit this theme.

The markings on all of these surfaces are obviously some kind of words/names, different languages, communicating something. I thought they were quite interesting.

My Future Husband!

In one week I am marrying this man, and I feel like the luckiest girl alive. The theme this week was 'Feminine' and I thought this picture was quite funny and rather fitting! It was taken last Halloween, Steve was one half of Jedward, here he was in the prep stage!

When I next post I will probably be Mrs Anna Stretton! Excitement!

Every Seven Days - Travel

This picture was taken in Puerto Banus, I liked using the rocks to exaggerate the distance of the boat and think that the colours are quite nice. There were so many great photo opportunities at the port.

Self Portrait

A couple of weeks ago I was set the challenge of a capturing a self portrait. This picture was taken using the sun setting in the evening. No make up and quite a simple composition.

Every Seven Days - Toys

This week the theme was 'toys' and my first thought was to focus on the little figures you get when playing monopoly. My favorite is the horse and rider. I set up a couple of lights to get good light from all angles and set up the rest of the board appropriately.

English Castle - Theme England

I was really, really late with this submission for the group 'Every Seven Days'- 3 weeks to be exact - the theme was England to celebrate the World Cup - I just didn't get round to capturing the picture! I had so many ideas but the week past then I was distracted by the next theme.

Well looking back through my images from the last 9 months, I am going to use one of my very first pictures taken right after I bought my Nikon. Some of the first posts to this blog show the pictures that were taken during a trip to Ludlow.

Here is an English Castle!!

This week's theme - FEET

Mine and my husband to be's feet in the sea in Miami 2009. I love this picture - we had a lovely walk along the beach after dinner.

Birds in actual flight!!

This is better - this photograph really does represent 'Flight'. This was taken at Tatton Park in the January 2010 snow!

Flight

This weeks theme was Flight - so even though I didn't get this bird in flight, by the expression on his face he is definitely thinking about it!

This was taken for the group 'Every Seven Days' from Deviant Art.

Every Seven Days - 4 Legs

My parents live in a beautiful location near Stratford-upon-Avon, so as the sun was out and I was visiting, I took the opportunity to take some pictures for this weeks theme - 4 Legs.

Their field was full of beautiful buttercups and long sparkling grass, it was stunning. My model 'Black' was the perfect subject to shoot - I think he really enjoyed himself!! His brother 'Ginger' came along for a couple of snaps too!

Every Seven Days - FAMILY

6.06.10 - Today is the deadline for this weeks theme which is 'family'. This picture was taken last summer at a family BBQ. I am cheating a little as I am actually in the photo. We had many more silly poses but these were my favorites!

Every Seven Days - Green

Taken for the group Every Seven Days on Deviant Art - http://www.deviantart.com/

This weeks theme was Green.

This picture was one of the first that I took with my Nikon D200. I went out on a nice autumn day and had a play around in the lovely cheshire countryside.

Puerto Benus

I went on a girly holiday to Puerto Benus, Marbella and here are some snap from it.

Every Seven Days - MUSIC

This week's theme was Music - I was origianally going to use my Fiance's guitar, but when he told me he had given it to a friend I had to settle for the PS3 Rock Band guitar. It kind of worked?

Every Seven Days - COMMUNICATE

I had the opportunity of choosing this weeks theme and I chose 'Communicate'. I didn't have anything in mind when I chose this, and actually found it quite hard. I found myself rolling around on the doormat taking pictures of letters as my time was running out!

Although I am happy with this entry as I like the lighting, I do feel I could have been a bit more creative! Oh well, there is always next week! The theme will be 'Music'.

Every Seven Days - HOME

This weeks theme was 'Home'. Unfortunately I ran out of time with this one and used a picture that I had taken at my parents house near Stratford-Upon-Avon. My Dad built this, it is a house for invertebrates.

So this isn't my home, but it is a home!

Every Seven Days - SEVEN

'Seven' was the theme this week and it was a tough one! I was walking around Puerto Benus looking for the number 7 everywhere. Then all of a sudden I spotted this man holding a baby with his back to me. I had to be quite subtle but managed to take a few pictures and thought this one was the best!

Once I started editing the picture I suddenly noticed lots more number 7s!

Every Seven Days - FOOD

The second week's theme for the Every Seven Days challenge was 'Food'.

This photograph was taken in Marbella - Puerto Benus.

Every Seven Days Challenge - DRINK

A group of friends and I have started up a weekly challenge. The idea originated over dinner in January 2010, then officially started up in May. 'Every Seven Days' is where a theme will be set every week and each of us have to create a picture relating to that theme and upload it to the website Deviant Art - http://www.deviantart.com/

The first theme was 'Drink'.

I had a couple of entries.

This challenge is great fun and keeps me being creative every week and forces me to practice photography. It is really inspiring also looking at the other peoples entries as everyone has a different idea that relates to the theme.

I will be posting my deviations here as well as on the group site.

Snow Day - Knutsford - Tatton Park

I have been meaning to do a proper walk round Tatton Park and up to the Mansion since I moved to Knutsford back in April 2009, as it is only a stones throw away. So what better weather to do it in than thick, bright, white snow!!

I think I got some good shots here - landscapes are lovely but I was in desperate need of a subject to shoot - where is a model when you need one?

In total the walk was about 7 miles, and I had a rather pricey jacket potato at the parks cafe, which unfortunately I didn't really enjoy. But that didn't put a dampener on things as the peaceful walk back was rather therapeutic!

Anna x