I landed in Singapore on October 30th 2020 and spent two weeks in quarantine at the Shangri-la hotel. During quarantine I had all my meals brought to me, the food was great!! But..
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Run down of all the packaging that my quarantine generated:
1. 42 plastic food trays and 42 plastic lids.
2. 14 small foil dessert dishes.
3. 28 small white paper bags (that contained pastries and fruit).
4. 28 plastic water bottles.
5. 14 small milk cartons with straw in a plastic wrapper.
5. 14 small fruit drink cartons with straws in a plastic wrapper.
6. 84 tiny paper sachets of salt and pepper.
7. 28 butter and jam individual portions. Plastic with a foil lid.
8. 42 plastic carrier bags that contained the meals.
9. 14 individually wrapped cheese crackers.
This was the hotel generated packaging and I also had 20 cans of beer & 67 tea bags.
I assume it all one to trash island? I'm not joking..
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
During the second week of quarantine I started washing, collecting the black plastic food trays (below) and keeping water bottles, milk and juice cartons.
Plastic meal trays.Edited and cropped onto a white background.
Below, started life as a pile of beige/brown dried tea bags!
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
I had my tripod and shutter release cable with me so it was fairly easy to set up piles or flat lay groups of containers and packets and then take photos.
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
I collected the photos together & started to play around with edits. The image above started as a collection of water bottles arranged on the back of a shower mat (you can see the suction pads on the mat). The red 'egg' further into this blog started as the same original image...scroll down and you'll see the bottle label is red and 'embossed').
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Most of the photographs I edited in Photoshop, all in the same way:
1. Filter, Distort, Spherize.
2. Fade Spherize, Difference.
3. Spherical marquee tool then Select, Transform Selection to crop out a sphere (or whatever shape you want).
4. Copy and paste the selected area (an egg shape in this project) and paste them onto a white background.
5. Some of the 'eggs' I went on to edit further by using, Image, Adjustments, Invert and some I even did another spherize and/or more saturation.
Knowing when to STOP editing is crucial!!
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Water bottle collection, below. Not just any water, 'oxygenated water'?!
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
All the meals were served on plastic trays and all the condiments, butter, salt, pepper etc; came in individually wrapped portions. The salt and pepper was imported from Germany. Why?
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Juice and milk cartons laid side bay side and end on, with the straw side up this time. I 'spherized' this image once, you can see it's got a slightly flatter look that some of the other edits that I spherized twice or even three times.
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Tea bags (above) started as the same photo as the pink spherized tea bag image but in this orange edit I have used, Filter, Distort and Twirl. You can still just about make out the edges of the tea bags in the middle of the spiral.
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
The edit above started as a flat lay of black plastic meal trays laid out on the floor (photo near the top of the blog). This edited I used spherize twice to get a more pronounced curved edge. I inverted the image and then enhanced saturation to get away from the original black plastic.
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
I've added a red/orange colour gradient to the embossed, spherized edit above. Knowing when to stop is really important, I could have gone & on, it's quite addictive!
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Salt & pepper sachets, milk and juice cartons layer out flat on the floor (above).
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
Above and below, same image to start with, juice cartons laid out on the floor (with the straws not visible).
Photo Art created from trash!I generated a lot of rubbish during two weeks in quarantine at the end of October.
This 'Emboss' edit of a spherized juice carton photo is one of my favourites!
Thanks for reading my blog. I hope it's given you a few project and editing ideas to play around with. Particularly if you find yourself in quarantine surrounded by rubbish...and you have a camera with you.
Ruth XX
Ruth is an Art teacher, photographer and Associate of the Royal Photopgraphic Society, currently living in Singapore.
Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.Ruth E Morris
I had soooooo many edits from this project and I'm STILL trying things out. It's been a good year for this kind of project though.
An un-cropped version of the tea bag, 'twirl' photo. Yorkshire Tea obviously!!
Tea Bag Twirl
]]>
Quick rewind to a few months back: Changi Airport June 27th 2020.
Changi 28th June 2020.Very few people travelling, very few shops open & definitely a tense atmosphere.
Terminal 1 was empty, more staff than travellers and very little open. Warning bells started to ring, but I was through, due to fly to London & I knew the risk that went with leaving Singapore against government travel advice not to do so.
Changi Airport June 227th 2020.More staff than passengers.
Fast forward 4 months. I finally got an approval letter to come back to Singapore, nobody wanted to see the letter at check in LHR, but I'm sure it clicked over somewhere at one of the SingGov departments.
38 people on flight BA11.All passengers boarded in 20 mins, rows of free seats to stretch out on. Even got a hot meal, which I was expecting at all!
BA11 from LHR to Changi, 38 people on board (2 in 1st Class!), 23kgs of carry on, (yes, 23kgs!!) allowed, why not, plenty of room!. It took about 20 mins to board everyone. When we landed the plane really rattled, lack of weight to keep it steady possibly?
My window on the world for the next 14 days.I opened the curtains straight away so I could see what was going on and see the weather changing.
After we landed & cleared immigration we waited for transport; the stress & tension were palpable. We all wanted the same thing, a reasonable hotel for the next two weeks. 13 people on the same flight as me ended up on the same corridor as me at the Shangri-La.
Score, the Shangri-La for two weeks! I was so relieved.
1st meal drop.My 'Table of Hope' all my meals landed here.
The Table of Hope. Everything that came into my room was put onto the table. All the rooms on the corridor were occupied by returnees.
Most days breakfast was a variation on the same theme, but it was slightly different every single day!
First breakfast.All the meals have been good!! I've been so lucky.
There was no housekeeping, which I liked, nobody to disturb me.
My running route!! You better believe it haha.
Room running route!!Yes, I did a 5km run almost every other day. Very, very lucky to have a room big enough to even think about running in let alone actually run in haha!!
My room was big enough to do a run...well slow jog, but better than nothing!
This was the last room run I recorded on Strava, 35km's in total over 14 days quarantine.
I clocked up 35km's in total!Hotel room running!
I left my trash outside to be taken away. Fresh bed linen arrives a week into my quarantine, packets of towels arrived every three days I think.
Fresh bed linen and towels.More towels than you can shake a stick at! made me feel 'at home' though.
Very impressed with the meals I received, probably shouldn't been surprised as it was the Shangri-La. Having heard a few food horror stories from friends who had been through the quarantine experience in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, I was a bit worried at first.
Nice bit of fish!Day 2 dinner.
After the 2nd Day, I had to download an app' called 'Homer' from the MOM (Ministry of Manpower) after that the constant temperature recording & calls from the MOM started, along with calls from the hotel. Repeating the same information twice a day at least got to me a bit, but really, in the big scheme of things, it was nothing. I'd been allowed back into Singapore.
Homer.Three times a day I reported my temperature & other health information. It was running constantly in the background.
Time lapse vid' of my 'running route' and view for the two weeks.
Day 8 Room 1103My hotel room running route.
Most of the week looked like this from my window, there were some great thunder storms and awesome blue skies & constantly changing light on the side of this building.
Our QR activity sheet. I really enjoyed the yoga and nearly made it through one of the HIIT activities haha.
Quarantine activities. I tried out a few of them, it was a really good idea and we got a new sheet on the second week.
4th of November: American presidential election and the UK has just announced a new month long lockdown. What a day & I'm holed up in the Shangri-La, writing travel articles for the Royal Photographic Societie's website. Life's good for me today!
Chicken and veg'.Another really good quarantine lunch!
31st October dinner...a Halloween themed dessert going on there!
Temperature checks 5 times day, every day.
I've paid up now so there's light at the end of the tunnel. Or at least, fresh air at the end of the corridor!! Laundry came back today $15 for 10 items, all good, I can get my running gear all washed anyway.
The cost of quarantine. The price of getting back into Singapore, it was worth it!
Friday the 6th Nov'. Day 7, half way through and 1st day on the UK lockdown.
Room 1103, where the sun was always shining!☀️
Room 1103.The sun always shines in quarantine!
The 2021 calendar, photo diary & RPS (Royal Photographic Society) botanical print notebooks I designed during the first few days in quarantine are being posted out to me today & I've written 5 articles for the International page of the RPS's website. I'm getting quite into this quarantine and making good use of the uninterrupted time to concentrate, it almost has a 'retreat' quality about it...Truth!!
Seafood pasta.
Day 9 dinner, seafood pasta, this was a good one!!
Run down of all the packaging that my quarantine generated:
1. 42 plastic food trays and 42 plastic lids.
2. 14 small foil dessert dishes.
3. 28 small white paper bags (that contained pastries and fruit).
4. 28 plastic water bottles.
5. 14 small milk cartons with straw in a plastic wrapper.
5. 14 small fruit drink cartons with straws in a plastic wrapper.
6. 84 tiny paper sachets of salt and pepper.
7. 28 butter and jam individual portions. Plastic with a foil lid.
8. 42 plastic carrier bags that contained the meals.
9. 14 individually wrapped cheese crackers.
This was the hotel generated packaging and I also had 20 cans of beer & tea bags.
I assume it all one to trash island? I'm not joking, look it up!
Sunday breakfast.I love hard boiled eggs!
Monday 9th Nov'. First time out of my room for 11 days, Woo Hoo!! Up to the 24th floor to have a (very uncomfortable) swab test, my eyes were still watering in the lift on the way back down to my room.
(Still pleased and relieved, Biden/Harris!! BOOM)
Waiting in a queue on the 24th Floor, at least the view was nice!...and my swab test was...
Tuesday 10th Nov'. Getting all the collections of trash I've been hoarding, ready to take some photographs & see if I can create some Photo art from this 2 week experience. If anyone can, I can (see what I did there 🙄).
Orange and milk cartons.I collected a weeks worth of cartons, bottle and food trays.
Wednesday 11th Nov': A travel corridor to Hong Kong is to start on the 22nd November, dates 1-3rd Oct' 2021 have just been announced for the Singapore GP & it looks like a vaccine is getting to be more of a reality. Things are looking up for 2021.
Thursday 12th Nov': 24 hours to go and I'm out!! I got a negative swab test result this morning from the MOM and a certificate.
Friday 13th Nov': 12.30pm and I'm out of here!!! (Good thing I'm not at all superstitious).
I kept up with some running, yoga almost every day, wrote & took photos other days. Chilled out read, drank tea, beer & slept for the rest of the time. Thanks to all the hotel staff for making my quarantine so easy, comfortable and dare I say it....enjoyable. Advice for anyone just about to do a similar quarantine, don't over think it, enjoy being able to relax & do nothing much at all for 2 weeks!
If you ever stay in room 1103 at the Shangri-La, Orange grove road, have a look at the carpet, I ran 35km's up and down that carpet! Of the 30 rooms on the 11th floor, 1103 is one of the biggest, I was very, very lucky!
It's a wrap!
Good Bye 1103!!
Ruth Xxx
Thank you for reading my quarantine blog.
]]>
All of the 45 fungi were spotted in South Oxfordshire between July & October 2020.
To keep it simple, I have only mentioned the common name, latin name & location of the fungi. If it isn't displayed, tap the photos to see the information.
1. Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).
Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria)Millennium Field, Sonning Common.
2. Pathercap (Amanita pantherina).
Pathercap (Amanita pantherina)Old Copse, Gallowstree Common.
3. Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota).
Parasol mushroom, unopened (Macrolepiota)Crowsley Park, Henley-on-Thames. July 2020.
4. Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota).
Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota)Crowsley Park, Henley-on-Thames. July 2020.
5. Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota).
Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera)Crowsley Park, Henley-on-Thames. July 2020.
6. Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina).
Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)New Copse, Sonning Common. October 2020.
7. Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina).
Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)New Copse, Sonning Common. October 2020.
8. Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)
Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)Warburg Nature reserve, Pishill, Henley-on-Thames.
8. Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida).
Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida)New Copse, Sonning Common. October 2020.
9. Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida).
Porcelain fungi (Oudemansiella mucida)Beech woodland near Highmore.
10. Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida).
Porcelain fungi (Oudemansiella mucida)
11. Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida).
Porcelain fungi (Oudemansiella mucida)Underside showing the gills. Highmore October 2020.
12. Stump puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme).
Stump puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme)Growing in beech woodland, Crowley forest.
13. Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum).
Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)Crowsley woods, Henley-on-Thames. September 2020.
14. Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum).
Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)Crowsley woods, Henley-on-Thames. September 2020.
15. Giant puffball( Calvatia gigantea).
Giant puffball( Calvatia gigantea)Found in open ground. Sonning Common, Oxfordshire.
16. Scarlet wax cap (Hygrocybe coccinea).
Scarlet wax cap (Hygrocybe coccinea)Watlington Hill, Watlington. October 2020.
17. Scarlet wax cap (Hygrocybe coccinea).
Scarlet wax cap (Hygrocybe coccinea)Watlington Hill, Watlington.
18. Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).
Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).Millennium field, Sonning Common,
18. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
19. Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea).
Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea)Wyfold Vineyard, Wyfold. October 2020.
20. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
21. Magpie Ink cap (Coprinopsis picacea).
Magpie Ink cap (Coprinopsis picacea).New Copse, Sonning Common. October 2020.
22. Magpie Ink cap (Coprinopsis picacea).
Magpie Ink cap (Coprinopsis picacea).Beech woodland, Highmore. October 2020.
23. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
Mycena leaiana (Orange Mycena)Found growing out of the crack in a tree trunk at the Blue Tin Smokehouse.
24. Bonnets (Mycena leptocephala).
Bonnets (Mycena leptocephala)Found in mixed woodland on the edge of Rocky Lane near Greys Court.
25. Deer Shield (Pluteus cervinus).
Deer Shield (Pluteus cervinus).New Copse, Sonning Common.
26. The Bitter Beech Bolete (Boletus calopus).
The Bitter Beech Bolete (Boletus calopus)Gallowtree Common, Old Copse.
27. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
28. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
29. Common Stump (Brittlestem Psathyrella piluliformis).
Common Stump (Brittlestem Psathyrella piluliformis)Young fungi,the next photo is the same group a few days later.
30. Common Stump (Brittlestem Psathyrella piluliformis).
Common Stump (Brittlestem Psathyrella piluliformis)Growing on a tree stump on Peppard Rd, Sonning Common.
31. Giant Polypore (Merupilus giganteus).
Giant Polypore (Merupilus giganteus)Growing at the base of an Oak tree, Crowsley Park, Henley-on-Thames.
32. Cerioporus squamosus.
Cerioporus squamosusCrowsley woods, Henley-on Thames. August 2020.
33. Polypore.
Polypore.Underside of the same fungi in 37.
34. Polypore.
PolyporeCrowsley Forest, Henley-on-Thames.
35. Giant Polypore (Meripilus giganteus).
Giant Polypore (Meripilus giganteus)Beech woodland near Rotherfield Greys.
36. Turkey-tail (Trametes versicolor).
Turkey-tail (Trametes versicolor)Growing on a dead tree truck in Crowsley forest. September 2020.
36. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
37. Auricularia auricula (Wood or jelly ear).
Auricularia auricula (Wood or jelly ear)Woodland near Highmore.
38. Artist's Bracket (Ganoderma Applanatum).
Artist's Bracket (Ganoderma Applanatum)Highmore beech woodland.
39. Aleuria aurantia (Orange Peel Fungus).
Aleuria aurantia (Orange Peel Fungus)Crowsely Forrest. Growing in amongst pine needles. September 2020.
40. Crested coral fungus (Clavulina cristata).
Crested coral fungus (Clavulina cristata)Crowsely woods, Crowsley Park, Henley-on-Thames.
41. Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans).
Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans)Growing on felled tree trunks, Crowsely woods.
42. Stereum hirsutum (crust fungus).
Stereum hirsutum (crust fungus)Crowsley forest, Henley-on-Thames.
43. Unknown, let me know if you can identify this one!
44. Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum).
Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum)Growing on aa dead tree truck near Hambelden
45. Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus).
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)Growing at the base of a large oak tree in Crowsley park.
I spent 4 months in Sonning Common during the summer, first on holiday, then waiting to get approval to return to Singapore. I am originally from Charlbury, Oxfordshire & this project enabled me to really enjoy getting back into being amongst some of the most beautiful countryside in England.
I hope you find this blog useful, it was fantastic project and a great way to spend the 4 months in Oxfordshire.
Some of the fungi I couldn't identity, please let me know if you can and/or if I've wrongly identified any of the specimens please let me know!
Thank you Christyn Davies who introduced me to most of the walks on which I took these photographs and also for fungi pics no:11,12,28 & 43.
Ruth
R.E.M ARPS 2020
Ruth is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographs and an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.
You might also enjoy, Wild Carrots and Sunflowers.
]]>
Research for this panel enabled me to investigate more closely the individuality and wide variety of surface textures, tones and beauty of South East Asian foliage plants. In the intense heat of the almost equatorial sun and with the absence of seasons, leaf growth is non stop.
The intention of my panel is to portray the lush greens, bold forms but also intricate structures and lines of tropical foliage plants in the Botanical Gardens, Singapore, where I live.
In pursuit of the perfect plant portrait I got to know plantsman, endured multiple mosquito bites and was continually being soaked by tropical downpours.
The panel as a whole reflects the infinite ingenuity of foliage plants to develop the variety of leaf surface structures to protect them and to enable the plant to receive the right amount of sun to thrive in the heat and humidity of Singapore.
Ruth E Morris
Ruth E Morris ARPSCategory: Fine Art.
ARPS Distinction: Fine Art.
Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Botanic Gardens Singapore. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Arun Lily. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Victoria Amazonica. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Singapore Botanic Gardens. Dutchman's Pipe vine. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Victoria Amazonica. Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Lotus leaves. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Victoria Amazonica lily pads. Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Beetle nut leaves.
Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Arun Lily leaves. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.Elephant vine. Singapore Botanic Gardens. Ruth E Morris ARPS: Fine Art.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my photographs and read my blog!
You might also be interested in, Focus Stacking Basics.
Ruth 🍃
As well as writing articles for the Royal Photographic Societies, Worldviews page, Ruth has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers, UK.
]]>In the meantime, I'll take lots of photos of the lovely umbels to keep me busy editing all winter long!
Directions to get to the beautiful blooms...
Wild Carrot Umbel.Nikon D750, 60mm Nikor lens. Cane End, Oxfordshire.
Walk as if you're going all the way through Kidmore End village (South Oxfordshire) and you'll pass a footpath entrance on the left, 'Cane End 1m' follow the path first to a beautiful patch of sunflowers (keep to the paths between the fields)...
Sunflower, Cane End.Loved the little curled in petals, like fingers.
....carry on past the sunflowers for a few hundred yards then dive left & down through a gap between two oak trees (big enough for a tractor, you can't miss it) then carry on up and keep left as if you're walking all the way along the side of a field, you'll pass a wide strip of wild flowers including these wonderful wild carrots!
All the information and history you need to know about both of these spectacular plants can be found in these two links.
Wild Carrot Museum and National Sunflower Association
Wild Carrot Umbels.Also know as Queen Anns lace.
Delicate wild carrot and bold sunflowers.
Sunflower bud.Taken close up with a 60mm lens, wide f-stop to blur the background.
Wild Carrot seed heads and a Sunflower bud are quite different. Capturing a plant's unique features is part of the challenge of taking a successful shot.
Sunflower bud with a ladybird.Vignetted image to highlight the ladybird.
I've added a little vignette above to isolate the ladybird and lend a little softness to the composition.
A portrait landscape!Wild carrot meadow.
The effect of using a really wide aperture (below) to isolate the subject and a nice blurred background.
Older and young wild carrot umbels.A little bit romantic!
Interesting the difference between photographing the fairly static sunflowers on a sturdy stem that isn't too tall (this was field of end of season short blooms). Compared to the constantly on the move wild carrot stems, you need a fast shutter speed to trap the movement!
Sunflowers are bold, opaque and have a definite edge. Wild carrots are a little ethereal, there are as many different variations in the colours, size and shape of the seeds heads as there are stems that support them. Ideal for capturing beautifully muted backgrounds as well as the umbels (love that word!!).
Wild carrot meadow with a bit of a retro edit.Made me think of festivals and crowds of people.
Close up or far away! Impossible to get ALL the seed heads in focus so you just have to take the photograph that you think represents the scene best and in your style.
Closer up wild carrots.What to focus on? So much movement and things going on.
Reminded me of crowds at a festival!
Hopefully we can get back to those next year.
Loads of textures, layers and layers of textures!
Wild carrot textures!Taken right into the umbel. This is one of my favourites.
I made several visits with three different lenses to see what different shots I could get. Really, the possibilities are endless. My iPhone worked really well too!!
Wild carrots and Sunflowers are extremely photogenic, you can't go wrong whatever photographic equipment you use.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog 😊 and keep enjoying your photography!
Ruth Xx
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
You might also like, Into the Woods! You might also like to buy my pack of 3 Countryside greeting cards.
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
Countryside greeting cards.Sunflower, Wild carrot and field mushroom cards from my original photographs.
As with any walk in the countryside, follow designated paths and observe regulations when walking through farmland with animals.
We can all enjoy the beautiful Oxfordshire landscape safely and respectfully!
]]>
Crowsley Park, Oxfordshire.
I love using real maps. Crowsley Park has an area where BBC satellite dishes operate and park land which is open to the public.
Crowsley park, South Oxfordshire.
Toadflax, beautiful buttery yellow clumps, covered in bees!
ToadflaxOne of the biggest bees I've ever seen!
Field mushrooms appeared in the middle of August and opened up to be some of the biggest I've ever seen!
Crowsley Park mushroomsThe first week of September was amazing for huge mushrooms!
If you'd like a few pointers when you're out on a photo walk, these tips might help.
ToadflaxWalking to Crowsley.
A mistletoe laden tree (below) never seen so many balls of the parasitic plant in one tree. Late season scabious and dandelion clocks ready to fly in the wind.
I started my walk at the back of the Bird in Hand pub, Sonning Common.
I walked down the green lane, up a field towards Crowsley, along the road toward and passed Crowsley Grange then towards and through the gates to Crowsley Park. Crowsley has open pathways and is easy to walk around once you are in the park, the flattest entrance to the park is via the main gates on Sonning Common road near the turning for Crowsley.
The forest in the distance has excellent walks. You can get to it via a forest access track further down the Sonning Common road towards Binfield Heath.
Another fantastic mushroom specimen.
Once you're in the park, it's easy to walk around as the paths are well trodden, signposted & take you into a variety of different habitats.
The parkland is open to all weathers, windswept, wet and sunlit depending on the day. It was gorgeous to see so many harebells.
Hawthorn trapped on last years dead Umbellifers. Field mushrooms just starting to sprout and Dark Mullien.
Hawthorn berries, field mushrooms and Mullien.Taken with a 60mm Macro lens.
I used a 60mm lens to take these close ups and create the flat depth of field and bokeh.
Late summer, early autumn is a great time to take photos of thistle seed heads.
Thistle seed head in the wind.
Thank you for reading my photowalk to Crowsley Park blog.
This is me hanging out with my 'shroom mates!!
Hanging out with my 'shroom mates!
Ruth Xx
You might also enjoy, Wild Carrots and Sunflowers.
]]>Order your 2020 Christmas cards HERE!
I bought a bundle of rambutans from our local fruit market in Singapore. I took a focus stacked photo to see if I could get all the spikes & then thought about how I might add them to a fern leaf photo I had...which looked a bit like a Christmas tree.
ChristmasCardPost
And so the idea was born. I created a mood board because the colours were so lovely!
Home made reflectors. Easy to make and really useful when you need to. a. Increase the amount of available light without using a flash and b. Reduce shadows around an object. In this case the rambutan.
Simply, cardboard, covered in silver foil taped in place with making tape. Really easy to make and very effective!
The 'stacked' image of a group of four fern leaves (above).
A close up of my computer screen as I'm editing one of the fern leaves. You can see how much more detail is possible when you stack several images on top of each other.
A finished group of 3 leaves, ready to add the Christmas decorations!🎄
ForestFocusStack
I used a selection of the seed pods from previous focus stacking projects as the baubles on the fern leaf 'trees'.
Starting to all come together here.
The rambutan is now a Christmas tree decoration! I simply copied and pasted the rambutan images onto the 'tree' branches.
Here you can see the peanut tree fruit that I took photos of months ago, now debuting as Christmas tree decorations with the rambutans.
And my 2020 Christmas cards became a reality, and it all started with a rambutan!
Order your Christmas card packs HERE!
Thank you for reading my blog!
Ruth Xx
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>
I provide an informal, enjoyable, relaxed & stress free photo experience for you and your family. With great memories to download in approx two weeks of the shoot!
Contact me in advance for availability and to discuss a location for the photo shoot.
Have a look at some examples HERE! (Galleries are always password protected unless otherwise stated)
Family groups of up to 10 people: Yes, dogs are welcome too!
£125 package includes all of the following.
A. Pre shoot advice & information eg: What to wear, what to expect on the day etc.
B. 1-2 hour photo shoot; Depending on the number of people & ages of the group, the session could finish a bit earlier or later!
C. Post photo shoot editing.
D. At least 30 images to choose from after your session, available to view within 20 days of shoot.
E. Password protected, secure gallery of your images. Free password access for your friends & relatives if you choose.
F. 10 images for download with license for any personal use by you, including printing, social media etc.
G. Prints and other photo products can be purchased directly from your online gallery, 'One Vision Imaging' is the print company that I use.
Thank you for taking the time to read through the session details.
Ruth
When booking please note that a £50 non refundable deposit is required.
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>My ten-week course is designed to be completely flexible to your needs as a photographer developing ideas, expanding your knowledge & increasing your technical skill level.
What to expect:
1.📷 Interesting materials with follow up tasks leading to an assignment each week.
2.📷 Detailed written feedback on your photographs for all assignments.
3.📷 100% online & you can complete the course using any make or model of camera. iPhone to SLR, the course is open to all abilities, experience and camera models.
4.📷 The whole course is available to view so that you can see what's coming up.
5.📷 Additional materials each week depending on your strengths and photography interests.
The course aim: To enable you to become much more confident using your camera in a variety of situations, settings & lighting conditions.
A.📷 Practical: There are 10 assignments, you will be taking photographs to practice the skills learned in the weekly course notes.
B.📷 Feedback: To help you get to know the technical aspects of photography & to develop the aesthetics of your photography as you find/improve your own style.
C.📷 Time: For photography, I recommend spending at least 2 hours per week. You will need to make time to devote to improving & developing your skills and knowledge.
D.📷 Flexibility: If other commitments mean you need more time, that’s absolutely fine, just let me know!
Most importantly I want you to enjoy your photography!
Course content overview:
📷 'Off-auto' camera settings for different conditions & purposes, how to use f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO etc.
📷 Landscape, natural world, macro, group and portrait photography and how to find focal points in your images.
📷 In-camera editing & post production hints & tips. A brief look at sport, long exposure, street photography and travel photography, including ethics.
📷 How to change the mood of a shot using black & white photography & flash photography.
📷 Using your camera to experiment with light, movement and try some fine art photography.
📷 The final activity will be to build an online portfolio of your favourite photographs taken during the course. We can discuss the format and content for this as you near the end of the course.
Download the course for FREE.
(Note: Only paid course participants will receive the additional course materials, guidance & feedback on images).
The course fee of £310. Payable in advance, includes support for all the assignments, feedback on all the images for assignments & additional materials throughout the course.
..................................................
Praise from course participants: 'very useful additional information for the assignments', 'I was inspired to keep practising and determined to get better and learn about my camera settings!', 'Feedback is detailed, just what I needed to stop using auto all the time!!', 'The feedback is extremely detailed and useful'.
Example of the photography that a current course participant is producing in response to assignments. An example of Iphone photography created this year, many of the shots taken during quarantine and self isolation.
If you don't feel ready to commit to the whole course, but you'd like some feedback on your photographs?
Need feedback on your images? HERE are the packages.
Ruth
Ruth Morris (MA) Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
You are in good hands!
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>
I'm going to take you through the stages of, focus stacking, to recreate the style of the Victorian plant collector catalogues. Focus stacking enables you to make an image with everything in focus, even when photographing round objects, like the second seed pod (second from the left).
Once you've learned the basics of focus stacking you'll be able to start on your own projects. The collage below I had printed onto cotton paper, it's gorgeous! You'll love creating your own ideas. The seed pods are from East Coast Park, Singapore.
Focus stacked leaves and seed pods.
What you'll need to start making a Focus Stacked image.
1. Tripod.
2. A camera that you can focus manually. (I used an old Grab delivery bag to stop shadows, worked a treat!!)
3. Shutter release Cable (optional, but it does reduce the possibility of camera wobble)
4. LightRoom and PhotoShop. Other software can be used, but I'm using PS & LR here.
5. An object to photograph. In this tutorial I've used seed pods and leaves.
6. A lens that you can use to take macro photographs. I'm using a 60mm Nikon Micro lens here, on a D750 body, Auto settings.
Let's Get Started!
A. Attach your camera to a tripod and get the camera lens as close to the object as you can but still be able to focus on every part of the object. Attach a shutter release cable if you have one. I used the Auto setting for these stacked images.
B. Place the object that you want to photograph onto a piece of white paper/card on the floor or table. Place the tripod with camera attached over the object so that you can focus on it. Make sure you are sitting comfortably as the next bit takes some time and you need to be quite still so your don't jog the camera.
C. Position your object so that it's in the middle of the viewfinder frame (I used, 'live view').
Manually focus on each section of the object/s.
D. Take a photograph (I took 40 photos from some samples!!) of each section of the object. Each time make sure the focus is sharp, work your way around the whole object, so that you have an image of each section, ready to stack. Be careful not to jolt the camera between shots.
E. When you have all your shots, open the series in Light room. Now to start editing.
Shift then Click to high light all the photos you want to stack.
F. Shift/Click, to highlight all the images you want to stack.
G. Go up to Develop and adjust one of the images as you like. I adjusted the highlights, brought out the shadows at bit and increased the clarity and texture to enhance the structure of the seed pods. I also used a highlight vignette to get rid of any dark halo around the image.
H. IMPORTANT. To get all the images edited in the same way, click, Sync settings, at the bottom of the editing column and you will see the whole row of images changing.
I. Once this is done, it's time to transfer the edited images into Photoshop. Go up to, Photo, then, Edit in, then, Open as layers in Photoshop.
This takes a bit of time, depending on how many files you are moving.
J. Once all the images have appeared in Photoshop as layers, Shift/Click, to highlight all the images you want to merge. Go up to, Edit, then, Auto-blend Layers, then, Stack Images, and you need to check, Seamless tones and colours. Click OK and go and make a cuppa while photoshop works its magic!!
Once all the images have been stacked you can merge the layers, lock them and save your image. Or, if you missed a section (frustrating, but it happens!!) You can go back and have another go. The file sizes can be huge because you have so many stacked images, so you might need to reduce the file size before you send or share it. You'll probably need to tidy up the image too, crop, adjust the levels, get rid of any spots etc, I desaturated the photographs to give them a more authentic look. You can keep the colour and go for a more contemporary, high key look too.
Focus Stacked Leaves and Seedpods. This fern frond (below) is one of the first images I created using focus stacking, and one of my favourites. My inspiration for this project was the work of photographer, sculptor and artist, Karl Blossfeldt.
Focus stacked fern.
The image below is Peanut tree seed pod. One of my favourite staked images because I didn't realise until I edited it, but there's a tiny lizard skull in the top left hand corner. This image has been copied onto a white background because I had an orange cast from the seed pod shell that I just couldn't get rid of!
Flipped leaf edit.Focus stacked back and front of the same leaf.
That's all there is to focus stacking!
Thanks for reading my blog and supporting my passion for botanical photography!
Ruth.
You might be interested in a pack of my 2020 Christmas cards designed using focus stacked fern leaves, the seed pods & a rambutan. If you live in Singapore message me directly and I will deliver them to you, $S20.
More examples of my botanical photography, Fungi Foraging in South Oxfordshire and Before and After: Dark Botanical Photography.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
Ruth is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers and an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.
]]>
Little IndiaStreet Art.
I tried setting a time limit too, I usually spend hours taking a few shots; this time I force myself to just keep moving and shooting different subjects.
Little India, Singapore.Shop keeper making sure her produce looks good to buy!
Tuesday morning, between 9am and 11am; a good time to watch all the shopkeepers preparing for the day.
Collection of concrete statues ready for their new homes.
Flower petals everywhere ready to make into garlands.
Flower garlands for sale.Little India, Singapore.
Lotus buds, marigolds, jasmine buds and roses...a heady and beautiful smell.
Using the macro lens really made me think about different possibilities. These photos are far more intimate and specific that I would normally take, it's a really good habit to get into.
Silks in any colour you need!!Little India, fabric shop.
Cottons and silks in bright colours to make into just about anything you want!
...and plenty of shops to buy ready made suits and saris.
Bundles of fresh herbs for sale.Little India, Singapore.
Stalls full of fresh vegetables and herbs, many that I'm still to learn the names of.
Colourful murals on every street corner & colourful shirt!
Mural.Little India, Singapore.
The barbers will open up a little later in the day.
I learned two things today, one a fixed focus lens can be more versatile than you'd think & don't over do a subject, keep moving and keep shooting. I managed to get a lot of variety in just two hours.
If you need a cafe recommendation in Little India, I always head for the, Greenleaf Cafe, 43 Cuff Road, it's vegetarian and the perfect place for a ginger tea and a cool down after wandering around.
Thank you for taking this tour around Little India with me.
Ruth Morris (MA) has a Diploma in Professional Photography, is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers and an Associate of Royal Photographic Society.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
We lived in Hong Kong when I took these flower photos, 4 years ago, in an apartment with no balcony & no interesting greenery nearby to photograph. But, I did have access to an excellent florist, tucked down a little alley, 5 mins walk away. I bought the most photogenic flowers I could find and a roll of different coloured papers and card. My project was, 'Still Life Flowers'. It was the first time I'd done any deliberate photography inside.
I loved the sweep of these hydrangea leaves as much as the stunning flower heads! The blue and white bowl I bought in Bangkok from a floating market. The crop of this image is too tight, but back then I was learning a lot and experimenting.
Below, these Calla Lilies have almost pasta textured petals, they were perfect for adding shape and form to my images. The background colour is a bit too '70's, definitely on the nicotine stain end of the beige spectrum haha.
The shapes though!
I placed my table, camera, tripod and vase with flowers, near a window. I used a long shutter speed to capture the natural light. I was also experimenting with props and positioning to get the best light onto the composition.
The small blue beaker (top left) came from the same market in Germany as the salt glazed jug below.
The jug and flower head below are, 'floating', in my head I can hear my 'A' level Art teacher saying, 'you need to put it down!'
I've added roses into the mix below.
Boom!!! Bright buttery yellow tulips, all bought in Hong Kong...maybe from Amsterdam? But more likely Malaysia, Vietnam or China. I never was able to get a white background for this bunch?
These two bunches of tulips I still use on my Easter greeting cards.
Simple!! I love sunflowers 🌻 and not just that, but they were available to buy from my tiny hole in the wall florist!
No particular focus for this image, but I liked the rough prickly, furry textures of the leaves. Blue background just for a bit of POP!! Light was coming from the right hand side onto the flowers and I had an off-camera flash set light up the paper behind the flowers so that they didn't cast a shadow. Using off-camera flash units is a whole other world of photography that I very rarely visit!
These photo memories were really good in terms of making me think about how my photography has developed.
I find still-life photography challenging and I'm not very good at it all, but there are certainly advantages when the weather is bad or you want to keep trying something out, you can leave everything set up and have another go tomorrow!
Finding a photography style for me has been as much about where I live and what I have available to me as what I am good at 😊 Once I found my style, I started to focus on that & slowly develop that style, making it unique to me.
Thank very much you for reading my blog.
I hope that if you're a photographer you can find a style and genre that really suits you and you LOVE to keep working on!!
Have a lovely weekend and week ahead! It certainly feels like the world is coming back up for air and things are returning to whatever the new, 'normal' looks like.
Ruth Morris (MA) has a Diploma in Professional Photography, is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers and an Associate of Royal Photographic Society.
Ruth has 26 years experience as an Art and Design teacher and many, many years of experience in photography.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>The Divinity School, Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Photography Talks:
Interesting, entertaining and informative!! My talks are suitable for, Camera, Photography and Art Clubs, and any group of people who are interested in creating photographic images. Including school groups; I currently work as a part time Art teacher, so I'm very used to delivery talks to school kids!
I will come to your venue; I just need to plan ahead as I use public transport.
Please email at: [email protected] for more information and to book a session.
Talks are about 1 hour long and I provide digital course notes to accompany each of the sessions. I need a projector for the talks as they are all very visual.
Cost: £50 + transport, for small groups (up to 30 people).
£80 + transport, for larger groups (over 30 people).
1. The Art of Landscape Photography (in the UK & also Asia)
2. Dark Botanical Photography.
3. A Photographer in Hong Kong (a mix of travel and photography).
4. A Photographer in Singapore (a mix of travel and photography) Singapore and Singapore Shophouses.
5. A Date with Demolition: Historic Saigon.
6. The Importance of Ethics in Photography.
Thank you for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you!
Ruth
]]>I wanted to find out about how to make cup of one of the most photographed South East Asian beverages ☕️
At my local Hawker Food centre on Old Airport Road, I order Kopi and noodles whenever I can. One morning Joyce offered to show me how to make a Kopi.
First the socks. They're cotton, the gauge must be just right, too fine and the coffee flavour can't percolate through, too lose and too much gets through.
The art of making a cup of Kopi.Coffee socks.
The coffee socks should be rinsed and hung up to dry after they have been used. Joyce grimaced and said, 'some shops just turn them inside out!!'
Tea socks (below). Usually each day is a 3 sock day, but now, as everyone is taking away, it's become 5 sock days! Tea socks are different in a couple of ways, firstly they are slightly thinner gauge cotton, secondly, they contain tea leaves, as opposed to the coffee socks which have already brewed coffee poured through them.
Above, coffee kettle and slightly smaller tea kettle. On the shelf to the right is the condensed milk, sugar and evaporated milk for the teas and coffees.
Once the brewed coffee is poured through the sock (which retains the grounds) the strained coffee is poured into a glass containing 1cm (ish) of condensed milk. The coffee and milk are mixed together and hot water is added. Sometimes the coffee & milk mixture is passed back & forth from a glass to a metal beaker to create a froth.
A coffee or tea sock can last a few days weeks, or months depending how much they are used.
Coffee sock in a tin kettle (below) waiting to have brewed coffee poured into it. The charcoal stove (you can just see the red of the charcoal) keeps the coffee hot, and also the whole kitchen. This is hot, hot work!!
The coffee grounds are bought in big sacks from neighbouring coffee producing Java & Vietnam, and tea from Malaysia & China.
Coffee sock with coffee in over a charcoal stove.
Below, a brand new coffee sock, price to buy, $SN1.
Pancakes. Now that's a story for another day.....
These photos were originally posted on instagram a couple of months ago, but I had so much interest and messages from other Kopi enthusiast I thought I'd write it all into a blog. Those of you who have travelled in South East Asia will know and love Kopi I am sure!
Here's to better times to come and enjoying coffee together again!!
Hope you are all safe and healthy. Thanks for reading my blog 😊
Ruth Xx
]]>
Individual Photography feedback by Email:
This could be all you need to improve your technique and move your photography to the next level! I offer supportive, objective advice on how to make the most of your photography style. With simple tips on how change/adapt your camera settings & easy to follow ideas on how you can increase the POP in your images!!
Satisfaction guaranteed 📷😁
Send your .jpg files to me at, [email protected].
I will give written feedback within a week of receiving your work.
Payment required in advance.
1. Feedback on 1 photograph £10.
2. Feedback on 3 photographs £25.
3. Feedback on 10 photographs £80.
Basic editing of photographs: I can straighten, apply colour and light enhancement, crop, resize sharpen/soften, as required. Please send your files as .jpgs. Payment in advance.
Basic editing using Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop: 4 photographs £50.
For more advanced editing, please contact me to discuss your needs.
Ruth Morris (MA) is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and has a Diploma in Professional Photography.
You are in good hands!!
In this blog I'll be describing (in as few words, and as many images, as I can) the process I use to create my award winning botanical images. Check out this bee heading into what must seem like a HUGE lotus flower!
I try to take away or reduce as many of the distracting elements as possible 🌿
Try to isolate an interesting aspect of the plant and make sure the background has as few distractions as possible ie: no spots of light if possible!!
Ruth E MorrisDark Botanicals.
The detail of the plant has to be tack sharp when your plant is the focal point; if the leaves are blurred, impact is lost.
I take VERY underexposed photographs then tease out the details and the shapes and patterns of the leaves.
Palm Leaf before & after.I've enhanced the available light and created a focal point using a spot.
All the images above have had vignettes or spot lights applied to isolate the point of interest and create mood, but the background is not completely blocked.
Keep an eye on what's happening at the edges of the frame when looking through the view finder.
Fern fronds just after rain.Vignette and cropped to get a little bit more drama!
Sometimes you can get most of a plant or flower into the camera view finder. Sometimes you need to focus on a section that is interesting or part of a leaf.
(Below) Before and after edit, spot removal and I've highlighted the veins on the bottom leaf to try to create some drama!
Simple before and after edit.Rule of thirds to create a more engaging composition.
Taking very underexposed images is a bit of a leap of faith because until I download the files onto my computer I never really know if they will work! I look for the shape and the lack of background distractions when I'm viewing an image at the back of may camera. I don't use a tripod, so I need good arm muscles to keep the camera still!
The Arun Lily bellow an example of the limit of how underexposed I go. (After edit on the right).
Arun Lily flowers.Underexposed to the limit!! Draw out the light and adjust the colours.
Looks complicated? (below) Not really, the edit consists of a crop, enhanced colour, de-spot the leaves, a spot to brighten up the unfurling leaf and sharpening up the leaf veins. The trick is to get all the information in the shot, in camera, then enhance the components of the shot to create the final image.
I hope that you can get out into a garden or park nearby to try some botanical photography ☘️🍃 The California Poppy flowers below were taken in a friends garden in Wyndmonham.
California PoppiesBefore and after edit of poppies with bright sunlight.
Thank you very much for spending the time to read my botanical bog!
Take care 😊
Ruth
A passionate photographer, gardener, Art teacher and blogger; Ruth has her own Photography Courses and Written Photography Feedback packages.
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
Ruth E MorrisFront cover of CameraCraft magazine.
]]>The style of decoration is known as Peranakan pattern, a Chinese, Malay, European melting pot of imagery.
These three second floor windows (below) are from Shophouses in Geylang and Little India.
Singapore Shophouse windows
The wooden fretwork above the windows would probably have let out warm air from the upper floor rooms.
Shophouse, Gelyang.1920's Shophouse in Geylang, Singapore. Green painted facade, with white plaster work and Peranakan tiles.
This Shophouse was being gutted ready for renovation. Shophouses in good condition command a premium in the real estate market! You can see an old fridge was about to be moved out and dumped. I chatted to the son about his father (who owned and lived in the house) he let me have a look inside. Shophouses are much bigger inside that you'd think!! The upper floors would have been used to store the goods to be sold.
Shophouse.That's fallen on hard times!
Repairs and renovations are very expensive, leading to many Shophouses becoming derelict. When I first saw the house above it did have an intact window from on the out wall, now it's just a brick space and plaster is crumbling off the front top of the house.
Bamboo blinds.
The bamboo and wooden roll down blinds and become a rare sight (above). Exposure to rain, sun, wind eventually damages the blinds beyond repair. The Shophouse above is near Haji Lane.
Shophouses.Window designs.
More window designs showing the variety of colours, tiles, glass, plaster and wood work that went into creating these beautiful buildings! These photographs were taken in Little India and Geylang.
Shophouse window, Chinatown
Not round windows, but the carved wood frames and plaster surround gives the illusion of large oval windows.
The earliest shop houses in Singapore date back to 1840, with several style changes from the simple residential-come-shop, house; to the post war, pared down design that has a few understated functional decorations.
1940's ShophouseDried Goods Guild.
You can see the development of Shophouse design in this 1940's Shophouse, 'The Dried Goods Guild' in China Town.
Below is another example of the use of precast concrete; Spiral staircases, that are in themselves a Singapore icon! I discovered (while doing some research about the canalisation of Singapore) that these staircases were built so that the night soil collectors could go out their business without having to come to the front of houses.
Spiral staircases. Geylang.
Arguably, the most photogenic shop houses were those built between 1900-1940. With designs & ornamentation that reflected an increase in wealth & exposure to European fashions & taste.
Shophouses.Geylang and Joo Chiat.
Towards the end of the 20th Century, Shophouse designs became simpler. Throughout the Deco and post war periods Shophouses began to lose the European decorative features and became quintessentially Singaporean in design.
Changing Shophouse designs.Joo Chiat.
Below: The Aisan Arowana fish...if seen, keep your fingers clear of its mouth!!
One of my favourite sets of tiles, on the outside garden wall of a Shophouse in Geylang.
Shophouse tiles.Asian Arowana fish.
All the photographs are my own. Information about Shophouses came from talking to Singaporeans and anyone who was interested to talk to me when I was taking photographs. Information about soil collection in Singapore came from Wikipedia and is a really interesting piece of Singapore social history!
Thank you very much for reading my blog and supporting what I love to do!!
Ruth 😊
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and has a Diploma in Professional Photography awarded by the Photography Institute.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
Another Shophouse related blog: Penang, Georgetown.
Amazing Shophouses!!Joo Chiat, Geylang, Little India and China Town.
I received the Photographers Bar again in 2019, this time in Open and Natural World. The Bar is an award given to members of the Guild of Photographers in recognition for entering photographs of a consistently high quality throughout the year. It's very difficult to attain and requires year long hard work to get the required number of points. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the achievement and thrilled to get the award for the second year running.
To top it all I won, Image of the Year, in the Floral and Insect category for the 2nd year running (no pressure at all for 2020 then!) My photograph of a Costa Rican vine won in 2018 and a sun drenched unfurling palm leaf won in 2019.
Image of the Year Winner 2018.Guild of Photographers.
Both photographs were taken in Singapore Botanic gardens. Excited and honoured doesn't come close to how I felt when I found I'd been award the prize for the second time! Thousands of photographs are entered each year and to be the ONE, is really fantastic and I'm still smiling 😁
Image of the Year winner 2109.
Lots to live up to in 2020, I need to get out my camera and keep visiting the wonderful Singapore Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens and all the other wonderful green spaces that we have access to!!
My lovely trophy and certificate for 2018.
If you've ever considered entering a photography competition, maybe 2020 is the year to do it!! Nerve wracking at first but once you've entered a few it can get quite addictive and it's often a good way to get a bit of feedback which can enable you to improve....never a bad thing right!?
If you do have a photograph or a few photos that you would like some advice and feedback on, have a look at my feedback packages below. It could be just what you need to take your images to the next level. I always write supportive, constructive and helpful advice. No need to worry if you're feeling a little unconfident! Asking for advice can be hard to do at first...but you're safe with me and I guarantee that your photography will improve 😊
Individual Photograph feedback by Email:
Via email I will provide you with written advice on how to improve your photographs. Send me your photos as .jpg files and I will feedback within a week of receiving your work. Payment required in advance.
Please email me: [email protected], for more information and if you'd like to see some samples of the written advice I feedback to clients.
If you're interested in a hands on One-to-One photography experience outdoors?
Check out my outline 2021 🌿Summer Botanical Courses🌿
I'm getting bitten by ants here!! But very happy that one of my botanical photographs got onto the front cover of CameraCraft magazine again.
Thank you for reading my blog and good luck if you enter any photography competitions in 2020!!
Ruth
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>
🌸 Workshop Outline🌿
After the sessions you’ll be able to take more dramatic images of the flora around you! ☘️ Framing points of interest, reducing background distractions, creating mood & learning how to maximise the use of natural light 🌱 Four basic edits to complete the finished image. Editing will be done over tea/coffee (on me!) in a local cafe near the meeting points 🍃 Course notes will be provided.
Any questions please email me 😊: [email protected]
Dates TBC for 2021. Watch this space!!
If it’s raining hard on the day of the course I have a Plan B which might mean taking photographs and working inside.
🌿What to expect from the session:🌿
🌿What to bring to the session:🌿
🌿Booking your session:🌿
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
🌱a couple more botanical photography ideas:
Wild Carrot and Sunflowers and Dark Botanical Photography.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>Crossing the road is done South East Asian style. You just set off across the road, looking straight ahead to the other side and hope that cars and motor bikes will go around you. It's an act of faith every time!
Photos in this blog were taken on an early morning and evening walk around Penang old town.
Perfect blue sky sets off these suspended umbrellas. Must be some of the most instagrammed umbrellas in all of Asia...if not the world! Georgetown gained UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site in 2008.
Familiar architecture, the 5 foot passageways in front of shophouses, the tiles, plasterwork and carved wooden doors all dating back to the 1920's when the Dutch, Portuguese and British colonists lived in Penang; periodically swopping ownership of what was never theirs in the first place.
The state of dereliction of some of the shophouses is a reflection of how expensive it is to renovate these crumbling properties, not a lack of desire to do so. High ceilings, long rooms and thin walls make these properties difficult to convert into easily liveable spaces. The UNESCO status of Georgetown has meant that rebuilding and modernising has to be in keeping with the original style of the building.
An Aladdin's cave of bits and pieces of wood and metal work. Everything you could possible need for patching up your shophouse!
A replacement window frame being taken into a smaller, more modern shophouse in Little India. Tourist rickshaw ready for action!
Every size of tandoori and cooking pot. Little India, Georgetown.
My favourite shot of the trip. Inside one of a short row of what must have been warehouses during the time that Penang was a major duty free port. I'd like to think that opium was secretly stored in these rooms, at least up until 1867 when rioting broke out and the trade was, 'stopped'.
Georgetown, Penang, January 3rd 2020.
More of my Travel and Social History blogs here:
Date with Demolition: Historic Saigon, End of an Era: Dakota Crescent HDB's and Early Morning in Little India.
Thank you for reading my blog and supporting my passion for photography, writing and social history!
Ruth 😊
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and has a Diploma in Professional Photography awarded by the Photography Institute.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
Double page spread from my Hong Kong book. The Causeway Bay typhoon shelter and a magnificent stainless steel sculpture by Ren Zhe.
While I'm waiting for the new book to arrive, I thought I'd post a quick plug for my Hong Kong photo book, A3, 50 pages (100 glossy sides of photos) and comes in a protective gift box.
Built in 1783, Pak Tai temple is a popular tourist attraction on Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong.
All the photography in the book is my own, taken while I lived and worked in Hong Kong.
A black and white photograph taken on Cheung Chau at the entrance to the fishing boat harbour. Photograph location and index for the middle section of the book
The books are printed to order and can be personalised to make a really unique and special gift.
No souvenir of Hong Kong would be complete without at least one photograph of the Big Buddha!!
Each beautiful book takes about two weeks to print and deliver. A gift that the receiver (or yourself!) will treasure for ever.
Red Lanterns hanging above Lee Tung Street, Wanchai, and a close up shot off an old rusting boat engine in Cheung Chau fishing harbour.
The cover photograph can vary from book to book depending on your requirements. The position on the photographs in the book may be slightly different from the photographs in this blog. The presentation box design is changed by the publisher form time to time. No two books are the same.
The Hong Kong photo book really is the best souvenir of Hong Kong! You'll be very pleased you took the plunge and purchased one!!
]]>Bodleian Library Oxford.The Divinity School.
The Divinity School is where the library tours meet, it's a beautiful room, you're surrounded by the weight of history...and the knowledge that Gandalf walked on that very stone floor.
Bodleian Library, Oxford.Divinity School. Ceiling bosses carved in stone display the coats of arms and insignia of those patrons who donated money to the libraries.
Divinity School, Bodleian Library.Stone Ceiling bosses.
Thank you Libby for this shot of me taking a photo of the Radcliffe Camera. Underneath the library is the largest store of books and manuscripts in the world.
The Radcliffe Camera.Ruth E Morris taking a quick iPhone shot!
Below: Convocation House, formerly a meeting place for the House of Commons during the English Civil War.
Convocation House, Bodleian Library tour.The historical parliament room of Convocation House.
Photography is not allowed in the Duke Humphrey's Library (film location of Hogwarts Library in the Harry Potter movies) but it is possible to arrange photography visits after hours. A trip for the future I think!
Below: A section of the Divinity School. The old halls and buildings of the libraries are breathtaking and well worth a visit if you are in Oxford.
A section of the Divinity SchoolUsed in the Harry Potter films.
The Old Schools Quad.
The Old Schools Building and Quad.Bodleian Library tour, Oxford.
This trip was very special for me, not just because I got to spend my birthday with a great friend, but, I count myself very lucky to have been born in Oxford.
A huge thank you to Dr.Frankie Wilson who organised our tour and gave me a magnificent goodie bag of Bodleian Library souvenirs.
For more information about the Bodleian Libraries.
Watlington Library is a Oxfordshire Community Library, if you are in the area, drop in and say hi to Libby!
Oxfordshire spring reading competition, Oxfordshire Reads, can be entered at your local library in Oxfordshire.
Thank you for reading and good luck!
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>
Lead your viewers into the photograph and keep them wanting to look at it, make sure the composition is as compelling as possible. Try to get a 3D feel to your 2D image by using leading lines, structures with in the image, eg: trees, buildings, roads leading into the distance, the horizon line, mountains etc, also shadows help to sculpt your photograph with light. Have a look at the tree lined path below.
Beech woods in summer.
Dark still life photography is a good way to practice composition, atmosphere and mood are themselves interesting. This simple composition has a point of focus and is easy to set up at home with a few ingredients from the fridge, a chopping board and a piece of black paper for the back ground. A good project for the winter months!
Most of the time, when you're out taking photographs, even if it's a quick snap, make sure your shot has a strong point of interest, if it doesn't, you'll find that the eyes of the viewer won't find anything to settle on and they'll simply move on to look at another shot.
Images can have various points of interest, but don't let them pull the attention from the main subject. If attention is led away from the main focus your shot will just become confusing and the viewer will be unsure what to look at. Less attention-grabbing points of interest can be used on rule of thirds lines (see later) to draw the eye to final resting point.
Of course, rules are always there to be broken! In this photograph of old tools laid out on my garage floor, there is no particular point of focus. Pattern is the key here, along with light and texture.
Use whatever is available to you to draw in the viewer and keep them interested and wanting more!!
Keep on having fun with your photography and thanks for reading my blog.
Ruth 😊
Hikkaduwa out of season is just about as relaxing as it gets, but you need to be prepared for a very mixed bag of weather. It really does rain hard between May and September! Hikkaduwa beach. Most of the beach bars and restaurants were closed and won't open again until September/October. But there were enough cafes & restaurants open to keep us, out-of-season holidayers happy! 😊 Sri Lankan carbs' really are the best!
Sri Lankan snacks.All of these are delicious, cheap, cooked fresh daily and you'll come back for more!
Below, the Buddhist temple, Kumarakanda Maha Viharaya, definitely worth a visit and Kumarakanda is a walkable distance from Hikkaduwa, either by following the train tracks or a short tuk tuk journey.
'Prince on the Hill'Kumarakanda Maha Viharaya.
Portuguese invaders arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, and there are still plenty of examples of the Portuguese architectural heritage all over Hikkaduwa. Dutch protestant colonists followed the Portuguese into Sri Lanka in the 16th century. Due to their dislike of Catholicism and acceptance of Buddhism the Dutch colonists began to rebuild some of the destroyed temples. Kumarakanda Maha Viharaya, temple (above) was rebuilt in 1784. 'Observer', Sri Lanka Aug' 2019.
Kumarakanda Maha Viharaya.Reclining Buddha inside the Kumarakanda temple in the town of Dodanduwa.
Lions feature heavily in Sri Lankan imagery although there have been no lions in Sri Lanka since prehistoric times.
The old national flag of Cylon featured a golden lion and the golden lion has been adopted by the most popular local beer, Lion beer!
One of the best places to see well preserved Portuguese and Dutch buildings is within the walls of the Portuguese built, Galle Fort. It's a 40min tuk tuk ride from Hikkaduwa, costing around 1000 rupees, one way.
Hikkaduwa, abandoned villa.Portuguese wooden door decoration and ventilation.
Famed for its surfing and coral reef reserve, Hikkaduwa attracts thousands of visitors during high season. Out of season the touristy parts of town go into hibernation, but the central areas around the bus and train stations and the fishing ports are all business as usual.
'Sea is Our Life'Dodanduwa fisheries.
Sri Lanka is an island and fishing is a major industry for the local communities as well as a tourist attraction. The fishing port in Hikkaduwa centre is well worth a visit, there is a small charge to go into the harbour. Below are examples of, Bala Oruwa fishing boats, 'double spirit rig', 'Indigenous Sails', by Tije Brandsma.
Bala-Oruwa fishing boats.Dodanduwa fishery. Hikkaduwa beach in the distance.
Trips from Hikkaduwa are easy to organise with a variety of different transport and day trip destinations available. Catching the train from Hikkaduwa to Galle is easy, cheap and great fun...even in the rain!
Hikkaduwa Station.Platform 1. Train to Galle from Colombo. The 2004 tsumani destroyed lives and lively hoods in Sri Lankan coastal towns and villages. There are many visible reminders of the distruction caused by the huge tidal waves that hit the coastline.
Hikkaduwa beach.The shell of a two story house destroyed in the 2014 boxing day tsunami. Empty sea front bars will hopefully be full in a few months time, with surfers, backpackers, sun seekers and families.
Indian Ocean view.Open again in October! One of the many Hikkaduwa beach bars. The Sea Salt Society, opened in 2018 and open for a coffee, beer and food in August and a beautiful view. These beach beds have curtains, cushions and sunbathers, between October and May.
Sea Salt Society.Hikkaduwa beach.
This year I discovered that the best quality cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka! (and South India). Ceylon cinnamon is more expensive than cassia cinnamon or Saigon cinnamon and is supposed to be of superior, flavour, aroma and has a smoother brighter coloured bark than its rougher textured counterpart. The cheaper cassia varieties that are grown in Indonesia, China and Vietnam and are said to have an inferior nutritional value. Next time you pick up a jar of cinnamon, check the 'origin' and be sure to pick, Sri Lanka!
Thank you very much for reading this blog and hopefully enjoying my photographs of Hikkaduwa and the surrounding area.
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
]]>
Watlington, Oxfordshire.B4009 road through Watlington.
I wonder how many have been re-painted? New door knockers? Some are maybe unchanged?
Watlington Doors and Windows.
In 2017, Friends of Watlington Library, hosted an exhibition of the photographs, 'Doors and Windows of Watlington'. Visitors to the exhibition excitedly looked to see if their own home was featured!!
In 2018 and 2019, again thanks to invitations by, Dr. Anna Tilley, Chair of (Friends of Watlington Library) F.O.W.L, I held two more exhibitions, 'Hong Kong Landscapes', and 'Close Up, Botanicals'. In March 2019 I was invited to hold a talk, 'The Art of Landscape Photography', a first for me, I've been a school teacher for many years, but this was my first photography talk, to adults. The event was extremely successful thanks to all the organisation by Anna and the, F.O.W.L, team. Also a huge thank you to, Ross Speirs, graphic artist and cartoonist, who designs many of the posters and flyers for Watlington Library events held by, F.O.W.L. I love the poster Ross designed for my event and really appreciate having a professional design.
Designed by, Ross Speirs.
Did you enter the competition? Will your photograph be one of the 12 finalists? I'm really looking forward to helping to judge the entries and choose the final 12 that will be published in the, Images of Watlington Calendar 2020. Thanks again to Anna for organising the competition and Ross for the poster. For more work by Ross go to: speirs.co.uk.
Images of Watlington, 2020
How did it all start? With, Libby Willis, a friend from, Highdown School, Reading. Libby is Librarian at Watlington Library, an all round beautiful person as well as fellow coffee & beer drinker. Also, a long time supporter of my photography and sharer of titles for a good read.
...............................
Thank you.
For more events organised by, F.O.W.L, see their facebook page: www.facebook.com/friendsofwatlingtonlibrary, or, better still, drop into the library and see what's happening.
]]>
Little or no preservation & renovation of old buildings is happening, history is being raised to the ground, partly because very few old buildings are documented or recognised as being important. 'More than a third of the Vietnamese city’s historic buildings have been destroyed over the past 20 years', Nick Van Mead.
206 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo.One of the last remaining French colonial tenement houses built in the 1920's. One of the last, old, 'Chung Cu', tenement housing streets left in Saigon, 206 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo. Built in the 1920's, some of the houses have hardly been changed.
206 Đường Trần Hưng Đạo.P11.Q5.Lau1 (Ist floor) hidden from the main road this, Chung cu, is accessed through two passages, both with their own little unofficial coffee shops. I was invited to take photographs by one of the residents who explained some of the history to me. A makeshift coffee shop in the middle, 'bridge', between the upper (Lau 1) balconies provides a good meeting point for the residents to catch up on gossip and see what's going on. 206/5 Đường Trần Hưng ĐạoVirtually unchanged since the 1920's. Below: Some of the older buildings have within them, beautiful, nostalgic restaurants and coffee shops. Quan cafe, Bang khuang, on the 3rd floor, 9 Thai Van Lung, Q1, is one. Many of the features are completely original, great coffee, lovely staff and perfect ambiance.
Bâng Khuâng Café, 9 Thái Văn Lung, Bến Nghé, Quận 1.Empty at 8am, full at lunch time. Everything about this cafe is interesting, even the bolt on the loo door!!
Below: Looking out of the cafe window, a spiral staircase dating back to the French colonial era, still in daily use, but for how much longer?
Below: View from the fire escape stairs at the back of, 26 Ly Tu Trong. Another building due to be demolished, it was lived in by French administrators and business people during colonial times.
View from the fire escape stairs at the back of, 26 Lý Tự Trọng.A few residents still live on the top floors. The shop & cafe tenants in the building are on one year leases. They never know when the building could be closed for demolition.
The building still retains original features such as an incredible old lift, beautiful tiled floors & the original, 'bullet proof', mesh protection on the outside of the building at the back. What were the old apartments are now occupied by cafes and boutiques. Definitely worth a visit & easily accessible from the city centre.
Below: Details taken inside, 26 Lý Tự Trọng.
26 Lý Tự TrọngBến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh.Original tiles, doorway leading to the fire escape, original glass window panes around stairwells and lift shaft.
Thank you as always, Quyen, my first friend in Vietnam. Quyen pointed me in the direction of all the places in this blog and more. She owns and runs, the, 'Gourmet Cafe' in Phu My Hung, Q7.
More articles about Saigon's heritage:
youtu.be/2KeEnUz-MxM
www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jan/21/redefine-skyline-how-ho-chi-minh-city-erasing-heritage-vietnam
A couple more of my Travel and Social History blogs:
Hikkaduwa Out of Season and End of an Era. Dakota Crescent HDB.
Thanks for reading my blog and supporting my passion for photography, writing and social history!
Ruth
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK
]]>
Dakota Crescent HDB.Demolition started in Nov' 2020.
Built in 1958, Dakota Crescent Housing Development was one of the first housing estates to be built in Singapore. Letter boxes and blue glass. The low-rise, red brick social housing blocks were built to house the victims of what had become dangerous, squalid and very poor housing in the surrounding Kampongs. Fires in 1958 and 1959 in nearby villages left many people homeless and with bubonic plague sweeping through the old insanitary housing, something had to be done. Why, 'Dakota' Crescent?
The American built, Douglas DC-3 aeroplane, was referred to by the British as a 'Dakota'. Built on the site of the old Kallang airport, the name, 'Dakota Crescent,' commemorates the loss of an entire crew of airman lost in a crash in 1946.
Dakota Crescent.Personalised balconies. Residents personalised balconies and painted doors colours to help them spot where they lived. The early residents had been used to living in houses which would have been at street level, living in flats would have been totally new. From left to right, 6 Dakota Crescent, 10 Dakota Crescent and 22 Old Airport Road. Dakota Crescent.Balcony ironwork. Although most of the ground floor flats are boarded up now, much of the original ironwork still remains. The original red brick has now been covered by years of painting to help weatherproof the exposed brick. Ironwork, from left to right, 32 Dakota Crescent, 22 Old Airport Rd and 10 Dakota Crescent.
Below, a photo of part of the commercial area of the estate, Block 12, which had shops, a cafe and health centre.
The lifts at Dakota Crescent were very narrow and only stopped at every other floor (the blue door at the bottom of the middle photo below is a lift door) very inconvenient for some of the residents. Currently there is nobody in Singapore capable of servicing or repairing the lifts, one of the many reasons that HDB felt it needed to rehouse the residents. Dakota Crescent.Narrow lifts but nice open spaces. The last residents of Dakota Crescent HDB moved out in 2016 and now the remaining blocks lie derelict awaiting the next phase of development. There are campaigns and a Facebook page dedicated to saving the site as it represents and important part of Singapore's social history.
One section that will be saved is the iconic Dove Playground in front of block 10, designed by Mr Khor Ean Ghee in 1979.
I have met and spoken to people who once lived in Dakota Crescent HDB, all have fond memories, particularly of the space, communal areas, the relatively big balconies and being by the river.
All the photographs are my own, taken in May 2019. All the information is from Wikipedia and from observations and conversations.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Ruth
You might also be interested in, Date with Demolition; Historic Ho Chi Minh City.
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
Ruth Morris ARPS
]]>
#1: Little India: Little India is an area that I keep returning to with my camera, particularly early morning when the shops are getting ready to open and the light is perfect and it's not too crowded.
#2: Pulau Ubin is a small island between Singapore and Malaysia, accessed by Changi Point Ferry. It's a very good place to photograph birds, butterflies and if you get up early you can see wild boar, troops of monkeys and last time I visited I just snatched a photograph of a pied horn bill. Hiring a bike and cycling around the island is a good way to get away from the crowds at the weekends. The double exposure photo below is of bamboo canes and palm tree on Pulau Ubin.
Pulau UbinDouble exposure of palm trees and bamboo canes. #3: East Coast Park (also home of my Saturday morning Parkrun) is home to the beautiful, Amber Beacon (below). East Coast park is a very popular spot for wedding photographers and the skate park makes an interesting location for family, wedding and even maternity photos!
The Amber beacon, East Coast park
East Coast Park is also a good spot if you need sunset and sunrise photographs. This shot (below) was taken from Bedok jetty at East Coast park. Bedok jetty juts out into the ocean for quite away, it usually has a long row of hopeful fishermen and women trying their luck. The jetty is a good place to get a look at all the ships in the Straits and to spot paddle borders heading out to sea!!
The Straits.Paddle border heading out to sea.
#4: Marina East is an area of parkland with a cycle/running path to the Marine Barrage. The Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay, both have charges for commercial images, so I was very excited to find a lotus pond at Marina East...my dark botanical photography can continue!! 🍃🌿
#5: Shophouses. There are pockets of shophouses in many areas of Singapore, the two areas I return to most frequently for Shophouse photographs are Geylang and Little India. This one is is Geylang.
#6: Dakota Crescent housing estate. Now empty and falling into dereliction, this site is regularly used by photographers and is an interesting part of Singaporean social history.
Dakota Crescent.Iron balcony gates.
Thanks for reading and leave a message if you know of a good place to take, 'free' photographs in Singapore.
Ruth 😊
]]>
Practical Photography Courses:
1. Off-Auto 1-2-1 Session 2 hours.
Two hours is all it takes to get you on the road to being more confident with your camera's settings! Bring a fully charged camera and an umbrella, just in case !! Includes individual guidance on how to use the ‘manual’ settings in different lighting situations. Choice of a. Built Environment or b. Natural Environment.
If you are unable to attend a practical course but would like some supportive, useful & detailed critique & written feedback on your photography; My feedback packages might be just what you need!
2. Off-Auto 1-2-1 Session 3 hours.
Course will be outside with a coffee break included! Venue to be discussed before booking.
This sessions gives you a little longer to practice with camera settings.
Choice of a. Built Environment or b. Natural Environment or a mix.
We will use a variety of M-settings & lighting situations to produce a set of images that will increase the range of your technical skills. Some of the time could be used to review (in camera) the shots and talk about how post production software could enhance them (optional).
3. One Day Practical Photography Course.
Outside, all day, approx 8 hour 1-2-1 session.
For photographers who really want to get to grips with learning how to use their camera's settings in different conditions.
This session would be perfect for anyone who is new to photography, just moved form compact to SLR or who simply wants to learn how to improve their technical skills as well as learn a little bit more about composition and how to control light.
Venue to be discussed before the session is booked. Depending on the weather, some of the course maybe inside, but even if it's raining...or snowing, it's a good opportunity to try our different settings and techniques and learn how to keep your camera safe and dry!
Lunch, snacks & drinks are included in the course price.
Example of a 1-2-1 course participant's work: Portfolio J.Lipinska
4. Group session Outside, 3 hour session.
For your friends/family with cameras! (The course price is for up to 4 people).
Learn more about how to use your camera settings and have fun at the same time!
Venue to be discussed, I can come to you if you would like the session to be a gift/workshop for a group of friends or family.
Important. Before you pay for a session please note that 50% of the session fee is a non refundable deposit. The camera equipment that you bring to the course is your responsibility at all times so please check that any your insurance is up to date.
Contact me first to book a session, before paying. Once we have confirmed a time & location and I have received payment, the session is then booked.
If you require more information about my talks and courses or want to discuss a bespoke session, please contact me.
I hope the courses are as fun to attend as they are to run! Iprovide engaging, interesting and motivating sessions, with lots of ideas and skills to take away so that you can to try out your own projects and develop your own photography!
All outside sessions will take place in and around the Reading area and are weather dependent (or, contact me about a location that you would like to use). The subject of the session may need to be adapted if we have to be in-doors for part or all of the session. Before booking we can discuss the locations, payment required in advance for all sessions.
Thanks for taking the time to read through my courses. I look forward to hearing from you!
Ruth is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society has a Diploma in Professional Photography and is a multiple award winning member of the Guild of Photographers.
RPS_ARPS_CMYK