I am not to sure about the protocols of 'working' whilst on a study break although was reassured by my Tutor's suggestion that I spend time on the reading/academic side whilst waiting for the medics to sort out the problem of the tremor. As I am not too good at just 'twiddling my thumbs' I have decided to do what work I feel I am capable of (that sounds far more dramatic than I intended - it is only taking photographs that present one or two problems) so am in the process of responding to the comments made on Assignment 2. I can then research the issues surrounding 'abstract' photography which is the subject of Assignment 3.
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Monday, 16 June 2014
Study Break
It has become necessary to take a study break as the medics sort out how to resolve the various issues surrounding my condition. It is rather an odd feeling as I am fully capable of doing the non-photographic work such as responding to my Tutor's comments on my assignment but find it difficult to get out there and take photographs.
Although the outcome is uncertain it is more than probable that I will have to develop a camera technique that allows for the increasingly severe hand tremors. One obvious answer is increased use of the tripod and this makes sense anyway as my next element of the Course is about landscape and seascapes in East Anglia. Fortunately landscapes do not change that much in the brief period of time to set up the camera. I have invested in a ball head for the tripod which speeds up the process considerably. Previously I had used a head that used three handles to set the camera in position and no matter how competent I became there was always a longer time lapse than was desirable except in best conditions. One other alternative is to use the higher ISO's available and set the aperture value so that a high shutter speed is achieved. On a recent outing this worked well.
The other thing is that anxiety/pressure increases the tremor. This is evidenced by the difference in taking photographs I enjoy taking as opposed to taking photographs I am obliged to take such as for the Course. I recently spent a couple of days at Flatford, Constable country, just wandering around shooting what I wanted without any thoughts of how the images would fit into a required output. I used the high ISO technique and the results were good. I did some tripod work and the benefits were obvious in capturing the evening light across the countryside and river. However use of a tripod is much more problematical if not impossible in street photography when photographing people. No doubt over time I will find what does and does not work.
Although the outcome is uncertain it is more than probable that I will have to develop a camera technique that allows for the increasingly severe hand tremors. One obvious answer is increased use of the tripod and this makes sense anyway as my next element of the Course is about landscape and seascapes in East Anglia. Fortunately landscapes do not change that much in the brief period of time to set up the camera. I have invested in a ball head for the tripod which speeds up the process considerably. Previously I had used a head that used three handles to set the camera in position and no matter how competent I became there was always a longer time lapse than was desirable except in best conditions. One other alternative is to use the higher ISO's available and set the aperture value so that a high shutter speed is achieved. On a recent outing this worked well.
The other thing is that anxiety/pressure increases the tremor. This is evidenced by the difference in taking photographs I enjoy taking as opposed to taking photographs I am obliged to take such as for the Course. I recently spent a couple of days at Flatford, Constable country, just wandering around shooting what I wanted without any thoughts of how the images would fit into a required output. I used the high ISO technique and the results were good. I did some tripod work and the benefits were obvious in capturing the evening light across the countryside and river. However use of a tripod is much more problematical if not impossible in street photography when photographing people. No doubt over time I will find what does and does not work.
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