an autumn exercise

it's so easy to buy a phone with a good camera then just point and shoot and rely on the camera to work out what it thinks is best. then afterwards do some more or less serious editing to get the best look you can out of the material you shot. no doubt you can get some great shots and i have done that a lot and been quite satisfied. but when i see what some photographers post i realize that i have a lot of room for improvement. so a while back i started using manual speed shutter and iso settings with encouraging results. still i understood that particularly when it comes to focus and bokeh i needed to work on my manual focus skills. that takes practice and this set is an exercise in getting the focus right.

in the autumn we usually get some days with cool sunny weather and during sunsets in the park there is lots to choose from as subjects. but being by the sea means it is usually windy. when shooting most plants the main issue here is the wind. this series was taken one evening in september when the wind was moderate but the lighting was so excellent that i did not want to miss the opportunity. also while i would prefer the plants to be still, i want the background seawater to be in motion for the bokeh.
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the wild rose hips were delighted that i took interest in them so they posed willingly for a few shots

it's subjects like this where manual focus is a far better choice than auto, if only i can get it right. on a good camera there is a precision dial but on the phone screen it is difficult to get the required precision, at least for me on my phone.

and these dry plants with thin branches move even in light winds so getting it perfect may not be possible this time around. i will have to wait for a sunny evening with unusually light wind. but other than the wind the scene is perfect.

this shot is taken from a higher up. the mountain ash branch is a little more stable but the wind is fresher on the hilltop.

aspen leaves are most prone to shaking because they have flat stems. while the detail of the leaves is blurred and slightly overexposed i still like the overall photo

i will be sure to get back here soon one evening when the wind is slack, hopefully the sun will be out then also but even if it isn't it should still be good.

i took all these shots with my s22 phone. most have been edited on my laptop with the basic editing program for windows photos. i do have GIMP which is more sophisicated but i haven't put in the time to learn to use it properly. i am too busy out taking photos and posting on Hive!