On 13th April 2011 we took an early morning trip to Whitstable to try and get some nice scenic photos. We got up very bright and early and set off to catch the sun-rise. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast which produced some very lacklustre images.

The good thing about overcast weather however, is that it is ideal for portraits. It softens the skin and generally gets rid of harsh shadows that you get from direct sunlight. You also get softer, subdued tones making it well suited for shots of people.

The shots of the brightly coloured beach-huts lacked the impact that would have been produced from bright sun-light. With this in mind I did a sepia on them to give a more dated look and negating the need for the colour. I will have to plan another day there when the weather is clear and maybe try to get a decent sunset instead of having another wasted journey by going up there first thing in the morning.

 Yesterday, I took a few shots of Ramsgate.  The idea was to try to do some HDR photos but in the end, I think that night shots work best without HDR.  Strange how, when you pull out a camera, you automatically draw attention to yourself.  Everyone seems to pay attention to you.  I've noticed this a few times now, especially at family functions where I get asked, "Are you the official photographer?"  But it is fun to take some shots that are worth sharing.  On the right, are two new pages that I've added to my Blog.  One is promoting my photography, the other is my wish-list of items I'd like to get to advance my photography further.  The thing I really like about digital photography is that it is effectively a free hobby now that I have my camera.  Added bells and whistles would allow me to do more, but I'm getting pretty good results with just the basic set-up.  I'm starting to get a bit of interest in my photos so it may be that I could do with producing some business/contact cards for people.