Wednesday, 26 January 2022

Wednesday

 Good morning.  It's stupid o'clock but I'm wide awake and ready for an early start.  It's just the same as yesterday outside - chilly but not freezing (at the moment, anyway).

I  started my attempts at wildly riotous living with a trip to B&Q and The-Shop-That-Is-No-Longer-Wyvale.  How about that for living it up, eh?  I went to treat myself to some poor, unfortunate house plants (I don't have a good track record with house plants), some big ones that cost a bit more and at which I have always shaken my head and walked away.  To go with them, I also bought some pots to put the plant pots into.

I took a few photos using the Exposure Compensation thingy.  I like these - the one in the middle is the default and the one just to the right is, I think, about right for that situation.  It ranges from -2 through to +2 in increments of a third; I just did the whole numbers - -2, -1, 0, +1 and +2 but I'm going to do something similar but using all the increments and, probably, the tripod.
It's not strictly speaking ISO though.  I need to consult the online manual.  (I wish I could find my hard copy - it would be much more convenient.)  However, even if it isn't strictly speaking part of the chapter, I am learning a bit more about what my camera will do and that's what this whole thing is all about, isn't it?


I had my online meeting with the solicitor, James.  One is always terribly aware of how the clock is ticking where solicitors are concerned and, no doubt, the resulting bill will make my eyes water but it needed to be done and I'm glad.

I also did a bit of washing but there's more to do today - in fact I must put some in as soon as I have finished my social mediating.  And I didn't do any gardening - it was bleak and chilly and, come the afternoon, a little bit damp as well.  No rain, just a damp atmosphere.

Today feels emptier than it really is because normally the day is cut in half by my personal training session and for the next three weeks Lindsey has changed the time to later on in the afternoon because she is delivering some school based training in the morning.  It feels nice and I hope to get plenty of homey stuff done, the sort of stuff that never really goes away and renews itself regularly!

What are your plans for today?  Have a good one and stay safe and well.  xx



20 comments:

  1. Well my plans for today involve waiting for two very important deliveries!

    Well done with the photos and yes, it is important to learn how to use the camera properly. Did you find ISO quite easy to understand? I don't recall how easy it is to change the ISO settings on your camera but you definitely have the exposure compensation sorted out!

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    1. Indeed they do - I saw on your blog. Most exciting!
      Shutter was easier. :-)
      I'll go through it all again and I'm sure it will click into place.
      xx

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  2. I too came home with a plant and pot from the same garden centre. It's looking good in my lounge. As usual Poppy had to give it a good sniff, it meets her approval. This afternoon I am going to my seated Zumba class, It's amazimg what you can do sitting down especially to loud beaty music. Afterwards we have coffee and a chat with lots of laughs.Have a good day Val

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    1. That sounds lovely, Val. Have a great time. xx

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  3. The photo second from the right is the one my phone would say is correct. New phone cameras are pretty good with their editing capabilities and if I think a photo is too dark I just click on 'suggestions' or 'enhance' and that would be what I would be given nine times out of ten.

    We've been helping Mum sort out all her paperwork this last couple of weeks, she found old policies etc that she was convinced had never been paid out, they had AND the company found that she had one more policy on her life that she had not got any paperwork for. She seems to destroy what she needs and keep what she doesn't, it's been difficult. She now has two policies 'to pay for her funeral' and a fully paid up Pure Cremation account!! At least we had a laugh when I enquired 'just how many times do you want to be buried?'. We have now settled on using the excess money for the airfare and accommodation when we and my brother go to scatter her ashes along with Dad's.

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    1. My phone is very basic and doesn't do that (I don't think).

      I sympathise with your Mum. It's not easy to tell sometimes. However, I am pretty sure I only have one funeral plan, not intending to go through the experience more than once. LOL
      It sounds like you have got it sorted anyway.
      xx

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  4. Exposure compensation is very handy, as long as you don't forget to reset it to zero when done :) The camera doesn't always get the metering right because by default it tries to average it across the scene. So if your subject is much lighter or darker than the background it's going to get it wrong.

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    1. Thanks for that. It cancels when you turn off the camera anyway but I can see there would be times when I'd need to reset it.
      xx

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  5. is it longacres ?? deb in essex

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    1. That's the one. I can never remember the name, it has been Wyvale for so long. :-)
      xx

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  6. Well done on the camera stuff. I take lots of pics on my phone but have it on auto all the time....occasionally it comes up with suggestions for changing the lighting (exposure?) on a certain pic. Sometimes I'll go along with the suggestion, or just leave it if it looks alright to me! Our Wyevale was taken over by some firm called Diamond, I think - who they are I have no idea. xx

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    1. I'm sure most of the time the camera will be on auto although I have started changing things a bit for my food photography. However, It's good to know the how and the why and I may as well scratch below the surface of my very middle of the road camera.
      As far as my phone is concerned, I haven't a clue.
      xx

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  7. I wouldn't begin to know how to use the settings on my camera but you've sparked an interest in me now. I'm tucking a bit of money away in an account for my non funeral... It will still cost money to get rid of me..:-) It'll be given to Alexander at some point so he doesn't need worry about the cost when my time comes.

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    1. This might sound daft but make sure he has it in plenty of time - I believe it is seven years before you die - or it counts for something or other and is taxable.
      If you don't, it forms part of your estate and can't be released before probate - which can take months.
      Or something like that anyway!
      xx

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    2. Thanks Joy, that's useful to know. I'll get him to set himself an account in a building society or bank and just put the money in there. He won't need to even think about it until the time comes.

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    3. That would work well. xx

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  8. I think I like the darker pictures better. Mind you I know very little about cameras other than to point and shoot.

    God bless.

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    1. That's a different thing! At the moment, it's not about art as such, it's technical and how to get different effects, you see. The middle one is pretty much how it was (clever camera and the others show some of the different settings.
      xx
      xx

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  9. Nice photos! I love exposure compensation and as you say, learning about your camera is the trick. I use exposure compensation especially in winter snow as the camera wants to make everything grey and I want the snow whiter lol.

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    1. It seems to have a lot of uses - that's a good one. My snow (on the rare occasions we have it) always turns out blue!
      xx

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