Ho-hum!

It feels like ages since I was able to post anything on this blog. I have been working on Unit 3 of the NYIP Professional course... and it has been killing me! Total lack of inspiration has led to a real sense of doom about this project. Luckily I have a very supportive family who have been able to make some great suggestions for the photo assignment. So this week I have been getting the necessary props ready for the completion of my assignment by next week - Hoorah! It looks like I am not the only one who struggles with this assignment, the NYIP forum is full of students who are at a loss, not from confusion or an inability to understand, but because the remit of the assignment is so broad. Anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel and then I will move on to Unit 4 which I am really looking forward to!

The sense of frustration with this Unit has also deterred me from other photography jaunts. I would either go birding and feel guilty that I was not spending my time finalising my submission, or I would go birding and spend my energy looking for ideas for the submission rather than focusing on the birdlife. So this week I took a bold step... all thoughts of the dreaded Unit 3 were banished and I picked up my entension tubes and macro lens and started an education with insect photography! What a pleasant experience!! The technical difficulties of hunting insects and dealing with a very limited depth of field is both frustrating and hugely challenging, but so far I am really enjoying the steep learning curve.

The examples below are from my first and second shoot - both about 1/2 hour long in my back garden. It is a really nice way to unwind after a night at work before going to bed.

This first shot is a picture wing fly and is about 3mm in length:

The next 2 shots were about 6mm long:

Obviously there are a lot of improvements to be made, but I am quite happy with this quality as a starting point.

I will keep birding and 'insecting' for fun and hopefully (no, definitely), I will finish Unit 3 this week. That will give me plenty of time to practice before the butterfly exhibit comes to the Desert Botanical Garden - I am hoping to get some really nice macro shots there.