Oops! Exposure Fail!

Today, I would like to show you what happens when a fancy camera is put into the hands of someone who doesn't really have the faintest idea how to use it. Thus far, the photos I have taken with my new camera, by pure luck it would seem, have been fine. Nothing amazing, but in focus and with a fairly accurate representation of the true brightness of the day. Not so today. I started off okay, which was a fluke. The cycle track across the road from Bull Beck (where we had breakfast rolls and Freya was admired by the bikers) did look exactly like the picture below shows. 

And indeed, these bluebells and the foliage around them were every bit as bright as in this photo. No lies so far. Great. 

But, oh bloody hell, what did I do?!? Every one of the remaining photos looked like this next one, as though I'd caught the afterglow of a nuclear explosion. Merrily I clicked away, chatting to Matthew, enjoying the warmth of the perfect spring morning, greeting other walkers with a smile and a 'mornin''. All the while, I was blissfully unaware that I was filling up my little memory card with massively overexposed pictures that should never be shown to another living soul. Of course, that means I have to show some of them to you, because life is all about lessons. 

I'm not going to show you anymore overexposures. I darkened the rest of them, sharpish, but they're still dreadful. Apparently, when you don't have fancy photo editing programs on your computer, darkening photos results in terrible oversaturation in the darker areas. These photos are making the iPhone look quite good!

The sky was blue, not this next pasty grey. I have no idea how this travesty happened. But what I do know is that I need to do some research on how to use my camera properly. It turns out, you can't just turn it on and start clicking. Who knew!

Fortunately, when I bought the camera, I also bought this! This week, I will be learning about aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Don't get your hopes up that I'll be producing masterpieces though – I know my limits!

Here, I got one that was almost right, although still without the blue sky. Ahhh, such a shame. I was clicking away on this walk, delighted with how easy it was to take beautiful pictures of a beautiful place, all the while producing crap. How funny!

In any case, whether you've overexposed your photos or not, this really is rather a special place, and one of the nicest walks around these parts. Four miles, stunning scenery, and a bacon, sausage and egg butty with a perfect cuppa at the end (or the start, up to you, there are two butty bars and both are brilliant) – can't say fairer than that, m'lud. But next time, I think we shall bring a little picnic and come prepared to paddle. It's warm enough, you southern softies, don't be dramatic!

Until next time, when who knows where we may find ourselves. Actually, I know because I have two walks that have been waiting for a fortnight each to be written up, and one of them was here again! So, until next time, when we will find ourselves in a place we've been before but which is still worth seeing a bit more. 

Linda + Matthew + Freya