Holding my breath.

I've come to the conclusion the best way for me to learn how to use my camera more effectively, is to press buttons randomly until I achieve a picture I'm happy with - there's no point sitting me down with a booklet, I simply don't seem able to process information that way ... maybe it's my age (or dare I say it, a girl thing?!) Tina has given me some great pointers along the way, but even those snippets of valuable professional advice somehow manage to slip my grasp when she's not by my side to keep me focused!

Not sure if my ambient light is too yellow or not ... looks warm and cosy though!

This morning after breakfast, I decided to indulge myself in a quiet ten minutes while the house was quiet, to play with my favourite toy. This time of year is great for indoor photography and I thought my frosty Christmas tree baubles might make a good subject ... well, a girl needs pretty things to focus on eh?

I'm quite pleased with this one - nice blurry background, baubles in focus!

Definitely should have used a tripod ...

This one's in better focus ... I love the bubble shaped reflection!

Anyway, this is what I've put together thus far - I don't doubt there are a zillion more things I need to learn to improve my photography, but so far so good - at least I've progressed from the series of blackout pictures I began with! One thing I did learn, I can't hold my breath long enough to keep the camera steady on a slow shutter speed, so whether I like it or not, I'll have to drag down the loft ladder and hunt out my little tripod before I play again!

I found a monochrome setting on my camera, so naturally, I had to press the button! Haven't a clue what this should look like in technical terms - although I do think the fir tree should probably be in focus in front of the bauble - that said, I like the fact the camera caught the delicate frosting on my glass bauble so well! Isn't black and white photography romantic!