A Look into my Photography

I started photography just 6 months ago when invested in a Nikon d3400. One of the cheaper DSLR cameras on the market. Since then, I have been taking my camera out whenever I can. My photography is going to be a major part of my blog, as it stands, I am going to format each post being a different day out with my camera. Fortunately, I have six months of days out use in the rears and many more that I’ll do during the winter. I have chosen my trip to Bristol zoo to be my first day trip to blog about.

One of the first proper days out I took my camera too was to Bristol zoo.

This was my first visit to Bristol zoo since I was a child, I probably last went on my birthday.

This photo is of my girlfriend and probably the best portrait photo I’ve taken as of yet. My girlfriend is also my only model, so you may see her appearing a lot in my photos.

One of the best parts of Bristol zoo is the tropical bird bit where you can feed a rainbow lorikeet for a couple of pounds. Which allowed me to get these amazing photos of them up close.

I must admit, these two photos I used on the automatic setting on the camera, as I didn’t want to mess up this had the photos had to be taken quickly and I didn’t have time to set it up in manual.

The butterfly zone is excellent as well. Although it is very hot and humid within so beware!

My girlfriend hates butterflies for some reason and is absolutely terrified of them. So she ran through it screaming, ducking and diving like she was in the middle of a war zone, while I lingered longer, trying to take photos of these admittedly ugly insects when you look at their bodies up close. These photos were particularly frustrating to take as it was so humid the camera constantly steamed up.

This one is probably one of my favourite photos I’ve taken to date. I’m not quite too sure why, the original photo is rubbish and a lot of the detail is washed out. For these photos I first started to use lightroom and was discovering the magic it can do to your photos. It seemed to make my rubbish photos, a little less rubbish. Now, some of my photos I have edited, especially my early ones, I over did it. I got to excited at all the cool things I could do, and I forgot to stop and think, if I should do it. This one of the few that I think works though. I love the detail in the plant and change of colour from it’s red to its transition to white. The darkened background only makes the plant stand out more with a greater contrast than before. However, tell me what you think, am I being blinded by my own photography?

Now who doesn’t love sun flowers? Sadly, when I visited Bristol Zoo these flowers were on their way out, but the day was perfect, if I remember correctly it was well over 20°C, so a perfect day. And at the centre of this photo is the least dead one.

This cute little animal here is a pigmy hippo. Unfortunately, they are still quite large. I dream of scientists genetically engineering pocket-sized versions. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I’m thinking like a miniature pig, and if you don’t know what that is, Google it. You’re welcome.

Here is one of the many penguins you can see at the Bristol zoo. This photo I decided would be best seen in black and white. Why did I choose black and white for this one? Simple, penguins are already black and white. Genius, I know. Penguins also were my favourite animal when I was child. If you haven’t seen Sir David Attenborough’s Dynasty series then you should. Particularly, episode two which follows a colony of emperor penguins in Antarctica.

The perfect days means angry wasps and buzzing bees. This little guy was collecting pollen on this flower until I stuck my camera in his face.

Now I don’t have the best lens for macro shots it’ll be now where near as good as some of the incredible ones you see.

All my photos are taken with my Nikon D3400 and the lens I use is the 15-55mm VR lens It’s the one that comes with the camera.

So, to finish off, I have a question for you readers.

What are your tips and tricks you’d recommend that improved your photography?

Thank you for spending the time to read my blog.All constructive criticism welcome on my photos and on my writing.
For more photos by view my Instagram here: Ffotographydd_Amatur

Cardiff City Football Club, our season so far and Predictions for the End of the Season

 I have been a season ticket holder at Cardiff City for about eight years. Although unfortunately, due to work in the last few years, I have not gone to as many games as I would have liked, but I attend as much as I can and as I’ve changed jobs recently,I am now able to attend every game again.

I have been following Cardiff through thick and thin, which is more that can be said than most Cardiff fans. While in the championship last year Cardiff were getting a meagre 15,000 fans to their games and the official numbers are often over inflated as they count tickets sold, not actual turnout. This year we average 30,000.  I am not going to moan about ‘plastic’ fans as the atmosphere at the games are incredible at the moment and long may it continue.

Predictions for the Season

As it stands, Cardiff City sit in a comfortable 14th position, on 14 points, after 16 games, with fantastic home form being the source of their points. Cardiff are yet to win an away game. Pundits constantly say about making your home games a ‘fortress’ if you want to survive the premier league. Cardiff’s away form will certainly have to improve if they are to survive.

So, will Cardiff stay in the premier league?

Yes. WellI hope so. Under the guidance of football leagues legendary manager Neil Warnock, Cardiff have every chance to stay up. Yes, Cardiff did not spend much in the summer transfer window, but I think this comes from Vincent Tan’s experience. If Cardiff go down, they will be set to go straight back up, with a stable wage structure, and no big wages to offload. Fulham however, spent over 100 million pounds this season on players, and will be certainly paying their players high wages to attract them to the club. Now I am not an expert on the financial fair play rules, but as seen in the past with clubs like Queens Park Rangers they may struggle to offload some of their players.

Neil Warnock. I would say is best championship manager of all time or at least the most successful. He will inevitably be under pressure if Cardiff drop into the relegation zone. But I wouldn’t sack him. Even if Cardiff city fail to win another game this season, there is no better man to get you back into the premiership than Warnock. Warnock took Cardiff to the premiership against all the odds. Predictions at the start of last season were grim. Many predicting Cardiff to be in a relegation fight in the championship. Yet here they are once again defying the odds in the premiership. Chris Sutton, controversially claimed at the start of the season, Cardiff would rival Derby’s pitiful hall of 8 points in the entire season. Cardiff have already shown they are better than that. They do not play fashionable, free flowing football like your Manchester City or your Chelsea’s but it’s unrealistic to expect them too. If Cardiff were to attempt such a feat, they would be doomed to lose every game in spectacular style. But they don’t, they work hard, play as a team and play with efficiency.

Stand out performers so far

Although a lot can be said for Cardiff’s  team performances some names definitely deserve a lot ofcredit.

Harry Arter
One of the best performers this season for Cardiff. On loan from Bournemouth. His work rate is super human. He will chase down and Harry his opponents all day long. But he also has quality on the ball and brings to the team vital premier league experience. I hope the club sign him on a permanent deal, but this will depend on whether Cardiff can stay in the premier league to persuade him to stay.

Víctor Camarasa
Another player on loan at Cardiff from Real Betis, and he, as well, is making abig impact at the Welsh capital. Excellent on the ball and good vision. He pulls the team forward with driving runs and cutting passes. He should be a key transfer target make him permanent along with Arter.

Josh Murphy
Speed and dribbling ability has left defenders in his wake, but he has also shown he can play the final ball and can chip in with a few goals himself when needed. One of the most exciting Cardiff players to watch. He looks like he’s danger every time he has the ball at his feet.

Callum Patterson
Signed as a right back, played in midfield last season, and now striker this season. He must one of the most versatile players In the premier league at the moment. What’s most impressive though is that he’s been excellent wherever he has played. The man never stops running and working for the team. When you watch him you wouldn’t think he is being played out of position. You could argue he is performing better than a lot to established forwards in the league.

January transfers window

The transfer window is nearly upon us, and Cardiff have already been linked to two players. Crystal palace midfielder Jordan Mutch, of course a former bluebirds player during their last premier league stint and striker Emiliano Sala who plays for French team, Nantes, rumoured to be valued at £25 million. A hefty fee and double what Cardiff have ever paid for a player before, but when you look at the money being spent nowadays in the league it is nothing special. It shows intent that Tan believes Cardiff are in with a shout of staying up. If Cardiff sat bottom of the league already looking down and out, I think the club would cut their losses, and enjoy the money and rebuild for re-promotion next season.

To conclude Cardiff must make a few additions to their squad if they are to stay in the premier league. A striker should be top of their list, but strikers don’t come cheap. Spending should be kept in touch, as not to repeat Cardiff’s mistake in the 2013-14 premier league campaign.

Russel Slade became the man to take the hit as he managed them through wage cuts, and the offloading of their best players. The football played under his stint was often poor, relying on set pieces for goals and his only game plan to knock it long. However, I do believe Slade with the money available to him, he managed Cardiff exceptionally. Only just missing out on the play offs during his first full season, despite as I said playing poor football. It is the tight wage control during his reign which stabilised the club.

My Goals and Ambitions For this Blog

My goal starting this blog, is to simply improve my writing. Not that I have ambitions become the next J.K Rowling but for personal growth. As I am currently having to relearn skills which I had lost since leaving school now that I am doing evening courses on history. I hope to write interesting articles on the things that I enjoy and hopefully you will like reading them as much as I enjoy writing about it. Who is going to be my audience? Most likely my audience is going to dad. So, hello dad, I hope you’re enjoying my blog!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This will hopefully be the first of many posts on my new blog. I do not have a plan for my blog yet, it will likely evolve on the go. However, my hobbies include Photography, cycling (when I am not being lazy) and I have an interest in history. Which I have been studying at evening courses since September and will be studying more later this year. I’m also a Cardiff city fan and season ticket holder, so this blog will likely be focused around these topics

At the start, this blog will probably following my targets and goals which I have set for myself. So if anyone fancies reading a tubby, twenty year old, Welshman’s escapades through life, the this is definitely going to be your niche.

Thank you for spending the time to read my blog, when there are millions of others just like mine.