366 Project Third Month - Travel

As February came to an end, I was getting more excited to be able to go back to the Sony RX1R II to take my photos. It was also going to be the first time during my 366 project that I would go on a holiday.

Memory muscle adapts fast, but you still make mistakes

Although I never tried smearing my thumb over the RX1R II screen to set the focus point (unlike the Sony, the Panasonic GM5 has an excellent touch screen to set focus), I did pause once or twice at the beginning of month when I wanted to set Aperture and had to remember to set it on the lens.
I must confess, I also brought up the camera to my eye once or twice without popping up the viewfinder first.

Is my photography improving?

Honestly, my feeling so far is not much – at least in the sense of the pictures I'm taking now compared to before. If there’s anything, it’s an incremental improvement over the three months which I haven’t been able to notice.

Am I a better photographer for this experience?

I’d have to say yes. This may seem an odd answer compared to what I just wrote above. But, what is definite from this experience is that I’m becoming what you might say, is a more reliable photographer.

Will I get a shot I wouldn’t have gotten a year ago because of better skills? No. But, if there’s a photo to be made, am I more likely to get the image with right exposure and settings? Yes.

Despite the polarising filter, the moment I tilted camera down even slightly reflections became visible in the glass. Something I didn't notice at time of capture.

In that sense, I think I’m a better photographer for this. Learning from small, or big, mistakes means I am becoming more familiar with my camera’s technical limits, and what I can and cannot get away with.

I didn't make the same mistake a few days later through the hotel window.

Am I finding it easier to go out and find photos quickly?

No.

Is doing a 366 Project while on holiday interfere with relaxing?

If you’re the sort of person who likes to take photos anyway, not really. There was probably once or twice where I might have been just content to look at cats and dogs instead of trying to take their photo – but as I wrote in January – I’m happy with the photos I’m getting from this project that I wouldn't have captured otherwise.

You can read about my experiences from other months here.

P.S. If you want to follow along in my journey, you can see how my 366 project is progressing on Instagram: @andrew366