Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Snappery at the Selkirk Arms

by admin - 17:26 on 28 January 2012

PhotoActive Philip's snappery weekends are hard work – there's just so much to eat.

After a mammoth dinner and get-to-know-everyone session last night following my and Matchgirl's arrival at the Selkirk Arms Hotel in Kirkcudbright (with bonus Burns Night serenade from the revellers below after we retired to bed), breakfast was a restrained affair (for us) of fruit and yoghurt. After all, the group had mid-morning tea and biscuits to come, then lunch, then mid-afternoon tea and biscuits. Another three-course feast takes place tonight; it's amazing that there's time for snappery.

I've attended Philip's course before, so for me this is a refresher. The other group members range from compact camera-carriers with little training to DSLR-owners who know a bit but have yet to be initiated into the mysteries of manual settings, white balance and advanced composition.

Remarkably, many of the guys have Photoshop skills and intimate knowledge of the Nikon range. Boys like their toys.

In the morning, Philip critiqued the snaps we'd brought along and gave tips on composition and camera-handling. In the afternoon, we put his lessons to use around the harbour. A couple of abstract snaps survived my self-imposed quality control; they may appear later on Flikr.

Meanwhile, Matchgirl amused herself by finding retail bargains before taking a healthy yomp through nearby hill country to celebrate her blessed relief from hip pain following a recent appointment with Claudio the chiropractor. Less than three months until Marathon Day.

There's more snappery tomorrow morning, after which we head north in Agent Cooper, back to a cat being spoiled in our absence by Uncle James. She knows how to get her own way.

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