My interest in photography grew after seeing the mesmerising images taken by the Hubble Space telescope. I have done a 2-month course on the basics of photography offered by Gujarat College Of Photography (GCOP). Earlier I believed that photography is only a skill, but after doing it for more than 8 moths, I have realised that it is much more than that.  

LO-1-Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

Photography is a hobby that  requires the skill of photo-editing extensively. Tools like colour grading, adjusting levels, changing contrast and saturation really helps the photographer bring out the image that he/she imagined in mind while capturing. Because I already had experience in using Photoshop and Lightroom, I was able to shorten my course and use that time to sharpen my hands-on camera skills. 

LO-2-Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills

One of the challenges undertaken by me is not taking guidance from my mentor in GCOP after the completion of my course. I have felt that photography requires learning only to some extent, and the rest is you spending time practicing more and more. This decision of not getting further supervision is important as it makes me more self reliant and independent. The mistakes that I have made till now have definitely helped me in some or the other way, and will hopefully do in the future too. 

LO-4-Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience.

It takes time to master photography and the journey requires a lot of perseverance. For example, I had to be a lot patient while taking bird and insect shots, as it was difficult to capture them without motion. It is challenging for me to be persistent as I have to fulfil a lot of other work too; but I have tried giving at least 2-3 hours for photography per week in order to improve further. I have undertaken photography as a serious hobby and I will continue it in the future.

About Learner Profile.

Photography has also made me more reflective. I have improved my choice and thoughts about what kind of composition would suite the shot, what should be the lighting, is the exposure too high or low etc:- I also do self analysis of the photos captured, to improve my skill further. Hence, being reflective is a major quality that I got from photography.

Final Takeaway:-

Photography is one of my most favourite hobbies and I will definitely continue it to sharpen my skills and possibly take breathtaking photos!