V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

Edit by: Vicki
Jan 15, 2013

Olympus EP-2 … Capturing the Beauty

Over the holidays I received many questions regarding my camera… which one I use, whether I like it, the ease of function… and would I recommend it… The answer is yes…

I am not a professional and everything I know has either been self taught or what I have managed to take in working with the super talented Carla Coulson. I have come to love taking pictures… having my camera at the ready is routine… I never, ever not have it with me…  I just can’t go out without my camera…  I couldn’t imagine a day where I didn’t click something… whether it be on my iPhone or my bigger camera. Framing up my surroundings is something I intrinsically do… I can’t help it… it’s second nature… I look at the world and want to seize the moment. Whether I am in London, in France… whether I am at home or out and about… I look at the world through my lens… and I try and think about what you would like… Will that scene interest you? Are the colours harmonious? Are the proportions interesting? Does that shot tell a story? Can that image make you feel as if you are with me?

So a photographer I am not… but a lover of beauty and life I am. I know that a professional must be more competent with manual settings and with the after touch up… I have the luxury of inexperience and a little expertise… I just point and click and hope that my eye doesn’t let me down… More often than not I am on manual settings… but sometimes automatic is the only way to go… I have no shame in that… I am just not quite quick enough to figure it all out… and an automatic shot is better than no shot… For me, in any case… Some of my favourite moments of last year… especially in Paris…were caught because I was quick, not technically brilliant…  I only focus on my target.. that is my end sum game… and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. Having said that it would be untrue if I didn’t tell you how much I have learned from Carla… how knowing where to stand can change your images exponentially. If there is one true tip I have learned from her it is the importance of light… Light changes everything and must be your first consideration when taking a photograph.

What camera? I am using an Olympus EP-2… and I adore it. It is bigger than a regular ‘point and click’ but smaller than an SLR. It is easy to operate and has a video function which is great fun. When I say easy… I mean it requires reading and studying the blurb if you want to get the most out of it… My way to learn about the camera was to watch the relevant tutorials on YouTube… so much clearer than wading through the manual where all the symbols are like a foreign language to me… The most important way to learn about a camera is to practise… and that is the plus side of our digital age… we can click and click and click… Having a camera means you are never at a loss for something to do… there is always a scene to set up, a location to find or people to capture.

The best thing about the EP2 is that it’s not too heavy and it has a separate viewfinder ( a must) … so it’s pretty easy to pack up and cart around. I know I should want to learn more, advance to a more ‘professional’ camera… and maybe I will… but for right now… it’s working for me. I might treat myself to a new lens this month… but I won’t be changing cameras… I hope that this answers all your queries…

Please remember, I am no photographer… just a woman preserving her view of the world… xv

MY CAMERA GEAR

The Olympus EP-2… here

The Olympus 40-150m Zoom Lens (I use this one most of the time)… here

VF- 2 Electronic Viewfinder … here

Extra Battery Pack ( I am never without this) … here

Camera Bag (not sexy but as light as they come) … here

Edit by: Vicki
In This Post: Lifestyle