In March and May I actually got out of the house to do some photography on my good camera. They're all going in my gallery category called "Open Air". I just didn't realise how many of the damn photos there were, it's taking forever for me to go through them and eliminate ones that are too boring or repetitive to upload...

The first ones I took are pretty much just me snapping at clouds and landscapes and so on. But after a while I got bored with that and started playing with the aperture and shutter speed settings. I think clouds are cool, but DARK clouds are AWESOME! So I tried to set up my camera to make things look darker.

I got some cool results, though I must say, DSLRs are a tad more complicated to operate than my Dad's old film SLR. I love having all the knobs right there where I can touch them without having to check back on a screen or hold down buttons while I mess with things. I love that the old SLR doesn't need batteries. My boss gave me an old film to play with, so I've been experimenting again, though it's a cheap stuff so I dunno if it will print very well. I suppose the main advantage of DSLRs is the instant preview of the photo you've just taken, and the ease of sharing them. If any of my film photos come out well, I'll have to scan them. Bah! Though of course, the advantages of digital can also be a disadvantage - higher capacities are the reason I've taken so many photos that I'm now struggling to sort through!

Anyway, I just wanted to vent some of my photographic frustrations. I wish I had more time for art, but music has just taken over my life! Waah!

I just got back from the Sydney deviantART meetup! I had fun! Which is a big thing for me!

We met up on the steps of the Opera House. Wow, I haven't been there for ages. Then we popped over to the botanical gardens.

Got to see some of the new features coming to dA. Looks fantastic!

The best thing I think will be the Portfolios. It looks professional, and will be great for people wanting to take their practice to art schools or potential employers. It's awesome! Because I've always thought of dA as just a fun thing, but it actually has professional relevance!

The Groups features also looks interesting. I'm not really into the social aspects of dA, it all seems a bit complicated and I can't be bothered. But Groups sound great for people who are into that stuff, and I was impressed by the work that's gone into it. I think I'll definitely take a closer look, and who knows, maybe I'll start participating.

Then there are changes coming to how friends are managed, as well as messages. It's all very exciting. I've been neglecting my dA for a while because of music school and YouTube, but now I'm totally inspired to get back into art.

It was also fun to meet some interesting people today. I'm not a social person, but it was all quite cool. I'd taken my camera along, and drawing book, because I assumed I would have been bored by everyone. But I didn't even touch them! Too busy chatting. How cool. Lol.

Well that's my rant. World Tour was definitely worth going to.

Video blog about the event:
[link]

I've survived my first week of music school! Lol, pretty easy, since I'm just doing the diploma. They start right at the beginning of music theory, so I'm just cruising at the moment. I'm playing 5-string electric violin as my instrument, and my major is composition and music production. Should be interesting.

I also just extended my dA subscription lol, despite the fact that I have less time for art now. Meh, I just don't wanna go back to seeing all those ads everywhere. And possibly, the fact that I've paid money might motivate me to do more little things here in my spare time. Eh, who knows! I really should use my good camera more though.

I got offered a place in the Diploma of Music, majoring in composition and music production. I think I'll accept, the only other option I have right now is to go back to the University of Sydney and die of boredom (perhaps literally) in a philosophy class or something where I already have my own ideas and won't ever accept theirs...

If I get to study an instrument, I think I might do vocals... partly because singing is the one thing that comes from me and not my connection to an external object, partly because I won't have to lug a lot of equipment to and from music school. Heh. But I have a poll in my journal section if people want to vote on it. I already play some of the instruments I listed, others I want to learn someday because they sound interesting.

I'm not neglecting visual arts though. Not now that I have a fantastic camera! I just figure I don't need art school to teach me their way of being creative. I'd rather do my art my way in my own time.

I got a new camera! Woo!