It is a joy to see my lessons and work paying off in small but incremental ways. I stop and think when I take a picture now and give my new Leica a chance to do what it is meant to do—got to take a couple of minutes with each photo to do that.

My homework this week is to put all my settings on autofocus except for Aperture, so I can see the difference the aperture settings can make. Secondly, I was asked to use the Tripod almost all the time for a week or so, so I can see the difference in my photos when the camera can shoot while still.

The Leica is a sensitive camera, and it reflects even the slightest movement and handshaking. As I age, my hands are not as still as the camera might like.

I can take a good photo, but not a great one. So I need to think more about tripods.

Donald pointed out that when I used a tripod, the image and depth of field in the camera are much improved, and when I do even the most modest photo editing, the software has more to work with.

In this case, it defined the clouds more than it could have done without being on a tripod. I did this in Lightroom in a few seconds. I didn’t need to paint, brush or mask anything.

The bottom line is that the new portable Tripod, which Donald suggested I get, will be with me when I travel, especially when I try to shoot beautiful hills and landscapes.

In the photo above, the Leica captures the different shadings and hues it might have missed without the Tripod. I’m learning a great deal from Donald and am immensely grateful.

I took many photos I like using the Tripod; I’ll be posting them throughout the weekend. Thanks for your kind words.