What has the internet done for you lately?

Sun in a jar? This is Scotland - We have it in the street lights pal!!

BEST LARGE

About a year and a half ago I had a little point & click camera - I was over the moon to get a picture that was not blurry.

I was introduced to the wonderful community here at blipfoto and I discovered a thriving community of people from all walks of life, from professional photographers right down to people like myself - Amatuers with a "can do" attitude. Which inspired me to see if I could get pictures like I saw here on a daily basis.

I started blip with a fuzzy cat picture, in the beginning I used a lot of Photoshop to sharpen/enhance images and again found helpful guides on the internet for editing the shots and adding effects, in fact I relied on Photoshop too heavily sometimes.

Over time I started researching how to get better shots and how to use a camera properly to reduce my reliance on digital manipulation, I learned to allow my creative side take control. Eventually I found myself on one of those online shop places and got a cracking deal on my current camera, since I done this I have scoured various websites looking for tips & tricks and steadily my photographic abilities have grown and blossomed. (As well as seeming to increase my camera's accessories whenever I see that "Must have" deal)

Without the internet the image I have blipped for today would never have happened...

Originally I saw a picture about a year ago of a simple lightbulb with the sun behind it. I just thought to myself "I'll never get a shot like that - WIll try for something close one day, never be as good though"

Cut to today and I was perched rather awkwardly on a fence contorted into a funny angle to line the sun up perfectly in the light casing, manually focussing the camera to make sure the faint spiders webs at the sides of the casing were visible, also had the camera set to manual operation and decreased the exposure on the camera to cut down the glare. (Which I would not have a clue about had it not been for guides and tips from here and the internet in general)

In Photoshop I slightly adjusted the levels to reduce a little more of the glare and enhance the blacks of the frame, and I painted out a seagull that had crept into the shot.

If it had not been for the internet and blipfoto I would never have discovered this "hobby" - And I most definitely would not be sat here right now smiling from ear to ear with happiness about capturing an image like this. (Which in my own humble opinion beats the original photo that inspired me)