Dawn Cotterell

Takes advantage of the natural beauty of Dorset surrounding her…

I’ve owned a compact camera since my early teens, but it wasn’t until about two years ago that I seriously considered getting my first D-SLR. Last August I took the plunge and brought the Nikon D3300 [1] with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II kit lens [2], a perfect entrylevel D-SLR thanks to the Guide function. Due to the numerous photography magazines and books I’ve read, I feel more confident and am ready to progress up to a D610, which I am currently saving for.

I really enjoy macro photography, especially flowers. I love the simplicity and detail that can be captured to create stunning photographs. I am currently using a Nikon AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G Macro [3]. I also have a Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR [4] to capture pets and wildlife, and living close to the New Forest National Park provides me with many photographic opportunities throughout the year.

Recently I attended a Bird of Prey photography workshop with Captive Light. Having the opportunity to be up close with the birds was truly amazing. As with photographing any animal the challenge is pressing the shutter release at the right time to capture any movement or, in the case of birds, flapping of the wings. I learnt how to use my histogram to ensure my photos were exposed correctly, so that I could change my settings to achieve the best results.

This year I’m hoping to develop my understanding of portrait photography, both human and pet.