I Eventually Decided That I Needed Professional Help,

my photography with the new lens and camera was not getting any better, 

and I am sure it is all my fault, so out into a cloudless blue sky day,

 

I passed the white wisteria, 

which I must admit did not have the aroma of the blue wisteria at the entrance to the park,

a look at the side garden of Foxgrove Lodge, 

the blue wisteria growing over the lodge, 

I was soon on my way to London, yesterday I had called the Fujifilm House of Photography, I was going to call in there with the camera and 500mm lens, hopefully to find out what I was doing incorrectly, in case you do not know it is,

image courtesy Amateur Photographer, a Fujifilm GFX 100S II camera and 500mm lens with the 1.4 converter, 

Battersea power station behind me, 

as I alighted the train, on the next platform, the Orient Express, 

I caught a tube from Victoria to Green Park, then disaster, a tube driver strike! I was told at the closed station to catch a number 23 bus to Covent Garden, I did, and it did not, it went in completely the wrong direction, so back to the bus stop opposite the Ritz at Green Park where I caught a number 9 that did indeed stop near Covent garden, 

I took a few snaps along the way, Eros,

at Piccadilly Circus, 

Trafalgar Square, 

with the lions,

and in the distance the fountains,

and here I was at the Covent Garden bus stop, but the tube station was on the other side of it, 

I needed to find the tube station as I could walk to the Fujifilm centre from there, 

though Covent Garden,

and its attractions,

the Nags Head pub looking very impressive,

and here is the problem, tube stations all over London closed, apparently a "full and final" three-year deal proposed in October 2025 aims to raise the base salary from £71,170 to at least £77,692 by April 2027 is not enough, the average London Underground driver's salary of over £64,000 is only 132% above the UK national average, so there it is, the good news was that having found the station,

I knew where to walk to the Fujifilm centre, 

a bit of street art on the way,

and here it is, 

inside, smart modern, 

and very welcoming, I chatted to one of the assistants, as soon as she put my memory card on her computer she knew something was wrong, she mention there were artefacts and aberrations as well as the shoots having the wrong focal point, crikey all in moments, she then called one of her colleagues over and went through what I was doing wrong, a switch on the lens,

 was not set to AF-L or AF, I was using an electronic shutter which was not compatible with the style of photography I was doing, also I was shooting in 'C' mode, I should have been in 'S' mode and a few other things, I was more than impressed with not only the level of skill the staff had, but also the time they took to help me with my problems, they also suggested I might like to try one of their 1-2-1 meetings or try one of their learning workshops, I will be booking a beginners course in the very near future,

filled with new found confidence I returned to Beckenham, 

off of the train and past the green, 

and into Kelsey Park,

the river level, 

the lowest I had seen it for years, 

past the weir, and I was soon snapping away, I could hardy wait to return home to see the results,  

I passed the crazy golf in the park, still not yet open,

and past the house by the park entrance, 

I called into the Park Langley Delicatessen, I had started out early and not had a breakfast or lunch, so a snack it was and to pick up a few treats for Diana, on the wall a exhibition of photographs from the club I belong to the Beckenham Photographic Society, next a bus back to the park, 

walking past the gate house, Foxgrove Lodge, the wisteria looked so nice, 

into the park and home, where it was time to see the results of my visit to Fujifilm, I decided to play with just 2 of the many that looked so much better than all of my previous attempts with the camera and 500mm lens,

the first one of the fledgling herons attempts to spread its wings and take to the air, 

I will be the first to admit that new born ducklings are so cute, but I can not find the same cuteness in a Coot's young, it must be me, I was so very pleased with the results so a very big 'Thank You' to the Fujifilm House of Photography, and the staff there that helped me so much, then time for my evening read and sherry,

the latest issue of Private Eye, 

on her way home from work Diana had stopped off to pick up a kebab,

'Cheers!', after which we watched a couple of Porridge, and then this weeks Have I Got News For You, before Diana was off to bed, for myself I started watching,

 Pillars of the Earth, after a couple of episodes I too was off to bed.

I Had A Few Things To Do In The Morning,

hoover the flat being one of them,

but the Shark hoover we have has died, so that was that, I emailed the local repair service, so hopefully they will email me back or call me, so out into a clear, blue sky day, 

and there it was! the snail mail box was back, well done the Post Office, 

this is where I was headed, 

Kelsey Park, 

I was going to put all of the tips I had received about getting photographs in focus every time into practice, 

past the gate house, 

and the beds of blue primroses,  

opposite it,

as well as beds,

of these yellow ones,

not sure that I would like living here, people constantly walking past all day long, I spent the day snapping away, 

looking back as I left the park,

walking towards the Chinese garage entrance, 

with this imposing house, 

beside the gate, 

the reason I was going home this way,

was to call in here, at the Park Langley Delicatessen, I wanted to buy Diana a couple of cakes that are made on the premises, 

on my way home passing the graveyard, 

it needs a haircut!

past the green, 

with its Beckenham sign,

it was at this point, even thought the day was windy I could smell the aroma of the wisteria growing on Foxgrove Lodge, 

at the front of the garden a huge cascade of flowers,

with more over the building,

I carried on walking home,

this tree, very late flowering, or dead,

not so the chestnut, 

full of flowers, it is going to be a good year for conkers, arriving home I had a short play with the days photographs, still too many that were not quire right, there must be something I am doing wrong with the camera and lens, Diana had sent me a few more photographs of the girls holiday, she is at work as I type this, so I will let the photographs speak for themselves, their last day, 

in the evening the girls were out,

to another bier keller, 

I should say these were all litre glasses, of non-alcoholic beer, 

 a short 'Cheers!',

the next morning time for breakfast/lunch,

before boarding the plane,

and then they were off, I picked up Diana from Kai's home in the evening, arriving home it was feet up for a coffee and a chat, as we watched a Bangers & Cash, Diana was then off to bed, tomorrow back to work with a 04.00AM start, for myself another Bangers before I too was off to bed.