I love the local library, in fact I am a library junky, I visit 2 to 3 times a week.
It is only a 10 minute bike ride away
As well as books, it has computers, magazines, newspapers, music cd’s, movie video’s and most importantly it has air-conditioning. Apart from these it also organises a large number of workshops, information sessions and group activities from baby reading groups, computer training, book clubs, movie discussion groups, author encounters even knitting groups. The list each month is extensive and varied and this month I noticed a “snap happy” workshop presented by Jeff Licence the local area producer for ABC Open (the National radio and TV station) Now that sounds interesting. So I booked for a three-hour, free session.
Jeff is the ABC radio and TV coordinator for this area and for the first hour explains how we can share our photos on ABC’s “pic of the week” and also discussed aspects of photography composition skills.
We were a small group and shared our views about the sample photos Jeff put on the screen.
Then it was time to take our cameras outside and put into practice what we had talked about.
It was a drizzly sort of day, and the challenge was to find something to stir the imagination. So for the next hour we all prowled around taking photos of each other and anything else that caught our eye.
Taking from different angles.
A council worker having his lunch break was fair game for some of us.
I thought maybe I would show the damp day and use the rule of thirds in this shot.
Jeff was available to help and give pointers.
Then I concentrated for a while on angles and leading lines.
And of course I had to take this photo of a bench (for you Jude)
Then it was back into the library to show our photos and have the group offer feed-back.
It was amazing how a dozen people wandering around the same, rather limited, area could produce such a wide variety of photos. Not one was the same. Sometimes the same subject but from different angles.
It was a very enjoyable 3 hours.
gypsy life 
Beautiful to all have a different perspective. I loved the railings and the large fond type leaves, showing the lines in opposite directions..
Hope you have a Wonderful Autumn Pauline.. and I enjoyed my catch up today 🙂 Lots of Love your way..
Sue
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Thank you for taking the time to wander around my world Sue, it was a pleasure to share it all and I love and appreciate hearing from you when you have the time.
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It was a real pleasure Pauline xxx
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I think you could teach the class!
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thanks Cindy 🙂
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I love the energy with which you launch yourself into whatever’s going. I also love the way you show the workshop in action, and I agree that your people shots are excellent.
This is a great tribute to your local library. Ours is pretty imaginative too – floor talks by artists, occasional visiting speakers from Canberra, at the moment knitting and crocheting peace poppies for Anzac Day. I’ve done a few ABCOpen sessions – one on movie making, not in the library but in my living room; one on blogging (in the library); and one on digital postcards (in a community hall).
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Those sessions you conducted sound very interesting Meg. Do you/have you made movies? And the digital postcards would be fun to do. I would sign up for those classes.
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I didn’t conduct them – I was an eager learner.
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I love the peace & quiet, T orders the latest ship and plane magazines, seeing mums with heaps of childrens books, teaching them how to read, we belong to Robina, we are so lucky, interesting about the camera talk.
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I download magazines on Zinneo from the library for free. Check it out the library staff will show you how to do it.
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Sadly, the libraries here in the states are less busy every day. It’s terrific when programs like this one bring back those who might otherwise not visit. Looks like it was a wonderful program and you definitely made the most of it!
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Our libraries are certainly proactive and going for more computer skills and plenty of hands on activities.
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I love our library, too! So much to see and do and browse and learn and enjoy. Our library even gives free yoga classes, and I’ve been attending regularly now for well over a year. I love an active library!
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They have changed a lot over the years. Very proactive.
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What a very productive 3 hours! And fun and a way to make new friends too. 🙂 I love libraries but I only get there about once a month when my books have run out. Ours don’t have so much going on but occasionally something catches my eye.
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We can get a combination of up to 20 items. magazines, music cd’s, movie video’s as well as books and talking books. I love it.
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I love our library and truly appreciate the services they offer. I wish they would offer a photography class because that would be a bonus to an already wonderful offering of services. 🙂
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I’m always amazed each month of the variety of programmes and they cater for all age groups too.
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what an interesting workshop.
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It certainly was.
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I love libraries too, and I’d love to go to a course like yours. Isn’t it interesting to see how everyone gets a different shot of the same thing? I’ve learnt a lot about photography by blogging, and also reading comments people make a photography. Thanks for an interesting post.
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Another good day at the library, great photos.
In my opinion the last one in the post is the best representation of our library, pleased you put it in..:-)
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I am a big fan of libraries and love seeing inside other people’s, so I enjoyed your “shelfie” pictures (and all the rest, of course). The guy reading on the bench at the end is great. Sounds a wonderful library, I’m not surprised you make good use of it.
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Chuckled at the “shelfie”!!! Yes it is a good library, not too big but it has free Wi-fi and comfy chairs to sink into… bliss….
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Shelfies not my invention! They were all the rage here a while back for some library / book promotion and the name stuck.
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I have loved libraries all my lifeb but in my busiest work years, I didn’t have much time for them. I bought my books, instead. Since we retired and moved to Maine, one of the first things I did was to head to the local library. I just love being a library hound again.
The photo course sounds marvelous. I always enjoy seeing the different takes that my husband and I will have on the same area. But seeing so many different points of view of that small area must have been fascinating.
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Library hound, good description. I like the catalogue system too. I often trawl through bookshops looking at latest releases then order them through the catalogue. They nearly always have them and if not they will get them for you.
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Marvellous. I love these little courses. I’ve only done a couple of paid ones but I learned so much from each of them. I love your tiles shot.
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The tiles were on the top of a BBQ. A lot of them photo’d them but every one was different.
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What a wonderful way to spend a morning! Fun to have a group to shoot pictures with. Oh, and I love libraries too!
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We all had different types of cameras too, so that was interesting to see how they all performed
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I’m sure! Everyone has a unique perspective which is what I love about photography.
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It sounds like your library has a nice diversified program. Now that would have been a productive few hours.
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It certainly was
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I’d love to attend a course like yours – but we have nothing like that where I live. Maybe in the nearest town? People portraying the same thing – all in their different way – is very interesting. Eye-opening and fun.
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It was so enjoyable, especially looking at each others photos. Our library system is one of the best in Queensland and I make full use of it.
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loved this post. Here is one of my erstwhile Country Viewpoint stories. Different angle, same topic,
d.
Deidre Tronson 21 Eagle Creek Rd Werombi 2570
ph 02 4653 1430
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Good to hear from you Deidre. I would love to read your Country Viewpoint story, but you didn’t put a link in this comment. Has the fallen tree gone yet?
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I love libraries, too, Pauline. Sadly, ours does not have air conditioning – a major limitation at this time of the year. What a terrific course this was! I went along to the local
Camera Club for this first time this week and they too commented on how given the same subject at the same time, they all came up with a different interpretation!
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It is absolutely essential to have air con over here. The library is one of my favourite bolt holes away from the heat and humidity. A camera club would be fun. Do they give you projects?
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They have a set theme each month and encourage members to submitt up to three photos to share on the meeting night. I think I’ll give it a go!
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Sounds interesting…
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That sounds fab, I’d love to go on a practical photography course. There’s one near here and the guy has a very high reputation but its very expensive!
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I once went to a 4 hour course in Brisbane and learnt so much, of course I blogged about it!!! https://pommepal.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/brisbane-river-photography-jargon-free-course-and-end-of-day-bomb-scare/
The beauty of this library course, it was free.
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That bench at the very end was modular and cool! I like the rich turquoise at the library too – on the wall in back of Jeff in first shot and on curtain- etc,.
Ok – the lady with the skirt shot is one of my favorite people photos in a long while – still chewing on parts of it – the lace and pretty design of her skirt – her hair and the vibe of “her” mixed with her Kneeling – somewhat formal attire, but active and kneeling – and more speaks to me-
But each person shot delivered a mood and feel and the tease for me is imagining what everyone else’s photos looked like! But glad I had this glimpse into your series – the paths delivers too – and side note – have not been to the library for years – but when boys were during a certain age I was super grateful for the resource – even though our walls are all ran or gray! Lol
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Our library has just had a make over the walls were an insignificant cream now they pop. Thank you for your comment on the people shots, I take that as a great compliment from you as your standard of people portraits is very high. The kneeling lady was a very vibrant Asian lady with an older Australian bloke. He was very attentive to her, she was beautiful and very confident. Every one’s photos were excellent and I learnt a lot seeing how other people interpret things. It is also very interesting when I prejudge a person and then see the amazing view they have on the scenery around them.
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well they dod a nice remodel – and thanks for the compliment! ❤
not surfier you have noticed this, but I have grown into my people shots as a blogger. Back in 2001 was when I really started wanted to grab some photos that captured people and settings – I actually took photos a few times with that goal – lol – but you know life was busy with little kids and stuff. And I forgot about it and then my second year blogging was when I tapped into that interest again, something i had forgotten all about – and so I am still learning and gleaning so much. And it sounds like there was a lot to glean here – 🙂 – and Jeff looks cool.
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