Trial and error photography

Today I took my camera out on a hike that allowed me to play with it more, to learn more about it by trial and error.  The weather wasn't very cooperative and under the cloudy conditions Elbow Lake didn't provide the backdrop I expected.  Instead, the campsite added more interest, more colour by means of backpacking stoves.  Throw in the campfire smell, and I could have spent much more time at the campground playing with the camera.  Piper Pass didn't wow me to the extent that I had expected either.  Again, weather was the factor.  Lightning in the distance, followed closely by thunder, made us head back into the trees.

However, inbetween the lake and the pass lie numerous little waterfalls and cascades, a creeklet with moss passing through the meadows, and random boulders providing stark accents.  Those were the areas that provided me with the most interest.  In learning - or rather trying to learn - my camera, I played mostly with tha A and S modes.  I used my ND filter on longer exposures to get - or try to get - the veiled water effect.  I changed the exposure times and snapped away, but these photos are blown.  I didn't get it, as I used my ND filter, so thought exposures of just under a second shouldn't be an issue.  Only on the drive home did I learn about exposure compensation.  If only I had known.  Water photos have always been a challenge for me, but I feel I'm getting closer to figuring them out. 

These are amongst my most colourful photos from this drab weather day:

It's raining outside, so a perfect evening for curling up in front of the fire and perusing more photography books.  I wish I could hear the rain on a roof, see the lighting, hear the coyotes.  So relaxing.