Photography is not my forte. I am pretty good at Photoshopping images—retouching, montaging, filtering—but the stuff straight off the camera leaves a lot to be desired. And considering how long it can take to Photoshop stuff properly, I’d really like to improve my ’snapping’ skills.

As I am persuaded there’s no better way to get better at anything than learning by doing, I got out the camera at the weekend and took it everywhere to document the first signs of Spring. I tried to shift from auto to manual settings, with mixed results. The photos could still be a lot better, and I still don’t get the hang of composition (which is strange, because it is not a problem I have with collage). But I feel I have taken a step in the right direction. And there are worse ways to spend time than going around town with a camera taking pictures of flowers!