I am more than half way through my Open University TG089 course on digital photography. It has changed the way I ‘produce images’ and my knowledge of the Fujifilm XA-7 that I use. For a start, it showed that I have a problem with camera shake in low light images. I found I could resolve this by setting the camera to shutter priority at 1/60th. Then I just have to adjust the aperture and ISO to get the image I want.

The course has identified the shortcomings of digital images, and I am grateful to learn that. Such things as all colours being represented from a combination of red, green and blue. And the absence of colour being black and white. I learned that not all images work well in black and white. Those with distinct texture are the best, rather than when and image is blocks of colour.

So what are the key ideas I have taken away from the course? Well, that cropping an image can make a whole new picture. That there are ways of using Lightroom that can really make a colour ‘pop’. In fact, it was the obligatory use of Lightroom that will have the greatest impact on my photography. It will now become a key step in my photographic workflow and not just because it is costing me a tenner a month for the privilege.