Sure Compressed Beauty Challenge: Photography Course


If you caught this post a couple of weeks ago, you'll know that the Sure PR team challenged me to take part in an activity to see how well their compressed deodorant (mini sized cans containing the same amount of product as a regular can) performed. I opted for a photography course, as I'm ever keen to improve this little corner of the internet as well as make use of my DSLR camera which has been firmly locked to 'auto' mode since the day I bought it. Photography might not be a high impact activity but the overall day most definitely put Sure the test; it took me almost three hours each way to get to where the course was being held, and the journey there and back included two stuffy buses, two stuffy trains, two taxis and around an hour of walking carrying a huge heavy bag (which included all of my usual handbag stuff plus my DSLR and the accessories). And of course I was wearing far too many layers, because hey who knows what the hell to expect of UK weather in September!

The Course: Going Digital Photography Workshop
I attended part one of a number of workshops held by Going Digital, this particular workshop was to encourage DSLR users to get off the 'auto' setting (which I was definitely guilty of sticking to). I never really understood what the problem with good old auto mode was, my logic was that the camera knows itself far better than I do so might as well let it do it's own thing and set itself up the best way it sees fit. It turns out that I had far too much faith in it, because there are other settings that give you much more control and allow you to be more creative with the outcome of the shot- rather than simply snapping away like you would with a little digital camera. When I first bought my DSLR I assumed that a big expensive camera automatically meant good photos and I was sadly mistaken. In all honesty I felt like chucking the thing out of the window in frustration in the first couple of weeks, just because my photos were no better than they had been on my little point and shoot camera. I did eventually get the knack for taking pictures using 'shallow depth of field' (this what you can see on most of my newer blog photos), but didn't really know very much else and so I'm glad to finally got my head around some more of the settings.

About the Course
In the morning we spent time learning about some of the mechnanisms of different cameras, going through different settings and learning about how, why and when they should be used. We were given a really useful booklet which was basically a replacement for the wordy and unhelpful manual you get with these gadgets, all explained in simple and easy to understand terms. I'm never one to read the instructions or manual on anything and so to have condensed, relevant information with no stupid extras or ten pages of how to put the memory card in is really useful and something I'll definitely be referring back to. The afternoon was spent walking around Birmingham city centre putting the theory into practice, and being guided through which settings to use and how to adjust our cameras to get the shots we wanted. The instructor Paul Southall was a gem and made the whole experience really enjoyable, I found it so useful to be able to practice taking photos under the guidance of a professional and have taken loads of useful information away from the day. If you own a DSLR camera and are totally confused how to use the thing, I highly recommend taking a workshop like this. They're held in a number different cities, and if you're a bit more knowledgeable about photography than a total beginner like me there are more advanced courses available too, you can check them out here.

Sure Compressed Verdict
And the million dollar question, did Sure compressed do it's job? I can answer with a resounding yes! Despite being hot and flustered after a long day of travelling (my makeup had pretty much melted off) I can 100% say that Sure worked it's magic. If there was ever a day to put it to the test this was it- I've used it daily for almost three weeks now and couldn't be happier with it. It's crazy how these little cans contain the same amount as a standard sized can but it's definitely not a gimmick, a regular travel sized deodorant would have been almost finished now but this is still going strong. You can buy Sure compressed from Superdrug and Boots and Supermarkets.

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