So I finally got myself a proper camera. Photography is something I’ve wanted to learn for absolutely ever, and seeing as my food blog will never go anywhere with smart phone snapshots, I decided the time to do it may as well be now.

My budget determined an entry-level price range, so after reading and watching every single review on the Internet I chose the Olympus Pen E-PL7. Even though the little retro-look compact system camera was aggressively marketed at selfie-snapping fashionista lifestyle vloggers, it came out at the top of its price range among all the reviews I compared, and a lot of photographers were quick to point out that it can do a lot more than what Olympus positioned it for.

My first test run wasn’t the most successful because I hadn’t had time to read the manual and found it difficult to get past the various auto and selfie settings and Instagram style filters to find the real stuff. But after a bit of reading and with the help of some online advice, I’ve got my newly customised buttons and a quick-access custom menu all set up and ready to shoot.

Now I just need to learn to use the thing. To start with I’m reading food photographer Corinna Gissemann’s very helpful, beginner-friendly book Food Photography, and setting up a low-budget photo studio nook in my flat with some pretty props and a decent light.

In the meantime, here are some very early test shots from when I was figuring out where all the buttons are, and all that.

Healthy apple and cinnamon cake (recipe here)

Lovely carrots from the market

My beautiful baby cat…

…his ridiculous facial hair

Hampstead Heath on a sunny autumn day

Squirrel in Golders Hill Park

And yes, Olympus, I took a fricking selfie.