by Lee on August 31, 2010
I love pictures. The advent of digital photography has been a boon to a snap happy fool like me. I can snap away and delete the junk (and there is a lot of junk) without any real penalty.
I have a decent Cannon PowerShot point and shoot camera. My biggest complaint about point and shoot cameras is their over reliance on the flash. I much prefer natural or ambient light, but in many circumstances, those are hard to maximize with a point and shoot camera. I’m not Jenna or Casey, but I’ve got a decent eye and sometimes my execution is even good.
Sometimes, not so much.
It was while trying to capture these photos in Washington that I said to my husband. “It is time to move up to the next level of camera.” I just can’t get the control I want with a point and shoot.
Here’s where I need your help. I need help figuring out which camera to buy. When I walk into any retailer that sells cameras, it is instant overwhelm. I’ve read review sites, but most contain far more technical babble than I can decode. So, I’m hoping if I tell you about the pictures I like to take and my learning style you and your collective wisdom can point me in the right direction (no pun intended).
I take memento photos (us on vacation, my kids on stage), but more and more, I’m interested in candid shots from a distance and scenery shots.
I also tend to hang around with people who are extremely sensitive to bright light. So, learning to maximize ambient light would be a huge plus.
I need a camera that will allow for manual settings as well as auto because sometimes let’s face it you only have time to grab the camera and push the button. However, I plan on keeping my PowerShot. It lives in my purse and will continue to do so. This other camera will be for the more predictable “Kodak Moments”.
I taught myself PhotoShop years ago, I had a book that showed you how to make textures. I learned about the different functions and features by doing. I’ll likely be the same way with photography. I’ll see a shot and tinker with the settings until I get what I want. So, settings should be fairly easy to manipulate. An the view screen should be a good size. I am have problems seeing detail clearly at a distance, so the ability to take the shot via the view screen is a must.
I would like to be able to change lenses and tinker a little there too.
I don’t need video functionality although it appears to be hard to get away from it.
This is not going to be an instant purchase, and I don’t want to drop a HUGE chunk of change, but I’m looking at this as an investment since writer’s make more money when they can supply photographs too. I don’t need bells and whistles and sirens. Just a few bells and maybe a whistle would be nice.
Camon Vs. Nikon? Olympus? Sony? I’ve been Canon most of my life, so I’m familiar with their menu structures and since I’m not anywhere near professional, I won’t notice the color variations. I’m inclined to stay with Canon based on familiarity, but am open to alternate suggestions as well.
So dear reader, what do you recommend?
by Lee on August 10, 2010
Sorry for almost two months of radio silence, but wow it has been a busy summer!
Since I’ve last checked in there have been a few blog worthy occurrences. My dad visited from Arizona (and yes, we watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s together), we caught up with some of my mom’s family on Cape Cod, took a 10-day trip to Washington, D.C. for some volunteer work and sightseeing and we added a new member to our family.
We had a wonderful visit with my dad, he’s a low maintenance house guest. He’s been a desert dweller for the past 5 years so he really enjoyed the lush green of the Northeast. We visited some places nearby and took a day trip to the lake. Towards the end of the weekend, we met his sister for lunch and a little coastal fun.
After Dad left, we had two extra girls for a few days. We brought them home, picked up my mom and headed to Cape Cod for the annual family gathering at my Aunt’s house. It was a short trip, but a great time was had by all. The highlight for my daughter was winning the egg toss with my cousin T. We returned home for a scant 16 hours. Just enough time to do the laundry, finish packing for our trip to D.C. and catch a few hours of sleep. Thankfully, we were already 90% packed for D.C. so, we threw in a few last items and took to the skies.
I’ve been looking forward to this trip to Washington, for at least 4 years and the trip did not disappoint. The main purpose was to attend the NOAH conference. NOAH is an organization I co-founded that supports people with albinism and their families. I was 14 at the first conference and there were 70 people in attendance. There were over 900 attendees in Washington, D.C. NOAH Conferences are always fun, but as a former National Conference Chair, I volunteered to be the utility infielder and assist with any challenges that arose on site, so I didn’t get to any of the sessions. The kids had an awesome time. Each was in their own group. Among other things, Mim’s group had an introduction to Judo, and talked with doctors about what it meant to have albinism. Fish’s group had a lesson on how to travel safely on the Metro and then they were off on small group adventures throughout D.C.
Speaking of the Metro, I think Mim could have stayed in the hotel and ridden the trains throughout the system and been as happy as a clam. He enjoyed reading the maps to tell us what stop we were at and how many stops we had left until we reached our destination.
After the conference we did some sight seeing in Washington. Our stops included, several Smithsonian museums, The Spy Museum and Mount Vernon. I hope to do some more detailed blog entries on trip in the near future. Let me summarize by saying that Washington, D.C. is on of my favorite destinations. I highly recommend a visit, just not in July.
We lost our beloved dog Daisy in February. All of our hearts needed some time to mourn, but by June, we were all talking about wanting another dog. While summer is the best time to get a dog, we knew we had a lot of travel at the beginning of the summer, so, we decided to wait until we returned from D.C. to seriously entertain the idea. Dory, joined us the Sunday after we returned. The story of her arrival and immersion into our family is a blog entry for another time. She is a very sweet dog and has made herself right at home.
The kids are squeezing in a few last summer activities, Mim is at the town’s theater camp and Fish is rock climbing at Girl Scout Camp. They head back to school in just about two weeks time. I knew we had a jammed summer, but it flew by even faster than I expected.
Even though I have not been blogging here my fingers haven’t been completely idle, I’ve had a few posts over at Live to Write, Write to Live, the blog of the New Hampshire Writer’s connection a group a co-founded with other local writers. Stop by and check us out if you have a minute.
Our adventures have given me lots of fodder for this blog. I promise once the kids get back to school, I’ll be on a more regular posting schedule here. I miss it.
So, what have you be doing this summer?
I love pictures. The advent of digital photography has been a boon to a snap happy fool like me. I can snap away and delete the junk (and there is a lot of junk) without any real penalty.
I take memento photos (us on vacation, my kids on stage), but more and more, I’m interested in candid shots from a distance and scenery shots.
I taught myself PhotoShop years ago, I had a book that showed you how to make textures. I learned about the different functions and features by doing. I’ll likely be the same way with photography. I’ll see a shot and tinker with the settings until I get what I want. So, settings should be fairly easy to manipulate. An the view screen should be a good size. I am have problems seeing detail clearly at a distance, so the ability to take the shot via the view screen is a must.
