Friday, May 21, 2010

More Macro Photos

Well, what can I say... I have the shutter bug (har, har). I can't seem to get enough of taking pictures. It's exciting to have a new camera that does so much more than my old Samsung 3 mp point and shoot. I was doing most of my picture taking with that camera, and although it took fantastic pictures, it had its limitations. The main one was its incredible ability to suck the power out of four AA batteries in less than an hour. I ended up giving the camera to a friend's niece. I hope she can enjoy it despite the battery sucking.

This morning I went to Barnes and Nobel and paid full price for two Tom Ang photography books. I had gone to the library yesterday and found several I thought were good, and it turned out the B&N had the two of his I wanted. The first one "Fundamentals of Photography" and the second was "Digital Photography Master Class". I am hoping to use my Nikon P100 to get much better at photography then move onto a SLR camera. I don't see myself being a "pro" or anything, but it would be nice to have something published one day. I can imagine writing a non-fiction book and using my own photos for it.

 I took this one with my mirror and my new Targus tripod I bought this morning at Target. It was a great deal--$36 for a 66 in quick release tripod. It works great. For this picture I used the mirror to set it up and then used the timer. I think it's pretty good, except maybe a little over exposed.



Here is a tic I found on my dog and decided to shoot. He was crawling pretty fast. I noticed my zoom did not want to focus on him more when I was farther back, so I just got closer and close and was able to get this picture. Something I learned about my zoom--I can use the zoom feature more if I get closer.

This little "Laughing Buddha" is a porcelain figurine I got at the "Jade Buddha" tour when it came to Escondido. It's just a little figure about 2" high. I got down at eye level for it and then cropped the picture slightly to fill the frame better, and finally I changed the contrast with Windows Photo Gallery. I am trying not to change the photos too much and working towards taking good pictures AS THEY ARE. I think that is much more interesting and harder than fooling around with the computer.

 



And here is another tiny animal. This Cellar Spider lives in my bathroom under the sink. I couldn't find any of his friends, so I had to get him by turning the camera sideways and zooming in really close. I really like this pictures, but the background seems to detract somewhat.




And finally, here are two pictures I took with the Tripod to try it out. Like I said, it works amazingly!


Monday, May 17, 2010

Close Up Flowers and Lobo

This morning I had a chance to shoot some interesting pictures with the SCENE "Close Up" setting. I feel great about the photos I'm taking. I have been able to get some of my best photos yet. Like this one of Lobo.

 

I was on my way to go to visit people at my work, when I saw these beautiful white roses in the alley. I had a chance to get several nice pictures.











I also shot some photos at Tera Mar beach in Carlsbad, Ca. I altered the image with the basic editing program that came with Windows Photo Gallery. 


Well that's it for today. I feel really great about these photos and all I'm learning!





Saturday, May 15, 2010

New Camera Nikon P100

Well it's definitely been a while since my last post. I have made a lot of changes, for the better.

I have a new addition to my family--a stray dog I named Lobo. He's a blond, blue-eyed Husky who was about 8-10 months old when he found us. I say he found us, because about 3 months ago, Meridian and I were finishing up a run on the 76 bike path and he came out of nowhere and joined us. He's been with us ever since. He just recently got neutered and that has helped him calm down quite a bit already.

I also got a new camera. I recently bought a Nikon CoolpixP100 at Costco for $380 (including tax). It is a high quality hybrid point-and-shoot. Below is a review from CNET.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/nikon-coolpix-p100/4505-6501_7-33966421.html


It was between the typical $150-250 range point and shoot cameras and the Digital SLR cameras, which are going for $800-$1400. This camera is loaded with features that will help a novice like me. Eventually, I'd like to get a faster, higher quality DSLR but my wishes are constrained by my pocket book! And really, at this point, it would be like buying a Ferrari when I don't know how to use a stick and I'm driving neighborhood streets.

So far this camera has been a real delight. I am impressed with the wide range of shooting options and the over-all controlability of the camera. Here are a few pictures I've taken.