Monday, May 10, 2010

Learning. Evolving. Adapting. Growing.

A little background: I will be the first to note I am a beginner in photography. I just purchased my first DSLR [which I am still making credit card payments on!] back in November 2009. I had my daughter back in August 2009. Until recently, I hadn't had much time to explore the DSLR world...needless to say [I find now that my daughter is older, she is more apt to take adventures with me to spots such as the park]. I had 3 1/2 point-n-shoot cameras before my SLR:

1. Canon Powershot A520 - This was my very first digital camera. It was a relatively bulky camera, as per today's standards. I purchased this back in 2005 as a sophomore in college. I was thrilled to have 4 whole megapixels. I look back on the pictures I took with this camera, and man, they are amazing [especially when you take into account my skill level and the advancement of digital cameras at the time]. I had this camera until the end of 2006, when it mysteriously stopped turning on even with fresh batteries. Here are some of my favorite shots [minimally edited] taken with this camera:


11/2. Nikon E4800 - Now let's talk about a huge ass camera. Since I was out a camera, I "borrowed" my mom's [by borrowed, I mean I took it from her house to my apartments an hour away]. This was actually a really nice camera...needless to say, she STILL uses it. This camera is practically an antique now, and I believe it should be reserved a special place in the Smithsonian, but still produces generally good quality photos. I used this until I grew tired of being made fun of for lugging around a "touristy Asian camera" and bought myself a sleek new camera. Here is the only picture I can find that demonstrates the magnitude of the camera...but even this doesn't do justice:



And here are a few *scenic* images I shot from this camera:


2. Olympus FE230 - So finally in mid-2007 I purchased my super-slim new camera. I guess I was so tired of toting the huge camera around that I went out and bought the smallest camera I could afford. This thing was about as slim as that stupid Razor cell phone I once had. However, it did not take the best photos. Maybe I just wasn't operating it right, but the colors never came out right and the focus always seemed a little bit off. Note: dropping it in the sand probably doesn't help the situation, either. I sent it back to the manufacturer and they tweeked it, which helped a little with the focusing. It also gave a blue-ish color to my brown eyes. Nonetheless, I didn't own this camera for long. About a year and a half later, a "friend" dropped it and it was toast. He never replaced it for me. I hardly took any scenic photos with this camera, but here are a few:


3. Canon Powershot SD1100 IS - This was -and is- a great camera. I still use it when I get lazy or am on the go and cannot bring my SLR. I have actually owned 2 of this exact same camera [because I lost my first one on a drunken escapade]. I guess you can say I have bad camera luck...when I was in high school I left my new expensive [film] camera in a hotel room after check-out and the housekeeper stole it. Anywho, this camera is GREAT for a PnS. It produces outstanding "Macro" photos. Amazing, crisp detail...very user friendly...even good quality in full-auto mode. The Macro setting works like a charm. I think this and my first camera is what hooked me to Canon. So now I am partial, and will probably never meander off to another brand again :) Lastly, here are a few taken with this camera:


Finally, I graduated to my DSLR. I picked up a Canon Rebel T1i [aka 500D] with it's kit lens [EF-S 18-55 mm IS]. I couldn't be happier with my decision. I haven't even read through the manual yet. But, with the help of many-a-web-tutorial and my mentors [Jeff & Rick], I have learned some valuable tools. I am SLOWLY but surely trying to master my skills with my kit lens, so perhaps one day when I have the time & money I can upgrade to a macro lens. And hopefully...eventually...a wide-angle lens. *FINGERS CROSSED*

Tomorrow, I will post some of my faves from my Rebel :)





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