Winter
When I was a kid I loved winter, and I grew up in a “snow” state. Because of family circumstance, I did have to help with the shoveling, but for most of those winters we had a snow blower, so it was more snow blowing than shoveling, although I did have to shovel to break up ice. But, even still, I loved winter. The snow, the cold, the icicles hanging from the eves and trees – all held a beauty of their own.
Sadly, though, I had not yet discovered the joys of photography; from those years of living in Iowa I have no “record” of the beautiful winters that I experienced.
And now, I live in Texas and our winters are of rain and mud and cold winds that penetrate to the core. The trees are bare of their foliage leaving them looking like forlorn skeletons begging to be embraced by Spring and Summer. Only the evergreens seem to welcome the cold and rain.
This year we are experiencing an El Nino winter, which means we’re having a lot of much needed rain, along with a lot of cold. In recent years we’ve seen a few rainy days and cold snaps, but this year our temps have barely made it in to the 60’s and we’ve seen rain nearly every week, sometimes for days on end; our lakes and water reserves have been refilled.
It’s hard, though, with all of the rain and cold, to grab up a camera and head out and shoot photos, not that there are a lot of “subjects” around this area to photograph. This year in particular I just don’t have the desire to venture out in the cold, maybe because it is so wet and penetrating unlike years’ past and my arthritis is finally reacting to all of the cold. That leaves me with few things to photography, and those few things are my dogs and the birds at the feeders, and most of the bird photos are taken from the warmth and dryness of the kitchen.
I am so looking forward to our trip to Florida next week so that I can find some warmth and “new” things to photograph. I left Florida in 1996, well before the age of affordable digital cameras and when I moved to Texas I couldn’t really afford film and processing. The age of digital photography opened up a new world for me and my brief return to Florida for vacation will give me the opportunity to explore places I enjoy there in a new way – from behind the digital lens.
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Success!
Well, after a 20 minute drive yesterday I finally got my lens at a Best Buy in another city; it was the last one they had, so I was lucky to have gotten it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so wasn’t inclined to look at the lens. There it say, in the box, in the bag, faintly calling my name, begiing me to let it out and put it on my camera body. I just couldn’t do it, though.
Today is a different matter, however, and out of the box it came and, with trembling hands, I put the lens on my camera and out the door we went to take some photos of bees flying around our confused blooming red maple tree. Sweeeeet.
This is the time of year where the birds hit our bird feeders and the other lens just wouldn’t get the close-ups that I enjoy when capturing the antics of the finches and juncos. It was frustrating to not be able to get the shots I wanted, even though I could use my good old stand-by Canon, which in the past has gotten some really good “bird play” photos.
So, for now, I am happy. I have the two lenses that I will most likely use the most, and which I had used in my “film” days. There’s still a learning curve, but that’s the fun. And the best thing is that I can see the results immediately and don’t have to spend a small fortune on film processing. Digital, where were you 30 years ago!
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On The Hunt
I’m on the hunt – for another lens for my camea.
Back in October my beloved Canon PowerShot Pro1 developed a strange problem with the shutter leaves, but only in one specific place; the shutter works perfectly most of the time, but it’s just this one place… So, I replaced the camera with a Nikon D3000, but the kit came with only one lens – an 18-55 mm zoom lens. It’s a great lens for most every day shooting, but I want an additional lens for those times when I need to zoom in on a shot.
So, I’m on a hunt for a 55-200mm lens, specificallly the Zoom-Nikor 55-200 mm f/4-5.6 IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom Lens. It’s apparently a popular lens because locally neither Best Buy nor Wolf Camera have any in stock and neither will be getting them in the next few days. That took my hunt to the internet.
I could buy from Amazon for $214 or from Sam’s Club for $219, both before S&H, but I’d rather buy one locally, even if it ends up costing a bit more. I finally found a Best Buy in two cities nearby that supposedly have the lens in stock and I am going to try to see if they do. Hopefully I’ll be successful.
Hmmm…I need another battery, too, but that can wait for a bit yet. The lens I need so that I can get familiar with it before heading to Florida next month.
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Hello world!
Welcome to my world!
I am an amateur photographer that lives in Texas.
Photography is my passion, but not my profession.
This blog is not so much my opinion on any variety of subjects as it is just a documentary of my limited travels and joys and frustrations behind the digital lens. Here you won’t find any deep revelations nor any profound political discussions. Here you’ll only find discussions on photography and the occasional post of a photograph.
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