Near Misses

*.* Cracked Lens *.*

When I decide to shoot a subject, I generally have something specific in mind.  I get really frustrated when I know I've got 2,000 photos to go through, and I do go through every single one. Sometimes I can be so focused that I nearly miss out on some equally wonderful shots that were randomly captured during one of my quests.

I'm such an amateur.   But I'm enjoying every minute of it!

 

 

This is an example of the glass-like quality I tried to capture.

 

Two of my favorite near misses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were taken on the Oregon Coast between Depoe Bay and Lincoln City. Shot with the Nikon.

 

I shoot with a Nikon D3100 most of the time and occasionally with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20.  Obviously the Lumix doesn't come close to the quality achieved with the Nikon. The problem I have with the Lumix is the 'white cloud' effect.  It turns out that there is a defect within the camera, but it's out of warranty so here I am; that being said, it shoots decently enough in low light settings, as I found

 out at a recent rock concert.

 

Purchasing a DSLR opened up a whole new world for me-FINALLY-I've been able to achieve the results that I see in my head.  I've had it just over a year, and it's hands down one of the best purchases I've ever made. Some times I have twitchy fingers so I immediately invested in a good tripod.  I was disappointed with the fact that there is no auto time lapse feature built in.

 

Now that I've had a bit of time to experiment with both the zoom and standard lenses I'm ready to add to the mix.  I recently purchased a remote shutter release that has both wireless and wired options.  I picked up a basic  magnification filter set (because I'm not comfortable dropping $200 on a macro lens if I won't use it, lol.)  I also picked up a basic filter kit that has the polarizing, UV, and Florescent pieces. 

 

There are several tutorials online, including how to clean the lenses.  I'm taking mine to a shop because there was some smudging from a raindrop on the main internal mirror and I (very gently) tried to clean it with the simple kit that I already had. 

 

Note to self: Don't touch anything internal without watching a tutorial

 

So I'm comfortable with the quality of the pics that have come out so far.  I seem to be much better at still shots versus  motion.  I hope to change that as I begin the next step-learning what all the numbers, letters, and settings mean.

 

One of the main reasons I chose a Nikon over Cannon had to do with lens compatibility.  Nikon's lenses are all interchangeable...back to the 60s if you look hard enough. the new lenses are generally set up with the auto focus platforms.  That's where the learning curve gets more difficult for me. It just so happens that a relative knew about the lens compatibility and gave me a 12"zoom and a 10"zoom.  Sure enough they fit.  But holy cow was I in for a surprise when I started trying to adjust focus, etc.  So now it's time to start some homework.

 

One thing I would love to get the opportunity to do is to do some band photography.  I need to get in touch of some friends who play around town and see if they will let me come and torture them shoot a few shows.

 

For today, the future is looking bright.

 

Robyn  :)

 

 

Lincoln City Sunset

Shot with my Lumix.