Lots of Pictures

I've just returned from two weeks holidays camping (well, if you call it that, we do use a 19 foot travel trailer with a queen size bed and a bathroom down the hall) outside of Vernon, B.C. Saw lots of family and friends and took a ton of pictures with the new camera. A lot were simply snapshots but I was trying to learn the features of the camera and get back into the specific abilities of an SLR versus a point and shoot.

Some mistakes I made were: changing the ISO for low light situations and forgetting to change it back in bright light settings; switching to aperture or shutter priority for specific shots and then forgetting to change that back to adapt for different situations; just plain failing to make changes to ISO or shutter or aperture to accommodate the shooting situation; and relying too much on the auto focus and ending up with the wrong thing in focus - too common a problem for all of us.

But, all of this is a good learning experience and it is why I took so many shots. Some of the one's I think are better are posted on my Flickr Photo page. Here's one I especially like:

Enjoy.

Venturing Forward

Welcome to a new blog. Unlike my previous blogs this one will be focused on a renewed passion in an old interest - photography. I have called it Reflections II because I thought it fit with a photography theme.

I hope to use this site to document personal progress with this medium and also point to some of the great sites that I have already discovered that can help take your's and my photography to another level.

What are your photo interests? Everyone likes to take photos of friends and families, but wouldn't it be great if we could figure out simple techniques for improving those photos?

From point and shoots to the latest in digital SLRs I have been learning a lot over the last few weeks. I went ahead and splurged on a new Canon 30D with a 17 to 85 mm zoom lens. In the near future I will be purchasing a budget lighting system.

What are my interests? I love shooting landscapes and recently did my first three pic panorama stitched together with the software that came with the camera. I have used it as my banner photo above. But, I always wanted to do portraits and recently have been considering getting into the wedding photography business. This has in part been motivated by a desire to both find a way to support another expensive hobby and also because of ongoing shutdowns at the mill I work at. I'm still working but.....

Anyway, I'll be trying to get some good info on this site, probably basic stuff initially, but that is where I had to start in moving into the digital SLR world.

Until the next time.