Back with a vengeance

 


"There's nothing as exciting as a comeback - seeing someone with dreams, watching them fail, and then getting a second chance." ~Rachel Griffiths


 My hiatus is over. I've been taking photos since late spring using a Canon EOS 600D. Shooting with a DSLR has been a bit of a struggle, but I am slowly getting the hang of it. I expected perfect results immediately because it is supposed to be a lot better than my compact point-and-shoot, however, I ended up getting frustrated. There is nothing wrong with the camera, it was just my lack of skill. The photos still pale alongside the work of Tedt, Roe, Dr Roland and the other guys. I am hoping that someday my shots would be better than theirs. Hey, a girl can always dream, right?


As expected, I started within my comfort zone: nature macros, using a Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG macro lens. I like the bokeh that it produces. I first used more of the auto-focus because I didn't trust my shaky hands, but after tens of shots I finally got the courage to shoot on manual mode and some turned out to be okay. One thing I noticed is that the camera seems to scare the bugs away which makes my stalking twice challenging, I am hoping that they'd get used to it. Pardon my false hopes. 

Behold my DSLR macros:



1. blossoming, 2. balancing act, 3. killer, 4. searching


My husband was on a buying streak last spring, aside from the macro lens there are 4 other lenses in the camera bag. My new favorite is the wide-angle lens which I got to test drive while I was in Riga a couple of weeks ago. Sample shots:



 

I would like to test drive the other lenses as well, but it's quite boring to take photos of our backyard. I want to make a photography trip somewhere where I'd get to use all of the lenses.Too bad my summer is quite busy, no vacation at all. I hope I'd get to travel before the year ends while I still have the inspiration. I think it would be best travel on my own as it would be a sheer torture for any companion to wait for me while I take photos.Been fantasizing about that photography trip for weeks! 


Anyhow,  while I can't travel yet, I'll be on bug-stalking mode. Will be posting the photos on my Flickr photostream. They may not be spectacular, but watch me learn :-)















 

In with the new

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Camera: Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Date and time: January 1, 2012. 0:11 AM
Location: Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Exposure: 2
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
Exposure Bias:0 EV
ISO Speed: 82
Handheld


I just came back from a 3-week vacation and my body clock is still messed up. Instead of wasting my time on reading some boring updates from social networking sites, I decided to bore others with my thoughts. So here I am updating my blog.

Before heading to the other continent, I planned to post my favorite shots from last year, but I didn't find the time to do that. The holiday activities kept my hands full. Anyhow, I mentioned last time I want to rekindle my love for photography, so kindly allow me to inspire myself as I look back at my personal faves from 2011...



1. see me through, 2. mysterious you, 3. almost there, 4. red and sweet are good to eat

Although I didn't take much photos last year, I realized that I still managed to accomplish the usual stuff in my bucket list: insect in flight, a survival-of-the-fittest moment, insect porn, and dramatic-to-me flower macros. My camera failed to focus a few times, but there were occasions when it was its usual self. Not bad at all. Although I failed to improve my photography skill last year, the few photos show that I haven't lost my touch yet, me thinks.

Self-praising, check. Now it's time to move on. As a photography enthusiast, I do have secret goals. They are quite far-fetched, and because of that I will never dare mention them here. My fading enthusiasm and procrastination prevent me from trying to reach those crazy goals, but I will do my best to get those hindrances off my system. Once they're gone, I'm off to the next level. You just wait and see :-)