Recess

This will be a very short post because I want to go outside and play.  With my new toy -- a brand spanking new digital SLR bought in honor of my blog's 4 month birthday.  Well, it's as good an excuse as any, isn't it?

I bought waaaaay more camera than I need or know how to use, but I got tired of blurry pictures with my little digital compact.  When did viewfinders disappear?  My first digital camera had one -- even though it didn't really show what I was framing.  But I've found that I can't hold the camera steady if I have to compose the shot in a 2 inch display held 18 inches in front of my face.  I like an old-fashioned viewfinder, which I can steady against my face, and the only cameras that still have one are single lens reflexes.  Years ago I had an old Canon SLR that I pretended I knew how to use.  My ratio of acceptable to dreadful shots wasn't much better then than now. 

But digital SLRs are an entirely different beast, and the new Canon EOS Rebel T3 that I now hold in my hands is much smarter than I am.  I have only just begun to tap its potential, but I particularly like the "creative automatic" mode, which lets you adjust a single parameter -- aperture, or shutter speed, or white balance, and it automatically figures out the rest.  You can feel creative even though you're really only doing the photographic equivalent of adding the egg to the cake batter.

I've only taken a couple of preliminary shots, but I'm very optimistic.  I've already gotten one I really like.  And even though I know it will bleed over the margin, I'm going to post it extra large.  'Cause it's a pretty cool picture. 


Ehinacea Close Up



More to come, but for now -- I'm off to play with my new toy!