Greetings
I am back again, another camera AGAIN.... lol. Pretty much still just messing around but in 2009 I finally got a Digital SLR and sold all my 35mm SLR's. I accidentally walked into some paid work for about a year and then chose to go dormant the year next. I am ready to upgrade my equipment but decided money is better spent elsewhere. Found some time so as soon as it warms up I plan to jump head first into some challenges. Hope to do another GTG sometime as well.
Pictures!
Random shots I haven't had time to sort through anything nor do I have much of anything good anyways. Ran across a bunch of potential shots with too many flaws. All of these were random picks with basic editing.
    
Whether its snapshots or actually trying to compose something I can't live without a hotshoe flash. Bounce flash indoor's can make any shot better, well almost any shot lol. I snap a bunch of pictures around the house, families house, etc and half of them end up being animals because they don't complain. Though one of the cats has learned that the AF beep means close your eyes.
    
This cat, My fathers, never had any picture of it until now. Its very skiddish and between shutter response and the bounce flash I managed to get a couple of okay shots. I never get the chance to redo any shot so the flash is usually compensated too high or too low. These were very bright before editing.
 
Sadly high ceilings and bounce flash don't go to well. I decided to get a few pictures of my preacher before he retired. Definitely did not go well and I never tried again before he did retire. Here is one of 28 shots that i gave to him.
A second challenge to editing the shots as someone will spot was the mixed light sources. Incandescent lights, mixed with incoming light through stained glass, mixed with bounce flash. I found the High Color Rendering fluorescent setting in ViewNX provided the best quick fix prior to actual editing.
Even in daylight a little fill flash is a life saver. Ive gotten most of my actual paid work from messing around at local car shows and I am always working against the light since everyone is just parked. Its never until I get an assignment that I can get some good shots.
 
The first is an example of it working, the second is actually a shot I was asked to take for a few bucks and it didn't work out. But for whatever reason the owner liked it..... I hate it when someone thinks crap looks good, it doesnt.
I LOVE my 35mm 1.8, between DoF control and low light shooting I can't live without it.
 
I and my setup are always in a constant state of transition but here is a shot i passed by of my pc last year.
My trip home
I am about to make the trip home to see a dying family member. Finally gonna get the opportunity ive been wanting for a few years. Get pictures of everything I grew up around. Definitely hoping to find a challenge entry and definitely gonna do a photo story out of it.
Rant Yeah I didn't know what else to call it!
You know that saying "A better camera doesn't make you a better photographer". In this age its a lie, there was a time when changing film was like replacing half your camera today. I like the phrase "Right tool for the job". You wont see a Pro NFL photographer having much luck with my POS D60 and its 3 AF points, mind you a landscape photographer or a portrait photographer may have much less of an issue. A side effect of digital camera's of course is being not only limited to the features of the camera as we always have been, now where limited by the image capturing device. The advantage of being able to change ISO on the fly is awesome, but 5 years ago you were hard pressed to get a point and shoot with usable noise over ISO 400, or a point and shoot with higher than ISO 800 at all.
I don't even like to call myself a photographer, I often get asked if I am a professional, which I am not. But I have to hesitate to answer, If its a potential client and they like something they see the answer has to be yes. If its anyone else then maybe no. I can't say I am much better a photographer than I ever was but my 35mm SLR's aside I was being held back tremendously by point and shoots. Mind you blowing SLR money on a point and shoot with a hotshoe would have made a huge difference, it would still be lacking.
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