Vibrant Vines

Vibrant Vines for Green Thumb Sunday







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These vines were so vibrant last autumn, I just couldn't resist them.

Not an overly interesting photo, but the colors just jumped right out - especially with the way the light was hitting them that particular afternoon.

Friday's Photo Tip - Zoom vs Prime Lens

Friday's Photo Tip - Zoom vs Prime Lens










There are two basic types of lenses for DSLR cameras.

They are Zoom lenses and Prime lenses.

Both are great to have, and getting a chance to experiment with different ones is a lot of fun.

A zoom lens is the most versatile - with a wide angle to a telephoto lens being the most popular and favorite.

With them, one lens can accomplish both types of shooting with it's varying focal lengths.

When I took the above images, I was standing in the same spot - I hadn't moved at all.

The first image has a focal length of 30mm. I used the wide angle feature on my zoom lens to get the whole scene in the frame.

The second image has a focal length of 70mm. For this image, I used the telephoto feature on the lens to bring just a piece of the scene in closer.

As much as I prefer to use a prime lens, I must admit, I keep my zoom lens on my camera the most when I am out and about.

The prime lenses have a fixed focal length, and they come in all sizes and ranges.

The reason I prefer the prime lenses is that as a rule, they have a sharper, clearer focus.

However, if you are willing to spend the money, you can get a good quality zoom lens that has great sharpness and clarity.

With prime lenses, you need to carry a lot of gear around with you, and taking the time to change lenses is sometimes just not possible.

I purchased a couple of used lenses online a couple of years ago. One was Tamron prime lens that I had read rave reviews about, and the other was a Sigma zoom that also had pretty good reviews.

I was overjoyed with the Tamron - it lived up to all I had read about it and more.

The Sigma had me thinking that I was loosing my eyesight in a bad way. After reading more about the type of zoom I wanted in this range, I was pleased to find a great older zoom lens that had beautiful glass with sharp focus.

It's worth taking the time to research your glass. There are some great older ones out there that perform just as good or better than the new ones of today.

ABC Wednesday - S is for Sailboat

S is for Sailboat............







This is a scan from a slide photo that was taken back in the early 1980's.

We were lucky enough to be out on the ocean on an extremely hot summer day.

You can see the haze hanging over the water as the land in the background is barely visible.

Only a few shots taken - there was no such thing as digital cameras - film and photography was an expensive hobby.

Technology has been a grand thing in many ways!



This is the fourth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

Transformed into a Park

Transformed into a Park









I remember this area about 40 years ago, and I wish I had a photo of it from back then.

This image is such a complete opposite of what it looked like all those years ago.

It was the waterfront back then, and that area was not the place to go unless one wanted trouble.

There was a park further back from this section, but one would never set a foot beyond it - the dingy buildings, dirty waterfront, seedy characters, and an occasional rat along the rocks were enough to scare any one.

I would say that the town must have purchased the rest of the land adjacent to the park and turned the whole area into quite a beautiful and peaceful spot.

A place for families to spend an afternoon and tourists to enjoy a quiet respite.

Change has made it so inviting and pleasing with good vibes for all who visit.

I could certainly feel them as I strolled through these beautiful grounds - in awe of the changes and most happy for them.

Friday's Photo Tip - Exposure Compensation

Friday's Photo Tip - Exposure Compensation










All DSLR cameras and most of the point and shoot varieties have the Exposure Compensation feature.

I find this to be one of the handiest and most simple adjustments to make when using the camera.

If your camera has this feature, you will learn to love it too, and you will wonder how you ever did without it.

As we know, photography is all about the light and how we capture it with our cameras.

The light doesn't always cooperate how we would like it too, and sometimes the camera seems to have a mind of it's own too.

Some of these situations can be controlled though with a quick, simple adjustment.

Have you ever noticed the little "+" and "-" signs on your camera and wondered how to correctly use them even after you have read the manual on that section? Sometimes they use EC or EV instead of the + and - signs.

Take a look at the two images above. Notice that the top one is lighter than the bottom one.

The bottom one is the first image I took, and after a quick preview of it, I knew it was too dark.

I wanted to lighten it up, so I set my exposure compensation to +.03 and took another frame.

I was outside, and viewing the photo on the screen is sometimes thrown off by the bright sunlight, but the image still looked a bit too dark, so I adjusted the exposure again, up to +0.7.

I now have three photos of this subject, all with different exposures. This is called "bracketing", and it allows me to choose the one with the best exposure for processing.

Now, if I was taking a shot of a landscape, and I noticed in the preview that the sky seemed a bit blown out, I would use my exposure compensation, and adjust it down this time, to -0.3 and -0.7, and maybe even -1.

Most cameras have these step adjustments in 1/3 increments with a range up to 2 in either direction. Some of the more expensive cameras allow even a greater range.

My manual SLR camera that uses film has these adjustments up to 3, but I never used them, or really understood them. Film was too expensive to experiment with, and getting the exposure right with a light meter was a less expensive way of capturing my photos.

Digital has made it easy to experiment with your camera and learn it's features and capabilities with out a great expense.

Now, all these adjustments could also be made within photoshop while processing the image on the computer, but my belief is to get the photo right in the first place so the post processing is kept to a minimum.

Hope this little tip comes in handy for you - let me know if you try it and what your results are - and of course if you have any questions - let me know them too!

My 400th Post

My 400th Post







Just a little over two years now and I have come to my 400th post for this blog.

My other blog, Let's Jump Together, is closing in on it's 100th post shortly, so almost 500 posts altogether between these two.

I don't have any special topic - this is the first time I have mentioned any kind of milestone, and looking at that number, I find it hard to believe there are that many posts.

What started out as an addition to my photo website has turned into something that I could not even have hoped for.

This blog opened a whole new world - literally!

I have been involved with running several e-commerce sites over the last 10 years on the internet, and am quite familiar with dealing with customers, nationally and internationally.

But I had not explored the social side of the internet until I started this blog in April of 2007.

I must say, I enjoy this side so much more.

I have met some great customers through my websites, but I have made some great friends through my blogs.

And I have learned so much through visiting and reading your blogs - experiencing the world through your eyes.

My life has been enriched, from the heavens above us to the depths of the sea, and everything in between.

I thank you all for your visits and comments on all these posts and look forward to many more - both yours and mine.

Take care, my friends!

ABC Wednesday - R is for Rubber Boots

R is for Rubber Boots............







I spied them as I came up the walkway to the porch.

I had been fretting - I knew that my husband was getting home before me, and I knew that he had spent the morning in a muddy parts yard.

He is really good about cleaning off his shoes and boots before coming into the house, but I had just washed and cleaned everything for our company, and I was hoping to keep all the shoes out on the porch.

Well, he had not only taken off his rubber boots on the porch, but he had sprayed them down of all their mud and left them on the outside stool to dry.

After 26 years he still thinks of these little things that keep things running smoothly for me.



This is the fourth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.