I Found It!

The formerly beating heart of the United States

The Quiet Life of Garlic

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Take a Moment

to celebrate the simple joys of life

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The Standoff

Piddling politics against the might of nature

Those Who Reach

Shall bask in the sun

Be Yourself

Your season will come.

 

Spring is Coming

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Small Bluet

For you amateur photography buffs:

I shot this picture using a Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm f/2.8 (macro) lens that I bought used off of Craigslist for a mere 100 bucks.  For those who like macro photography, there is a huge, noticeable difference in quality with this lens compared to the 18-55 mm zoom that comes with the camera (I have a D3300).  I noticed the difference immediately, and when it comes to photography, I’m about as amateur as you can get.  The point I am making is that there are tons of old format lenses out there on Ebay, Craigslist, Amazon (used), etc. that are very good quality, but dirt cheap.  The “downside” is that old format lenses will not work with your camera’s metering or auto-focus.  You will have to use the camera in manual mode and gauge your exposure off the histogram.  That’s not a downside for me, because I don’t ever use auto-focus in macro shots, and I usually don’t want the camera telling me what to do, anyway.  I can screw up the shot just fine all by myself!

Seriously, though.  There is a learning curve, but if you want to learn photography, really learn it, some of the high-quality, old format lenses out there are a steal!

The Wedding Day

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I took this picture to see how the amber color temperature of the incandescent lighting might work with the gold on those little carriages.  After I cropped the results, I couldn’t help but think that it reminded me of a bride and a groom.  Her: regal, magnificent, dignified, resplendent.  Him:  handsome and colorful, a little harlequin, a little less prominent.

 

Christmas in Small Spaces

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Conviction!

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