Another Town, Another Lamp Post

Walking around downtown, historic Santa Fe, I came upon this lamp post.  Between the power lines, surrounding buildings, and other distractions, it took some effort to get a shot that eliminated the background distractions.  Getting in close and looking up was the best chance I had...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

Great Wide Open

Taken at Meteor Crater, Arizona...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

Cool Hat

This caught my eye while walking the dog one morning...

Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-200 DX VR

Like A Painting

Walking/driving around Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona last week, the comment "that reminds me of a Bev Dolittle painting" kept popping up...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR

Ristra

Returned home today from a trip to Arizona and New Mexico, the bulk of which was spent in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Had a great time, drove a lot of miles, and took a few photos along the way.  As I sort through the photos I'll post a few in the coming days.  Here's one I took in historic downtown Santa Fe...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

Human Tank

Another attempt at messing around with HDR.  Processed a single shot with Photomatix Pro, then ran it through Topaz Adjust (in Apple Aperture).  

Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-200 DX VR

Chasing Vision

I check half a dozen or so blogs a day, written by photographers about photography.  Sometimes I read them slowly, sometimes I skim them quickly, looking for something that catches my eye.  Often I pause for a moment and look closely at a photograph, mostly to think about the composition, to think about what made me stop and look closer in the first place.

Occasionally I read a blog post that really makes me think.  Early this week, I read one that made me think.  And think again.  Then, I went back and read it a second time, which I don’t recall doing before.  The post was about chasing a photo, trying to replicate what someone else had done, being disappointed when confronted with reality, and making the decision to be true to your own ideals (you can read the post here http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/2013/02/05/28856/).

I’ve been guilty of this.  I'm still guilty of this.  Gear envy.  Talent envy.  Vision envy. 

When I bought my first DSLR I immediately bought a zoom lens because I thought I needed it (and which I used a lot).  Then I bought another lens, and another lens.  Then I bought some lens filters.  Then I didn’t use the other lens because I didn’t need them, and found out that I didn’t need the filters I bought either (with the exception of the polarizer).  I sold the lens, and the filters still sit in my camera bag, collecting dust. 

I came to realize, slowly, that I needed to learn to use what I have before I should think about accumulating more equipment.  I learned that I needed to develop my own eye, my own vision, and stop trying to see what others see.  I learned that I needed to please myself...

Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR

Cocooned

Taken at Eklutna Lake, north of Anchorage...

Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR

Moonrise

Moonrise over Sedona.  I took this shot handheld...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

The Wide View

Took my new wide angle lens out for a spin this afternoon.  I've shot landscapes with my 18-55 mm lens, and I didn't think going wider to 10mm would be a dramatic difference.  

That was a false assumption.  The angle of view was so much wider that I had a difficult time framing shots without having "clutter" on the side, or in the foreground.  I had to think about the shot, be a little more deliberate in my approach...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX