Today was a spectacularly beautiful summer day in North East Scotland. My photography goal for the day being to take one photo of which I am proud and that I really like seemed to be all wrapped up before 9am when the neighbors' cat, Max, got into the old row boat near the pond and proceeded to watch ducks on the water. I went and quickly grabbed the camera, popped on the zoom lens and went to take the photo, from a safe distance, so as to get the cool cat doing the cool thing at the time. Unfortunately for me, Max had moved on to other activities before I could get my a** in gear. I'm really starting to understand the need for two cameras...she said. Later in the day, zoom lens still attached, I went out with the dog, also known as Hamish, to see what photos I might find. I left the zoom on because I enjoy landscapes and thought I'd use it before I took any macro photos.
The first thing I found was the neighbors' dog, Robbie, standing in the shallow end of the pond, mentally and somewhat physically, though unsuccessfully, fishing for tadpoles. I sat down to watch Robbie, hoping for a cute picture to post. Something to make my day. Something, ha ha ha, the readers might enjoy. No such luck. While I did get some cute photos, nothing was really good enough for this blog's goal, which is to improve my skills.
So, what happened, you ask? What happened was this - I realized that it hasn't just been ME these past few months being critical of my zoom lens, a Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300 mm, f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Auto-focus, blah, blah, blah - lens. Not the cheapest, certainly not the most pricey, a middling priced lens. A lens that I thought would be suitable for someone who is just getting her feet wet in the photography game. No, no. It's truly and completely this lens. IT SUCKS!
So today has been uneventful in the realm of improvement. I took 790 photos and none of them were up to scratch. However, I did take this photo of my dog, Hamish, on the dock of the pond completely ignoring the ducks to check out the fish food not too far off to the left. Hamish doesn't realize that in the scheme of things a dog would enjoy a nice, juicy, duck much more than some dehydrated Koi food.
The reason I posted this photo is sadly not because it shows any improvement of skills. It is because I just sort of like it. I just, very simply, like the way it makes me feel: warm, sunny, a bit relaxed. Summery.
Overall, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes about photography: "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind
The first thing I found was the neighbors' dog, Robbie, standing in the shallow end of the pond, mentally and somewhat physically, though unsuccessfully, fishing for tadpoles. I sat down to watch Robbie, hoping for a cute picture to post. Something to make my day. Something, ha ha ha, the readers might enjoy. No such luck. While I did get some cute photos, nothing was really good enough for this blog's goal, which is to improve my skills.
So, what happened, you ask? What happened was this - I realized that it hasn't just been ME these past few months being critical of my zoom lens, a Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300 mm, f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Auto-focus, blah, blah, blah - lens. Not the cheapest, certainly not the most pricey, a middling priced lens. A lens that I thought would be suitable for someone who is just getting her feet wet in the photography game. No, no. It's truly and completely this lens. IT SUCKS!
So today has been uneventful in the realm of improvement. I took 790 photos and none of them were up to scratch. However, I did take this photo of my dog, Hamish, on the dock of the pond completely ignoring the ducks to check out the fish food not too far off to the left. Hamish doesn't realize that in the scheme of things a dog would enjoy a nice, juicy, duck much more than some dehydrated Koi food.
The reason I posted this photo is sadly not because it shows any improvement of skills. It is because I just sort of like it. I just, very simply, like the way it makes me feel: warm, sunny, a bit relaxed. Summery.
Overall, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes about photography: "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind
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