Tuesday, January 14, 2014

SOT(New!)C 83/365

Nothing like buying a new camera in the winter to feel like you haven't bought a new camera.

As I have often mentioned, my rate of photography drops significantly in the winter months. As one who is drawn to subjects rich in colour and vibrance and sunshine, you can understand why. Last year, I intentionally purchased an annual pass to the Muttart Conservatory, in part to remedy that. I am also trying to remember that winter is a perfect time to practice still life and night photography. Still, most evenings I would just rather curl up under a blanket with a good book.

It just so happened that I found myself at the Muttart after work today. I meant to stay for about an hour, with the intention of working with my tripod in the waning winter light. About half an hour into it, though, I heard a 'snap' as I was repositioning the tripod, and suddenly one of its legs was in my hand. I had suspected something was amiss recently--the legs had seemed increasingly wobbly, and whenever I folded it up, there was an odd clicking sound. At roughly 40 years old, mind you, this tripod has lived a good long life (I just wish it wasn't going to be so expensive to replace!).

Orchid Bokeh (SOTC 83/365) by gina.blank
Being pod-less meant I now had only two lenses that would work well hand-held in the lower light. So I took a couple more shots for the sake of practice, and called it an early afternoon.

But, as I have read several times on fridge magnets and Facebook, "the time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time," and I still came away with some good images,* including my first one Straight Off The New Camera.**





* Admittedly, the imperfection on the petal drives me a bit nuts, but I was determined to have this shot be SOTC. I'm pulling the 'Wabi-Sabi card.' ;)

** Interesting fact: it may be the first SOTC image, but it is the 332nd photo I have taken with my new camera. Despite winter, clearly, I have been working the new technology.

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