Just Life

Eye Candy Friday | Camera Practice.

When I upgraded to the iPhone 7S last September, I pretty much put away my DSLR (an eight year old Canon Rebel XSi). But over the past few weeks, especially as I look forward to Alaska (just three months away), I started to reconsider. This might be the only time I ever go, and I would hate to regret a missed opportunity for the best photos I could take. I pulled my camera back out. Whoa, I was rusty! It took a lot of tries, but I was pretty happy with my first effort, Renie’s finished wrap.

I realized I need a lot of practice (and a bit of new equipment – more to come on that front). which means the camera is still sitting out on the counter. and I’m going to make a focused (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) effort to use it! So for the next bit of time, I’m going to devote my Friday posts to sharing the best image(s) I have from the week.

Tuesday afternoon, I took Charlie to the park near his house. and I brought my camera along. two firsts in one afternoon! I took about 75 photos – 25+ with my phone and the rest with the camera. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the one phone photo I saved.

at the top of the slide

Here are the other seven I saved from the camera. I used a 50mm f/1.4 prime lens (no zoom). Yes, I got a bit of exercise myself climbing up to be at eye-level and running around just as much as Charlie to stay close!

The movement shots are really tricky. I used the “sports” mode for this one.

Charlie loves to find sticks. He asked if he could bring them home with him and I’m glad he forgot about that by the time we left. This is the farthest away shot I have.

Clearly, I’m a lot more comfortable up close.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased. These images are all straight off the camera. I guess it’s a testament to the power of natural sunshine that the colors look true (at least on my laptop screen). …and to dumb luck that they’re pretty straight and don’t look like they need much cropping.

If you’ve read this far thank you! I’d welcome any and all feedback, criticism and suggestions.

Happy Weekend!

9 thoughts on “Eye Candy Friday | Camera Practice.”

  1. Great shots…and I know zilch about "big " cameras but I enjoy the "trip to the park." Capturing a whale or a moose or two should be a breeze on your trip! 😇!Cheers ~

  2. Your photos are great! I prefer "close" shots, especially of people (I want to see faces!), but it is good to get some pulled-back shots too. I occasionally make photo books and I like to use the far shots for backgrounds. For Alaska, I hope you're thinking something super wide angle! I would also suggest possibly renting a lens such as that — one that you might not use much otherwise, or even just for research without the huge investment (because lenses are definitely not cheap!). I've used Borrow Lenses when I need something special for an event or for vacation; there's a link on the sidebar of my blog (I would earn a small commission) if you're interested in checking them out. They also sell used equipment. I used to have an XSi!

  3. I can't offer any criticism or suggestions (I always use my phone camera), but can say that I love these shots! I think they show Charlie in action, in great color. That looks like a terrific playground, and I predict that you may be bringing home sticks some day soon (along with special rocks in his pockets). I'm really looking forward to seeing more of your practice over the next several months!

  6. looks like you are already a pro to me! Alaska sounds like fun and yes, you would want the big camera 🙂

  7. What you already know about your camera has certainly stayed with you. All the photos of Charlie are wonderful and it's a joy to see the two of you having a great time in the park.

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