This weekend, I found these fungi growing on a dead tree trunk behind our storage.
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Blackout Photos…
Photos from the 3.5 hour blackout we had:
Excellent Camera Tutorials…
I’m sitting here under candle light since our whole neighborhood has had a total blackout for more than 1.5 hours. I was just about to post a journal entry when the power went out, so I lost everything :( I’m on my laptop now (running on batteries), so I’ll try to remember what I previously typed…
…
If you have been following my journal, you probably know that I have been researching a new DSLR camera with a swivel screen and/or a new lens. While I was researching, I found a website that had tons of video tutorial for my camera. The website lbguides.com doesn’t have videos for every camera, but luckily for me they have videos for both my Canon Digital Rebel XSI and Canon PowerShot A650IS.
For the XSI they have three many sections:
1. Getting Started: Learn about your camera’s basic features and some quick tips. (2 videos)
2. Scenes: Learn how to optimize the camera for specific scenes. (18 videos)
3. Functions: Learn how to set specific functions, e.g., delete, flash, etc. (30 videos!!!)
I went through several of the videos and learned more about ISO, spot metering and white balance than I learned from reading the manuals that came with the cameras. Now that I have a better grasp on how to set those up on the camera and I’m so surprised how much better some of my photos, especially indoor photos and pet photos looks.
With that said, I think I will put off getting a new camera (unless Canon comes out with a DSLR with swivel screen)… stick with my Canon XSI and keep practicing with it… With that said… hehe… I did buy some accessories for it.
First, I got an inexpensive Vivitar flash. I think it’ll greatly help my indoor photo with lighting, since the camera’s built in flash is way too harsh. I can direct the light up or to the side for an indirect flash. I’m hoping that this coupled with my new found knowledge of white balance will greatly improve my indoor photography.
Second, I bought an inexpensive prime lens; the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. It was under a $100 which is pretty good for a lens (I think) and I saw some really nice photographs on Flickr using this lens. So I’ll keep practicing with my camera and stick with it for a bit.
Blackout…
- 6:13pm Whoa!!! Total BLACKOUT in our neighborhood. It’s really spooky outside. Luckily we have a wind up flashlight. #
- 6:21pm Blackout!!! flic.kr/p/7y9acz #
- 9:10pm Candle lit dinner… … with my Mom!… Hehe. 3 hours… still no power… so I went to Footlong to get some sandwiches… #
- 9:40pm Yeay… Power back on after a 3.5 hour blackout… #
- 10:40pm is Safewaying… and they are playing Vienna Calling by Falco… #
Caprica…
- 6:25pm Battlestar Galactica fans, you can watch the pilot of Caprica on Hulu for free (beware: first 3 minutes are kinda graphic) j.mp/5DKg29 #
Territorial Seed Company – Seed Starting Video
I just got an email from Territorial Seed Company mentioning their new series of instructional videos. The first one focuses on starting seeds using several products they sell. It’s pretty basic, but good information… plus the host was a kinda cute, in my opinion ;)
Eating a Tune Melt with Knife & Fork…
- 1:26pm is eating my tuna melt and onion rings with knife and fork!.. #
Camera/Lens Research…
I’ve been researching different DSLR camera recently because I haven’t been that happy with some of my photos from my Canon EOS Rebel XSi. My photos just don’t seem to be as sharp as other people’s photos with similar subject matter.
Another reason I wasn’t so happy with my camera was the lack of an articulating screen (a screen that swivels)… which I liked on my previous point-and-shoot camera, Canon PowerShot A650IS (below).
It made it easy to take macro photos at weird angles or photos of a crowd taken from above. I wish Canon made an DSLR with a swivel screen.
Some of the DSLR with a swivel screen that I found were the Nikon D5000, Olympus E-620 and the Lumix G1.
I asked around for people’s opinion and many photographer said that if I was not happy with the quality or sharpness of my photos, then maybe I should consider getting a better quality lens than the kit lens that came with my camera…
So I’ve been looking around and researching about lens for my camera. There is so much I need to learn. I didn’t know many terms they used like USM, ES, prime, etc… but as I’m reading I’m slowly getting to know the terms a little more.
So now I’m not quite sure what to do. I can get a better quality lens (if I figure out what I want), but that still doesn’t solve the fact that my camera doesn’t have a swivel screen… but if I get a new DSLR camera with a swivel screen, then I will most probably get it with a kit lens and later want a better quality lens again… Additionaly, I would be moving to a different camera system, meaning I can’t use my Canon lens on the new camera…
So I’m going to keep doing my research… I can stick with my Canon XSI for now but I really want to improve the quality of my photos, so I’ll continue to search for tutorials that may help me with my Canon XSI for now.