Posts Tagged ‘photos’

Shuttle sky

Originally uploaded by CABridges

One of the best things about living on the east coast of Florida: watching a shuttle launch on the TV at Appleby's and then stepping outside in time to watch it sail across the sky.

Just found this again, browsing through pictures. This is Discovery's STS-119 flight, launched on March 15, 2009.

I'm really going to miss living near the world's only operating spaceport once the shuttle series winds down, and I hope a suitable replacement comes along. And not just for my dinner entertainment.

Most of a Moon

Originally uploaded by CABridges

Beautifully clear night tonight, after several days of heavy cloud cover. Perfect for long hours of night time photography of black nights fading into violet over the trees, sparkling stars and a 3/4 moon presiding over it all. A sturdy tripod, some careful metering and timing and waiting for just the right moment, just as I've been wanting to do for days.

Instead I'm going to bed early. Getting chilly out there and a warm bed calls. But I did take a pic of the moon from the parking lot at work, leaning on the roof of my car for support. Have I mentioned I like my new camera?

I like my new camera.

Yes, fine, rip-proof mesh and weather-proof nylon makes perfect sense for a durable camera bag. But do they all have to look the same?

Like all photographers pro and amateur, I am on the eternal hunt for the perfect camera bag. And like all great eternal hunts, my quarry does not exist in the real world.

Partly this is because your needs change. A bag for an all-day hike to take pictures of a transcendent mountain lake sunset would be substantially different than the bag you'd throw your stuff in to take pictures of your neighbor's car, and neither may handle air travel very well.But mostly because I'm really picky and skilled at determining what I don't want without ever quite articulating what I do.

It should be small enough to be convenient as a daily take-to-work bag but include padded compartments for my camera and accessories. It should have pockets for my other assorted doodads — pens, notebooks, ID, extra SD cards, batteries, what-have-you — but not be confusing. It should be durable. And, very important, it should be able to double for a casual backpack or messenger bag, ideally brown or charcoal gray (definitely not "I'm-a-camera-bag-steal me-black").

My other drawback? Has to be cheap, which knocks out some perfectly good contenders.I'm starting to think the easiest way to satisfy my various needs is to find a really good backpack and just add padded compartments for the camera gear. But that seems like cheating, and frankly I also have trouble deciding on the perfect backpack. Also, quick camera access is usually easier from a dedicated camera bag and you never know what sort of horrific accident, perfect moment of beauty, or spontaneous nude eruption might occur.

At the moment the closest (if still on the pricey side) (from my viewpoint, not compared to most camera bags) are the various offerings from Domke, but I know already that whatever I ultimately purchase will disappoint me in some way. This one appeals to me greatly, for example, but while I could make up for the lack of gadgety pockets with makeshift additions the price is still a sticking point.

There is no perfect camera bag. There is only the quest.

Citgo Sky

Originally uploaded by CABridges

The interesting thing about this picture was not the funky sky, although that's why I walked away from my car after filling the tank to get a picture, but that a Citgo employee immediately came out to ask me what I was photographing, which confused me.

I don't look especially terroristic. I wasn't pointing at anything sensitive or governmental. I have to assume they didn't want me to take pictures of their sign, which is idiotic since there's no law against it. They could maybe make a case for stopping me from taking pictures on their property, but I could have taken two steps onto the road and taken pictures of their sign all day.

Were they ashamed of their price? Were they changing it more than once a day and were afraid I'd get proof? Were they in the process of trademarking the sky and afraid I'd infringe?

No clue, and I doubt they know either. But I'm considering a new hobby of taking pictures of the Citgo sign every day.

So, the camera I've been using for the last few years is the Canon PowerShot A630. And day in, day out it's a pretty decent camera. Sharp pics, nice range of options, 4x zoom, 10 megapixels, handles my average photographing needs. But there are two situations where it's not really up to snuff: low light, and anything requiring a fast shutter speed. It's just not a quick camera.

And two places where I take a lot of pictures are at concerts (low light, lotsa movement) and conventions (low light, lotsa movement), so I'd like to get another camera that's suited for those sorts of situations since I love going to cons and I know Teres will be making plans for the upcoming Bon Jovi tour. However, there are some restrictions.

- It's got to be in my price range, which means under $150 at the most and at that I'll be selling some stuff on eBay first. (Although if an expensive camera is otherwise perfect, I can always look for a used one.)
- It needs to perform well in low-light, fast-moving situations. Sharp zooms would be nice.
- It needs to be fixed-lens, since most big concert venues frown (and may confiscate) pro-looking cameras or cameras with detachable lenses.
- The faster the shutter response time from the second I push the button, the better.

However, this camera doesn't have to be good at anything else. My Canon works very well for most things I use it for. I just need something for specific conditions where my current camera is weak. So basically I need a cheap pocket camera that takes amazing concert photos. How tough could that be?

Ideally the new camera would also use AA batteries and SD cards to match my current one, but that's optional. I want a concert camera.

Any suggestions?

Welcome to MegaCon

Originally uploaded by CABridges

Hey, one of my con pics was chosen to illustrate Schmap's page on the Orange County Convention Center.

Which means that people from around the world, hungry for travel information, will gaze upon my skilled photographic handiwork as they devise their itinerary and think: "Huh. A comic convention."