Settling in and preparing to spring

These last few days passed without me really noticing. With the exception of Michelle driving all the way over here to visit me (which I am eternally grateful for), life has settled back into the same mindless drivel and web wandering of the last few months. I need to get out of the house with my camera and go shoot something.

I'm excited about this month. Apple and Canon are both making major announcements in the coming weeks, and I look forward to what each has to offer. I'm less excited about Apple personally, merely paying attention to how its market image will build/falter based on whatever revolutionary or evolutionary product(s) it will unveil on Tuesday. Canon, on the other hand, is making me very impatient. I've been waiting for them to answer Nikon's D3/D300/D700 for awhile now, and it looks as though--based on various teaser images on their international sites--rumors about a successor to the FF 5D are coming to fruition. I would heavily consider purchasing a FF dSLR if it had faster shooting and better AF. I'm really glad I decided to buy the 30D instead of the 40D back in June. I can't believe Canon actually released the 50D to succeed the 40D, which isn't even a year old yet. Now I've got a better, faster SLR than my previous 350D which is not expensive enough for me to dismiss purchasing a full frame SLR in fear of losing too much money.

I need to be more decisive; I keep missing opportunities because I hesitate out of insecurity or laziness. Of course, I've been saying this for awhile, but hopefully I can set myself straight before the new quarter begins.

Job search begins Monday! Also, I must e-mail my professors about the textbooks during fall; I don't feel like spending several hundred dollars on barely-updated newer editions I'll only touch for 3 months.

I was reading a photoblog and came upon this simple but effective technique for making better pictures:


From Jeff Masamori's blog:
"For all you aspiring photographers looking to get better, I suggest you this:
Get your camera, go out, and find something interesting. Then think to yourself "You know, any idiot with a camera can take of picture of this thing in front of me, so what can I do to make it special?" Play with composition, aperture, exposure, etc. Get on the ground, or climb on top of something. Be adventurous and you are bound to get something great."

Definitely something that's passed through my head, although he puts it in more bluntly than I normally do. It's that bluntness that makes the difference between the quality of our images though, so perhaps I should adopt more of his attitude.


Disclaimer: The following section will probably only be fully understood/appreciated by a fellow SLR shooter who cares about my slow weaning off amateurish skills/habits.


I'm much more satisfied with my pictures from Taiwan than those from Hawaii. There really is a gradual learning curve for myself. Last year, when I first got my dSLR, I was shackled to the P(rogram) setting, which allowed the camera to decide the best aperture and shutter speed for you--not much better than using the Auto function. Thankfully, I had a really sharp prime lens attached, so even this amateurism leaked through a few portfolio keepers.

Reflecting on my shooting this year, I trace my progress through my various shoots. Ever since I joined The Daily Bruin, I shot only in Manual mode. It was so difficult to adjust to in the beginning, since I didn't fully comprehend the differences in results or how to perfect exposure. But by the summer, I was dialing a slightly smaller aperture to get more of Amy in focus, finding better shutter speeds to catch diffused window light, or realizing the full potential of angling reflected external flash bursts off various surfaces to evenly light Daisy.

I am most proud, however, of my growth in Taiwan. I finally acquired a wide-angle, so I was able to play around with perspective distortion and create different shots from just tilting my camera a few inches from the usual straight-on position. I realized leaving my aperture constant was a poor idea; landscapes came out significantly sharper when I remembered to dial my aperture smaller. Most importantly, I no longer shackled myself to low ISOs. Because I'm a freak about image quality, I regard digital noise to be my greatest peeve after image blur. For too long I kept myself at ISO 100, hoping that if I took multiple, consecutive shots of one image, one would come out the way I wanted. I realized two things: first, that rarely got me the image, and only in good lighting; and second, the 30D's CMOS sensor gave me almost unnoticeable noise at ISO 400, and even ISO 800 yielded clean results. I guess it reminded me of my focus: I'm in it to capture the image I want, not to make a poster-size print. I'd much rather have the perfect shot.


-- end photography self-reflection of growth --



I really want sushi and ramen.

I really want Federer to win today.

I really want to shoot more sporting events. UCLA Fall '08 here I come!

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