HALF MOON OVERHEAD

Last week I was at the soccer field waiting for the game when someone commented on the moon. Looking up I saw this beautiful sight peeking through the clouds.

TREE DURING THE GOLDEN HOUR

Ida Lee Tree at Sunset (iPhone photo)

The sun was setting as I ventured out on an errand. A single leafless tree at the edge of our local park provided a nice silhouette against the gold and blue sky. I quickly pulled over and got out my iPhone to get a picture. My DSLR would have been better, but it was at home. As they say, the best camera for the job is the one you have with you.

Another Ida Lee Park Sunset

The clear sky in the photo disappeared and gave way to clouds. The golden hour hasn't come back. But I was able to catch a decent sunset from the same spot. Only this time I had my Canon 5D Mark iv with a 24-105 L series lens. The setting sun did add some nice orange colors.

A Cardinal to Brighten Winter Scenery

This bright red cardinal payed a visit to my Mother's bird feeders this past weekend. He wasn't too close but a lot of cropping let me capture his glory.

Cardinal shot with Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 1/2000 sec. f/5.6 200mm ISO800

Cardinal shot with Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 1/2000 sec. f/5.6 200mm ISO800

EQUIPITIS - YES, IT IS REAL!

Well, maybe not a real disease according to the Centers for Disease Control. But it is real for shutterbugs. 

It begins when you elevate your craft and start taking better photos than just snapshots. The quality of the composition goes up. You begin comparing your photos to those by more advanced photographers. At some point in the comparisons, you will notice that the difference is not the composition but the quality of the image. The focus may not be as sharp. There are differences in many of the various elements of the image. You become infected with equipitis once you realize that the limitations of your camera and/or lens are what makes the difference.

My recurring bouts of equipitis originally showed up 30-some years ago when I was shooting film with a Canon Ftb and realized a better lens would improve my pictures. The new lens cured me until the camera died on my and photography took a back seat to raising a family, career, and many other things.

Eventually, my interest in photography returned with the purchase of a digital camera. I had a series of these early models because they were relatively inexpensive and the quality improved quickly with each new advancement. Then I get serious and equipitis struck again.

My first venture into digital SLRs was a Canon EOS Rebel xTi kit. I was happy with the quality but in a short time decided I needed a zoom lens and a wide angle lens. (see how quickly it hits!) The Rebel served me well for a few years. But my interests in sports photography highlighted the limits of that model. The best medicine for my equipitis – A Canon 70D kit. Now I had better control of my settings, better ISO range, and better focusing. I was cured, or so I thought.

My latest episode hit about a couple years ago. A friend let me borrow his 70-200 f2.8L lens for a basketball game. The improved sharpness of the images with this lens hooked me and I just had to buy one. This was enough to scratch the equipitis itch for another year but my drive for better quality in poor light conditions let it surface again. After debating whether to go with the new mirrorless DSLRs, I purchased a Canon 5D Mark IV with a 24-105mm f4L lens. My 70D provided good quality images but the Mark IV is much better. I am very happy with it. My only concern is when will my next bout of equipitis hit?

WOW! A FULL PAGE!

Our county’s weekly newspaper, the Loudoun Times Mirror, does a great job at covering local sports, especially the high school sports. They publish photo galleries of the games on their website. Photos and articles of key games or accomplishments make it to the print edition at the end of the week. They have been posting my photos of Tuscarora High School sports for the past two years or so. As discussed in earlier posts, they have published several in the print editions. There was a string of papers during football season with my photos. A high point was when four of mine were in the print edition. But recently there was a much bigger surprise. The paper includes a full page with two large photos of mine and a small article. Needless to say, I felt honored to see the page.

STORM CLOUDS

We had a storm front move through last week leaving us with some interesting clouds as the last remnants passed by.

BUSY TIME OF YEAR

It's a busy time of year. All the holiday parties, events, and activities. On top of that, the winter sports seasons are getting into high gear. Now it seems like there are two games a week to sheet as opposed to only one or two during the fall. Finding time to post on this blog has been tough. 

On Christmas day, a couple Purple Finches paid us a visit. A Blue Jay stopped by also, but left before I could get a photo. There will be more to come over the winter.