Archive for January, 2010

A bit of photography

Jan 31

So instead of getting my sewing machine, I got myself the camera lens instead. It was either one or the other, right?

I am so happy with it… just look at the cat!

It’s the 5omm 1.8 fixed(not zoom) lens for my Canon and it makes me very happy.

I’m a bit of a macro fan so having a really great lens to shoot things with a shallow depth of field just floats my boat, if I had a boat, of course.

New 50mm lens taken with the zoom lens

Zoom lens taken with the new 50mm

There is something really satisfying having everything blurry except for exactly what i want to focus on.

So hopefully I’ll get some great new pictures going, and they’ll be a little more artsy and satisfying.

 

(I should restrain myself from posting too many of the cat though.)


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Motivation, motivation, motivation.

Jan 9

I find myself spending too much time online getting exciting about things I want to do and try, and then when I go to bed I’ve woken up and forgotten everything and lost all motivation.

There is sewing, and knitting, and felting, and creating little animals, and printmaking, and drawing, and joining a choir.  How could any one person be able to do all these things?  The answer is I’m just a sad dabbler with no particular excellence in anything.

I’ve been exploring a friend’s flickr stream and it now I’m all excited about photography.  “I need a Macro lens for my camera!” I think, having a eureka moment, and I’m off on a 3 hour discovery of photography and canon macro lenses.  I’ve just been reading the beginner faqs on the PhotoNotes.org website to brush myself up on what might be a good lens because I’m a complete idiot on photography, and then I grab my camera and think “Oh! My Flickr page needs something new on it too.” I’ve pulled the battery to recharge it and now I just know that I’m not even going to touch my camera again until I see a new pretty picture to inspire me and I’ll be off again on another–probably unproductive and unfruitful–tangent.

I think my problem is I get all excitied about starting a project, but when the going gets tough, there is even the slightest hurtle, or even the fact it will take me longer than a day, I’ll give up, pack it away and forget about it for 6-12 months. It’s starting to get depressing and make me agry at myself. This blog is another example, 4 posts in a year! I mean seriously, whats that about?

At any rate, I’ve got two things to buy:

  • a Canon 50mm 1.8, Ø52 (this one sounds pretty good) or EF 100mm 2.8 Macro/EF 100mm 2.8 Macro USM lens . Hopefully used.
  • A sewing machine.  I really like this one from John Lewis.  Looks like a good price and 2 year warranty.

Because I’m such a baby at committing to spending money on myself, I’m hard pressed to just buy these things.

January goal, Acquire a Sewing Machine.  I can do that. The next issue will be will I use the blooming thing to make getting it worthwhile? I hope so.

A Pretty Picture to end the rant, It’s a winterland here. Not high-quality, just handy-iPhone.


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