day 9: orchard and dover

Today I put my 18-55 lens back on for the first time in two weeks. Even for its decreased focus or speed, the versatility of a zoom is like a drug after two weeks of a fixed prime, especially at wider angles. Been cracking open my flash manuals today and trying to relearn all the bells and whistles before we add radio slaves to the mix, but I got no quality pictures to show for it. Wasn't really aiming.

This is our vantage where we watch people spin their wheels in the ice while we eat our toast in the mornings. Actually, more people spin at night for some reason.

day 8: just 'cuz

They put the flowers close to the check-out at our grocery store, and I wanted something to bump my single item purchase in order to use the debit card, so...Sharon's luck.

Light-wise, this is still pretty flat. Till I get the flash trigger I'm in a bit of rut, wanting to use off camera flash for its ability to transform my otherwise greenish lit apartment with too cheap compact flourescent bulbs, but unable to temper the flash while in slave mode. So I'm going to go ahead and buy the Cactus V2 flash triggers.  Jesse, what sorts of tricking out did you do to yours to make them better?

Also I've been curious: where on your 285HV does the PC connector plug in? I'm looking at mine and haven't the foggiest (it's an original from 20 years ago or more). Not a problem, it plugs in using the hotshoe. I just wonder why it's not obvious and thinking that may be a feature from a newer model.

day 7: a blur

Busy day, no time to play. This was on the fly, and the unfocused version turned out more interesting than focused. No great shakes.

day 6: off the wall

  

Thank you Strobist and Jesse from Bend!  The boots picture is the happy first fruits of the off-camera flash technique that's bounced off the wall.  Unfortunately with my setup, the on camera flash has to fire in order to ignite my Metz flash off camera, but I was able to stop the on-camera flash down to  -2.0 AND cover the majority of its output with my hand, so that made it reasonably mild as a fill light.  Now I wish I could up my shutter speed past 1/180s in order to tone down the room instead of closing down the aperture and losing bokeh.  Already shooting at 100 ISO.

Poll: would an off camera flash be annoying if deployed at a potentially dark roomed superbowlparty?

The second picture seemed apropos to the day's title,  and the darn mistaken white balance setting gave me such a nice cooler tone, I decided to keep it. 

day 5: hockey

this daily task takes twice as long in simply selecting which 1 photo to upload, so I'm uploading three tonight.  I didn't have my zoom with me when I came upon this scene tonight, or I might have captured more detail.  I've noticed the way some modern compositions use more inert expanses (in this case the ice) almost like fill or white space, placing their diminutive subjects off in the background.  My results at trying this feel a little too much like point-n-shoot snapshots by parents on the sideline.  Not sure what the guidelines are for that kind of composition.

day 4: hemmed in

I'm regretting a day job that makes my photography only happen at night in our tiny apartment. Planning to be more adventurous this Spring after final exams finish.
This was just an experiment with the K10d's wireless flash trigger function, which quickly identified a dilemma: how do you open the apeture wide enough for low DOF while not over exposing? The camera limits the on-body flash (necessary to trigger remote slave) to 1/180s, and the flash can only be turned down to -3.0E. The answer is not "Pocket Wizards," because there's no money for that.

day 3: school marm

Nothing planned or belabored, just a glance I caught and wanted to keep. Still trying to get used to the new fast 50 lens, puts me at too close a range.

day 2: weekend elevator

May as well document my mistakes. I wish this were a better shot. I like the backlight washout, but I positioned myself poorly without a wider lens and my focus isn't great. I'm eager to learn how to catch more moments of action or expression. 

f/2.4, 1/90s, ISO 400, 50mm

day 1: beginning

Two in one day is allowed.

I can tell why my friend Katy suggests that photographing food is cheating: it takes no seeking, nor creativity to look good, and it's ready and waiting three times a day. But I do love food.