Category: Life

Up and At ‘Em

Life

I took my camera out of its bag a couple days ago.  Lovingly brushed it off and attached a favourite focal length lens – my 24-105 f/4.  I use this lens for much of my walking around shooting.  But as we all know, there hasn’t been much walking around to be had lately.

As I turned knobs and adjusted settings, more and more came back to me about why I love photography.  The choices available and decisions made around capturing a photograph give a sense of control and accomplishment to my day.  While they can also be a source of frustration, for the most part, they are positive.

Proceed with CautionThis week, our provincial authority once again allowed visits to local parks and recreation areas.  Day trips only, no camping, no lounging.  We can walk through, stop for a few minutes to see the sights, and move on, all the way staying wary of the need for social distancing and self-protection.  Retail and many service businesses are also opening with restrictions.

There have been such a wide variety of plans released by all levels of government to give us our lives back.  Frankly, some don’t make sense to me, but I give full credit to politicians for doing their best to navigate the complexity of sanity, economy and safety. Continue reading “Up and At ‘Em” →

There But For…

Life

April 16 2020.  No, that’s not the day of this post.  It’s the day I woke up with a sore, scratchy throat.  I was puzzled but unconcerned, since I had been in semi-self-imposed lockdown for more than three weeks.

IMG_0170I had ventured out for groceries, and to the drug store and pet store, and even made a stop or two at the home centre.  All within my municipality – heck, all within 10 km.  At no time did I wander – always in and out knowing exactly what I was there for.  So no chance of being exposed – or so I thought.

But over the two weeks since, I’ve lived a mild version of what many others have experienced.  It’s been the strangest illness ever, with no symptoms of some things and problematic symptoms otherwise.  Continue reading “There But For…” →

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Life, My Community

Almost everything I read or watch now starts with “because of the situation we are in” and proceeds to explain why things are being handled differently than usual.  In many ways, I admire the creativity of people generally and of our community of photographers especially.

Those who make an income from photography are developing ways to stay connected to their audiences and are still finding ways to earn income.  Others are creating unique experiences, either by showing an aspect of their talents that had not been seen before, or by offering more intimate, less structured connection time with fans and supporters.  I applaud them all.

The Good The Bad The Ugly

But hitting home most for me is what “this situation” is revealing about the society we live in, the life we take for granted, and the problems we have ignored for too long. Continue reading “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” →

Working from Home

Life, My Community, Photography

1700 square feet. My universe right now. A backyard too, and a weekly trip in the car to the grocery store. In and out in 30 minutes.

Home - Top ViewMost of us have similar stories. In fact, exactly the same stories.

Efforts to stay connected to friends and family, and to be productive at home, have been marginally successful.  At first it was kind of surreal:  figuring out how to do things remotely that normally are done face to face.  Strangely, part of the problem now seems to be that in our increasingly technology-driven world, using technology ALL the time gets monotonous and boring quite quickly.  I’m of a generation that never had technology until we became adults.  We still choose other ways to get things done.  Now we can’t. Continue reading “Working from Home” →

We Are All Connected

Life

There is no greater proof that we are all connected on this planet than the spread of and response to COVID-19, the novel corona virus.  It seems somehow petty to consider writing about camera gear, creative struggles, even our successes when the world is dealing with this situation.  So I won’t.  Continue reading “We Are All Connected” →

Happy New Year and New Decade

Life, Photography

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very happy New Year.  It’s hard to believe we are at the start of the third decade of the millennium.  I still remember where I was and the worries of throwing the switch on the year 2000, when it was expected that everything electronic would meet an untimely end.  It didn’t and our lives have improved (or worsened, depending on your point of view) for all that technology has brought us.

The first iPhones and tablets.  Digital cameras became mainstream for consumers like you and I.  Our homes became smarter and are still learning.  So are our cars.

But with that comes the responsibility of managing our growth for the good of all people, indeed all life, on this planet.  That we still need to work on.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

May your year be full of promise and joy, and may it bring you everything you could possibly want.  I thank you for your support and encouragement, and look forward to sharing more conversations with you in the weeks and months to come.

Lessons Learned from Two Weeks Away

Landscapes, Life, Photography, travel

Newfoundland_mapI’ve just returned from a two week trip to Newfoundland.  If you have not been to the east coast of Canada, make a plan to go.  It is an amazing experience – socially, culturally, but also photographically.

It’s my longest trip ever (yes, I lead a sheltered life) and the first time I’ve seen the Atlantic ocean (see what I mean about sheltered?).  I saw and heard a lot, but also learned a lot.  I’ll deal with the latter in this post. Continue reading “Lessons Learned from Two Weeks Away” →

My Busy Few Weeks

Interesting Stuff, Life, Photography

In the last three weeks, I’ve been the busiest I’ve ever been since taking up this interest in photography.  Has it made me a lot of money?  Sadly, no.  But I’m still happy with the outcome.  So what have I done?

Continue reading “My Busy Few Weeks” →

Live and Learn

Learning, Life, Photography, Tools

There’s a reason this post is late.  I usually try to post twice a month – 1st and 15th.  Fully intended to do that this time.  Then plans changed…

I’m told I should be applauded for trying new things.  I guess that’s a consolation.  But trying new things also means being ready for things to go wrong.  I wasn’t quite ready.

Here’s what happened… Continue reading “Live and Learn” →

Speaker for Hire

Life, My Community, Photography

podiumI gave my first full length feature talk on photography this month, to a sister camera club.  Its members were knowledgeable, animated and fully open to the challenge of challenging me to entertain them.  It isn’t easy spending 90 minutes in front of an audience, especially when any of them could have as readily been the speaker for hire.

I learned a few things that night, and thought I would share them with you. Continue reading “Speaker for Hire” →