I am vehemently opposed to the notion of New Year’s resolutions. Any resemblance that this project may have to actual resolutions, living or dead, is coincidental.
My goal is to take a picture a day, using whatever camera is at my disposal, during 2010. The primary goal of this will be to help me improve my photography skills and to learn to use my equipment better. To this end, any comments and/or criticisms you would like to leave would be gratefully received. I hope that this project will also provide me with a means of documenting some of my activities this coming year.
Equipment I am Using:
My primary camera is a Nikon D70S. I bought it in 2009 when I finished my PhD. Sometimes I also get to borrow Chris’s Nikon D700! We have a selection of lenses, but the three that I tend to default to are the AF-S 50 mm f1.4; the 70-300 mm f4-5.6; and the Tokina 11-16 mm f2.4.
For Christmas, Chris bought be a Gorilla Pod, which is essentially a mini tripod with bendy legs that can be used to balance a camera in the most improbably of places. I also just invested in a Nikon SB600 flash.
Since our gear is not exactly compact, I reserve the right to use whatever camera may be at my disposal on any given day. I currently have a Blackberry Curve (8310), which has a built in 2 mp camera, and a Casio Exilim EX-V7, which is small enough to slide into my briefcase.
2nd January 2010
It was a relatively balmy -2C when Badger and I ventured out for our morning walk around 8 AM. It was a cruel and unusual -13C when we headed out again this afternoon, this time with the camera in tow.
The snow has been falling or about 72 hours; never heavy but pretty steady. It was about 3 ft deep in places and we were the first people (OK, person and dog) to think it might be a good idea to venture through the centre of Major’s Hill Park.
We wandered around the entire park. The view across to Parliament was stunning but my fingers were protesting the cold too much to switch lenses! A quick look at my Blackberry informed me that, while the temperature was -13C the windchill was -22C. It was cold, we turned for home!
As we headed back along Parent Ave, I was struck by the ivy on the side of a house just down from ours. During the summer the ivy covers the entire side of the building. In the winter, the leaves are all gone and it’s possible to see things that are otherwise covered. Winter has its own beauty, albeit a cold one!
