Posted on 24th December 2009 by Tara in Diary Entries | Photography
Nikon, Photography
I’m really not happy with my Nikon – my trusty D80.
It seems somewhere between Auckland and London, unbeknown to me, an accident of some type has occured.
I got to England and on the day of my brothers wedding, I discovered that my 18-135mm lens was broken. No, not broken, smashed! Smashed to pieces. And I cried – quite a bit in fact.
Travel insurance said that I dropped it. And if I wanted my Nikon D80 looked at for a damage report, then it was going to cost me $180.00. I hate you Southern Cross Travel Insurance – you wankers.
Mom told me to work with what I had.
So the rather noisy, but okay for portraits, Tamron 55-200 came out of retirement and I have been using that while I decide what to do next.
And I am nearly there.
With the amazing Nikon D300 available for around $2900, I am hoping that our dollar will improve just a little more and this price will drop. However the newly released D300s (with HD video) at $3500 …. well its just a little more isn’t it?
Wonder how the Bank of Mommy would feel if I presented another withdrawal slip. It would probably slam its doors shut in my face – forever.
This Christmas I will be using the D80 and the 55-200 as much as possible.
To see what I can really do with it.
It is a bit of a challenge but then again, I think its a good exercise to test my composition and my very amateur skills.
Or maybe, I’ll just get a new lens.
Posted on 6th December 2009 by Tara in Diary Entries | Photography
Cossie, Friends, Jackson, Little Man, Photography
Jackson is just growing into the coolest Little Man.
And he is really really good at posing and having his photo taken.
Posted on 11th August 2009 by Tara in Diary Entries | New Zealand | Photography
Andrew Simpson, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Gymnastics, New Zealand, Photography
I have just spent the weekend in a chilly gynamsium .. with a bunch of teenagers, Andrew, all his camera equipment and not just one Apple Mac but three.
This weekend we were photographing a Counties Manukau competition – as once again Pete Mesley is diving somewhere amazing and well .. someone’s got to do it.
Actually, the experience is really good for me.
Honey and Flour - not baking ingredients
Andrew does most of the photography and I work on the digital workflow. For a break, I’ll shoot off and take the photographs of some of the prize givings while he takes the opportunity to have a sit down – review some of his shots – and rest his shoulders from carrying that massive lens.
The digital workflow includes downloading all the photographs that he has taken, quickly rejecting any that are not in focus and displaying them on a large screen so that the parents can see them. Then in the background, I can tag them using keywords with the competitors bib number, team and event.
It makes it a lot easier to do this as soon as possible as there are parents coming up and having a look and wanting to see their son or daughter as soon as their event has finished.
And why wouldn’t they??
These kids are amazing! The level of skill that they have really impressed me.
And I learnt something else. Honey and flour are not just for baking. They will help you stick to the rings, the uneven bars and the parallel bars. And Pams Clover Honey is the best brand. Fancy that.
