This is later ....

well back in Canada...via San Diego , California

Not sure how long I am here , there are things to be done.
Am living in a fluid state of not sure where to be or what to do.
Though I ain't complaining.

Really have to say I feel like I am living in the now.
I do have plans to be completed , goals to achieve , but really it's about right now.

While heading to the airport in San Diego,  because of hotel location , they had to call a driver for me.
After we got on the highway I noticed his coffee mug.

Nothing special except being one of those " I am a travel mug, but look like a camera lens"
It of course opened the door for conversation , " are you a photographer?"
We would expect the answer.

Actually he is a painter of abstracts.
We got into discussion about , where, what and who we are.
Painting being a relatively new pursuit for him.
A desire to let out what he feels and sees.

He suffers as we all do being creative, finding that spark to do what we do.

Our discussion lead us to why we were talking and what we were talking about.

I cannot even begin to recant everything we said , but it really came down to the moment , making a connection with someone and leaving that time and space , feeling like you learned something.

After I was dropped off , while waiting in line to check in to my flight, my new friend Momo appeared. Now realize he is a mountain of a man , parked in the drop off zone, hurrying through the Departures area, a man on a mission.
To tell me that the coffee mug was mine, that sharing that , passing it on, a symbol of those moments.

Because of a simple question I have made a good friend., a fellow artist , learned something and took some of what was said to heart .

That moment was in the now, you reading and taking something away from this , is in the now 

Later......

Camera Porn

I read an article today from a photographer , talking about his first foray into taking pictures. Learning to work with film, learning how to actually use a camera.

Although I do have a 35mm camera, I really don't have any images from it, any I did get developed are long gone. I remember it taking great pics outside, with its 50mm f1.8 lens, that Praktica MTL 50 was cool to look at and felt great in the hands, all metal construction.

That camera forced a commitment from you, pressing that button cost money. And I spent it !!

It then sat in its bag as other things got in the way, the lure of taking it out and clicking that button went away. I had not idea what i was doing and it was just costing me money having prints developed at Shoppers Drugmart.

Then the digital revolution , hit in a big way , digital cameras were readily available , though expensive at the local big box stores. You could have course gone to a number of smaller shops, some local some national, but pricing was always better at places like Future Shop (now owned/operated by Best Buy)

I was fortunate enough, to have a great Employee Purchase plan at the time. We could buy any computer or digital type device and spread the payments over 39 pay periods with no interest. How could I resist !!

So i marched down to Future Shop with credit card in hand, and checked them out.
That day I made a conscious decision to buy something that would be cool but also have some real functionality.  My choice was the Canon Powershot s-40.

All 4 mpix of happiness, and with a dial that I would find out later would become something that I would recognize and experience later on.

Why did I pick this camera over all the others available at that time ?
That dial was the deciding factor, those markings Tv, Av and M. Being able to set my own settings, a minimal form of manual control of the camera.
That all came at a price, to the tune of $799 plus taxes.

That camera took this pic of London skyline at sunset, from the 23rd floor of the Colborne Apartments at Colborne and York St, London

Need to add pic here !!!!

That camera served me well, and was on a few trips, Cuba , California and Florida. It did great in outdoor, good lighting and suffered if using the flash or low light situations, like most Point and Shoots. I learned how to play the settings, not really understanding but getting some great pics along the way.
I was hooked !!!

A few years go by, Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) suddenly becomes obtainable for the common man, like me. Though affordable considering its big brothers the Canon XTI , at $1000 (depending where you bought). For your hard earned coin,  you got a 10mpix DSLR with an 18-55mm f/4.0-5.6 lens.  This is an APC sized sensor about 40% smaller than a 35mm piece of film or its professional counterparts.

I was fortunate enough that Santa dropped this off,  Xmas of 2007.
I took what I learned on the S-40 and started with the XTI. First thing I learned, was that i knew nothing.  Later the Canon 50mm f1/8 and the Battery Grip were added
What ever pics I got with this camera seemed like pure luck, with no idea what I was doing (still) I managed to grab some images that to me are still my favorites.

like this one from the Don Valley Brick Works in 2008

It was all just luck and really I was unable to get predictable results when I took out that camera for anything. I suffered like I did with that 35mm, except now I could take 100's of high resolution really bad pictures.
Then I answered and ad in www.kijiji.ca , a professional photography PT Potter, Burlington,ON had advertised to offer basically seminar for taking portraits, with a model, only criteria being the requirement to have a DSLR camera or equivalent.  Cost $150 for 6 hours of hands on, small class of 6 people, in studio with lighting.

My little camera with some coaching and great lighting, suddenly pumped out images i could not believe were from me pushing the button. Ok the lights were all setup and really i was just pushing the button, though it showed me that those 10mpix when stroked the right way, knew what to do.

 Now all I had to do was figure out how to start replicating what i experienced, was time for some flashes.
I later returned for another seminar/class , this one to be natural light, which could teach me some more valuable lessons.
Again the results happened, I was listening this time.

Ok so I was excited now, I was getting some where , time to practice practice practice.
I started to get repeatable results, started to be able to dial in settings and see it happen.

So if 10mpix is good 15 mpix should be better , right ???

A search on Ebay found a Canon t1i, from Henry's store. 15mpx of happiness, should make for even better images right ?

Canon T1i - 15mpix with Sigma 30mm f/1.4

Wrong.
Just meant even higher resolution, bigger file size images of crap - haha
Back to square one
I had fooled myself, so I send the warning to everyone, mega pixel size means nothing if you dont know what your doing. In fact when i looked back, I had been getting good results from its predecessors, just to stupid to realize it.

More struggle, more learning, bought a budget flash unit, played , played.

Finally decided I was getting somewhere and responded to an advertisement, young guy looking to get some pics for his modeling portfolio. My first real photo session, and Trade for CD.

Juan Pablo Montoya - allowed me to be one of the first to take his pic - considering my lack of experience, I got pretty lucky.

Form there I started trying to find others to take pics of. Luckily my good friend from Brazil trusted me enough to take pics of her daugther, Vicky - my first super model !!

 

Actually have been able to take pics of Vicky a few times of the last years. Watching her grow up from that young teenager.

 

From there I started scouring the ads in Kijiji, seeing if I could find others that wanted pics so I could keep working on honing my skills.

I found Miss Eden Skye through Kijiji.

And fellow photographer and model , Katie

I felt ready for the big time !! Gear lust was on , time for an upgrade, to the next level - FULL FRAME

But the prices yikes !! And not all my lens will work from the XTI and T1i.
Its like at candy through the window of the Candy Store.

I scoured the listings in Kijiji once again.

Canon 5D Mk I - released in 2004 , 10mpix , Full Frame , pixels the size of rain drops. Lucky find , included battery grip , and Canon 24-105mm 4L series lens and a Lowerpro bag (not another camera bag - I give them away !)I got all of that for the price of the lens new, $1500

Which makes me sidetrack for a moment, about buying gear.
buying used is ok ! especially if just getting started, not sure what you are doing or where you will take it.
Would i purchase on Ebay ? Maybe not , most people to far away, you dont know what you are getting and its kinda like , you bought it you own it. Their are reliable sellers on Ebay and lots of real stores, but this type of purchase , you need to touch hold and try. So i do recommend Kijiji (well at least in Canada) you can find people close by , driving distance, meet at a coffee shop. I have met on side of the road, at peoples houses and even outside Walmart.
Point is I saved alot of money doing this.  anyways back to my story.....


Here I was back to square one !!!
A camera 3yrs older than my first DSLR and same 10mpix , an even worse screen on the back , zero ability in low light. Heavy and slow. During the day great camera , but soon as the sun went down , then no use at all. Use some flash and it came to life.

Getting Connected

Lots to write about.

but lots of time to do it.

For now just a quick update , some pics from the last weekend.

Living in Xiamen, China, southern part of the country , just across the water from Taiwan.
Been here since end of November and getting settled, though easier said than done sometimes.

Did get my first volunteer experience here, got to take photos for the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chia Foundation.

 

They were distributing basic personal items (tooth brushes, soap etc) and food (rice, oil, noodles) to the Elderly and disabled living in one apartment complex on Gu Lang Yu, an island off of Xiamen.

The island has no cars or bicycles and one of the top tourist places in China, though there are about 20,000 people living here.

 

We were only in one place for the day and left after all the residents had come to get the donations.

Good to see people trying to make a difference, in a place that has a tendency to bypass and forget those who are in need or not able to make do for themselves.

This is definitely a place I would like to come and spend a day or more walking around, it does have quite a history. Of course there are enough people walking the streets to attract the camera

And no lack of color in peoples fashion choices

later....