My New Camera

About three weeks ago, I bought my first major camera. The newspaper has been supplying me enough photography business that I thought it would not only be a good business investment, but I really wanted one!



I bought a Canon Xti Rebel body and then purchased a Tamron 28-300mm zoom lens. It is far more complicated than I thought to run. But I am beginning to learn a few tricks. My first photos were embarrassingly washed-out in the backgrounds.



The jury is still out on the lens. I have not had much time to put it on a tri-pod and play with the longer zoom lengths or exposures.



One thing I can't do is set the camera on automatic. The background will wash out. I am turning back the aperture a couple of spots and I get true colors.



I still have quite a bit to learn regarding depth of field. The one thing that I have not figured out how to do is take photos of flowers and such. I don't believe this lens will allow it. I suppose that I will be in the market for a wide-angle 28mm lens soon.



The photos are from a newspaper job yesterday at Toledo Cheese Days.

A Quick Trip to the Trains

Opportunity knocks. Some open the door and some run like hell.

My boys and I have kind of a strange hobby. We photograph trains. Yes, you heard that right, but more importantly, I like to photograph trains in nature.

So after a long winter, tight money and a two day window of amazing weather, I took the boys on an adventure to our favorite train watching location here in Washington State.; Steven’s Pass.
Unlike most of our trips to this country, the weather was perfect and the railroad gods were with us! There were plenty of trains to photograph.

Times are a little lean right now so while my preference would be to stay in a hotel, the boys and I set up a camp out in the woods. It was a very cold 28 degrees which made break down of camp on Thursday morning bordering on painful.

Northwest camping in April is a challenge and I made more than a few mistakes due to it being the first trip of the season. The biggest? I forgot to bring a pan to boil water denying us of hot chocolate on both ends of the stay at our campsite surrounded by patches of left over snow.