Then came Mother's Day. I nearly burst into tears when I opened my gift from P: a Canon EOS Rebel T3i 600D.
I have so much to learn about this camera. For the time being, I'm incredibly grateful that it's relatively dummy-proof. I can set it on Automatic and it makes gorgeous pics. The portrait, detail, landscape, etc. modes are easy to use, too.
Here are some of my first pics:
Nora and I discovered this wonderful little cafe, Bizalion's, when she first started college in Great Barrington, MA. Baguettes to die for, yummy cheeses, gourmet groceries.
Wonderful things in the Wonderful Things shop in Great Barrington. They have room after room of yarn, knitting, crochet, and felting materials, books, and local handcrafts.
The owner told us that the store cat is 23 years old, but we found that hard to believe. He was incredibly lithe and well-toned. Purred like a steam engine.
I love this snapshot. Two beautiful women--Nora's friend, Fiona, and Fiona's mom, Mary. It was a gray, but dry day at graduation. Perfect for taking pictures.
You know how much I love my garden. This spiderwort didn't fare very well last year. It's recovered nicely, don't you think? This pic is like a little flower portrait.
Taken in my herb garden. The way the planter and flowers jump out here is awkward, and there's no composition at all going on, I know. The pansies won't last much longer because the days are starting (finally!) to get quite warm.
Eggs from my friend Claudia Rendleman's chickens. Took this indoors, mid-morning. No flash. I adore the colors. So Martha Stewart-ish.
Two more shots from Claudia's farm. I could have taken pictures all day. The second is a playhouse that the kids were using for a water gun fort.
I can't tell you how many times I shot this same fountain gargoyle/dragon thingy at Castle Park. I find it fascinating.
Yes, there's so very much to learn! The T3i 600D is also an amazing video camera. I haven't shot much video, but folks who talk about it online really seem to like it. There are a ton of youtube reviews. I've watched a few. I discovered today that I can adjust the fancy extended screen so that it folds into the back of the camera instead of sticking out. I call that progress.
One thing I'm looking forward too: using more of my own photos on the blog. I do use some stock photos, but I feel so icky when I use people's photos from the web--I always credit the link, but who knows what the chain of ownership is.
More as I learn...
