1st self portrait

1st self portrait
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

So I went out and spent the $20 on a compact flash card that I needed to turn my camera into a camera rather than a piece of sculpture.

Then I went out and bought a bag to put it in. And with the bag came a free extra battery (sweet)

I'm still obsessed by dust of course - even though the camera spends half of its life shaking its sensor... but then in this dry air I'm a bit of a dust factory - everything is flaking as you can no doubt see.

Minus 8c here so the vegetables can remain unphotographed.

Instead I pointed the camera at myself, turned 'shaky hands' on and pressed CLICK. This is the first thing that came out. I think I like it.

Purgatory

So my lovely new, shiny, double lensed, 14.2MP with a sensor that can just about handle it camera showed up on Wednesday

But the CF card that I need to actually store any pics on it is coming from a quite different supplier and despite having been mailed on the same day is due "Sometime between the 11th and the 16th"

Gnnnnnnnaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

Will wait to see whether it arrive tonight and if it doesn't I shall make a quick dash down to the local camera store and pic up a wee, cheapie - just so that I can spend Saturday morning photographing vegetables down at the Farmer's market and Saturday night photographing people getting into vegitative state on cheap vodka at the Erb party.

Plans for today --- Jude's off to Novi to do some shopping at the posh mall (I already have the acrid smell of hot plastic in my nostrils)

I'm off to work - where I'll watch the big screens talk about 'The Big 3' as though Ford is in as dire trouble as the other 2... all the while understanding that the problem with the American car industry when it comes to Ford isn't American cars... it's America.

I seems we can forgive the Japanese years of poor product - as soon as they pull their act together
Ditto with the Germans - remember when BMW made bubble cars and VW has been at the bottom of quality lists for years
Even the Koeans can be forgiven for The Pony

But when Ford starts putting out decent product again nobody wants to look. It's depressing. But then sometimes industries are at the mercy of whim, fashion and prejudice. You can make cars that people would want but if they refuse to kick a tyre then it's pointless.

Oh well - nobody will end up walking to work. It's just that a lot of people won't be driving to work anymore either,

No entries :-(

The Dirty Show Detroit is an Art Exhibition that shows off all kinds of 'sexual' 'art'

They just sent me a 'last call for entries' and despite my best efforts I really don't have anything to show them - unless I decide to enter a 'performance piece' - which at this point would mean committing to entering and re-entering a dwarf in a number of inventive ways in front of a crowd feigning disinterest

Still I may well have a look through the archives - or take the superzoom to a dogging spot and see what what I manage to get

So I made it to work alive...

back from the undead
Originally uploaded by KatColorado

... and am kinda wishing that I was unmaimed but in a ditch somewhere (they build 'em wide and shallow here, the roads are crumbling, the salt is rationed but they do try to minimize the effects of crashing)

Today is too busy. Rushing from place to place in search of meetings that seem to be 'springing up' all over the place. I swear that meetings are triffids and clients are vampires.... it's all fitting together now.

So I made it to work alive

back from the undead
Originally uploaded by KatColorado

Oooooohhh Arrrgggghhhhhh

Sleepy
Originally uploaded by Kaj Bjurman

So this morning the snow started to melt and the rain started to fall. The sidewalks were thick with patches of black ice and getting to the gym became an exercise in slipping, sliding and falling forwards.

Yet when I managed to get back to my car I somehow forgot that the surface beneath my tires was treacherous. That's what a ton of steel will do for you.

Needless to say, first gear, 6mph and I was sideways, drifting impressively towards an oncoming garbage truck, the traction control light flickering like gaudy Christmas tree decorations. The rear wheels span, the car fishtailed and I got hod of it just in time - shooting forwards as though I'd been in control the whole time.

The 35 mile journey to work is going to be 'interesting'

Sony alpha a350

Sony alpha a350
Originally uploaded by Michael Nilsson

Yup

Counter to everything that I thought I was going to do I finally chose a Sony camera that doesn't really look or feel substantial enough to be a DSLR but that will be a base upon which I can start building a collection of Zeiss lenses and Minolta bits and pieces until my camera bag is fit to bursting and I decide whether or not this photo lark really is for me. Went against all advice and bought with a kit lens - but only because the kit was on offer and came in cheaper than the body alone. So now I have a great 'lensy' Christmas list (all you rich readers out there)

Pentax came closer than I thought to being the #1 choice too - but they blew it by blurring the edges between their offerings. The have a K20, K200 and a K2000. And as you add a zero to each you supposedly move down the chain. But then each of the models has an advantage or point of product superiority over the others --- and you end up wondering why it is that the K2000 is faster and has better ISO range and noise performance than the K20 for example. So I was so lost in 'which feature do I most want' that I left the brand entirely.

Canon had a whole bunch of cameras that were really well reviewed. But I have the shakiest of hands and the fact that image stabalization came in the lens rather than the body bothered me. Why should I pay a 'shaky hands' tax on every lens that I buy when I could pay it once and be done with it?

Ditto Nikon. I love the strap (and the yellow Nikon logo) and I love the image quality but again it's all in the expensive glass... and I don't want to do that yet.

Panasonic I liked. And the G1 would be a great choice if I wasn't looking for something that looks mre serious. I'm sure that it's a great format and that one day the world will use it. It's portable. There are some great lenses to be had and the battery life is excellent - but the truth of the matter is that models don't respond to dinky. They like to see weight and lots of length. And that's what I'm looking to give them.

So I am now (and forever I guess) a Sony guy. Wow. Who'd have thought it. But I'm excited. Camera should be here before the vacation. And that's gonna make for lots of interesting shots (I hope)

Plus I have the Panasonic Super Zoom for those 'get 'em unawares' moments and a tiny 'in the pocket but big zoom' for the 'flip flops and outta the house' days.

Expensive weekend. Oh well.

It's -9C outside

And REALLY windy

So in the middle of the night I got up and booked Xmas here