Photographic Musings...

Dustin

Dustin

Moderator
Visit site
I thought I'd make a thread for random photos and things going on in my life. I really enjoy Lee's (OldSchool) photos and musings and he has played a part in inspiring me to pick up another camera after several years without one. I was once an avid photographer but it sort of left me one day and I'm finding my way back to it again.

I'll post up whatever I happen to find interesting at the time.

:sport12:
 
What do you get when a German girl born near the Alps moves to Vancouver? Studded bicycle tires for winter cycling, of course :)

YEELc3il.jpg


4tH4wohl.jpg


And speaking of winter riding, I got some hand guards to protect my tiny little hands from frostbite on my commutes

Iq6Ecpgl.jpg
 
This little guy was following me around like he owned the neighbourhood
CiBhED3l.jpg


Winter sunset in Pitt Meadows, BC
L1DwvHpl.jpg


A feathery sunset in Vancouver, BC
VBRmi0El.jpg
 
Happy to help

Dustin said:
I thought I'd make a thread for random photos and things going on in my life. I really enjoy Lee's (OldSchool) photos and musings and he has played a part in inspiring me to pick up another camera after several years without one. I was once an avid photographer but it sort of left me one day and I'm finding my way back to it again.

I'll post up whatever I happen to find interesting at the time.

:sport12:
Click to expand...

With the local economy, and getting you back to photography.

What kind of hardware, and software?
 
I just recently took a step higher with some picture taking myself. I have had a TON of help from our very own Aaron, as well as Ray (CanonFuji), and my family friend Madelyn, all of whom are photographers. I've always liked taking photos as many of you here may have noticed, but it was always with mt point and shoot. I finally broke down and bought my new Canon T3i and have been loving it ever since. It will be awesome to be able to see what others are seeing aside from just motorcycling, but from the places that our bikes have taken us. Pretty cool I think!
 
Oldschool said:
With the local economy, and getting you back to photography.

What kind of hardware, and software?
Click to expand...

I went with a more compact P&S which would be easy to keep in my pocket or in my tank bag when I'm out riding. I wanted both a GPS feature and WiFi connectivity to make it easy for me to share photos with social media because that's part of what I enjoy about travel photography. I also wanted an optical zoom & full manual controls. I really enjoy going places and sharing that with others. With a lot of riding planned for 2014 and three weeks in Europe with the girlfriend, I'm going to really enjoy sharing my travels.

I went with a Canon SX280 HS as it was by far & away the best camera within my budget and with the features I deemed important.

sx280hs.jpg


I've owned two Canon digital cameras in the past; a G3 & a G5. The controls and interface of this SX280 is quite similar to my previous cameras which is always a welcome thing when 'getting back into it'. It's certainly not in the realm of an SLR or even something like my old G3 but it's a hell of a lot better than the smartphone I have been using for the last few years. It was partially the limitation of smartphone photography that spurred my purchasing of an actual camera again.

I haven't done any post-processing lately but I do have Paint.NET here at home. Most of my photos are posted on-the-go. :)
 
Last edited:
I like the software from Canon that was included. It allows easy correction of white balance and exposure. I try to keep my pictures true to how my eyes saw them with as little post-processing as possible. I always shoot in raw format so I can make those tweaks without any degradation of the file.
All self taught and always trying to improve which is an enjoyable process of it's own.
 
RAW shooting is one major feature this camera is missing. It's a concession I made when purchasing in a sub-$200 price range. I'm ok with that because I typically just share my photos to social media and here on the forum.
 
Newer cameras seem to have more sophisticated white balance than my (getting old) camera as well.as more pixels and better low light sensitivity. The shots you posted look great, and I would not have guessed a point & shoot. The best camera is the one you actually use!
 
Oldschool said:
Newer cameras seem to have more sophisticated white balance than my (getting old) camera as well.as more pixels and better low light sensitivity. The shots you posted look great, and I would not have guessed a point & shoot. The best camera is the one you actually use!
Click to expand...

I completely agree... the new sensors have incredible capabilities, even P&S cameras... I think the 'megapixel' war between makers is now ebbing and they are now packing in more features. Our family is Canon centered for my wifes wedding business and my landscapes... but I've recently taken to carrying only my Canon G1X which has a sensor just smaller than APS-c.

I work for Fujifilm and my boss just sent me a link to the company store for some of the high-end X series cameras, saving ~$150usd... I might take the plunge into the Xe2 with a couple of lenses. :sinister:

For processing, Lightroom is my main choice, but somtimes I'll open Photoshop.. at work (oddly enough) my group won't spring for the corporate PS license, so I use free- GIMP editing software and it works well...
 
We had another dump of snow here in BC. It came hard and fast and has since melted away for the most part. I did ride in it for a couple of days and it seriously made me consider getting a car again.

Winter blues...
 
Last edited:
Oldschool said:
Newer cameras seem to have more sophisticated white balance than my (getting old) camera as well.as more pixels and better low light sensitivity. The shots you posted look great, and I would not have guessed a point & shoot. The best camera is the one you actually use!
Click to expand...

There's the truth!
 
Dustin said:
We had another dump of snow here in BC. It came hard and fast and has since melted away for the most part. I did ride in it for a couple of days and it seriously made me consider getting a car again.

Winter blues...
Click to expand...

Poor little guy out there in the snow and cold...should we start a buy "Dustin a tarp" thread???
 
I said goodbye to the FZ600S yesterday. For those of you that don't know, I bought this bike from Lee (Oldschool) nearly two years ago. It was in beautiful shape but needed some TLC to get it back in working order. I borrowed a car, borrowed a trailer and borrowed a friend and we drove the 2000 km round trip non-stop in the dead of winter to get the bike. We hit a lot of snow and got turned around in a blizzard at one point but I took the bike home and gave it love and attention. Lee took excellent care of the bike and I got it up and running in no time.

At this point in my life, having 3 bikes just isn't in the cards for me. I've got some ambitious plans for 2014 and it was time to find a new owner. I sold the bike yesterday to a very nice retired paramedic. He wanted a nice old bike he could put collector insurance on and take around with his fellow fire/police/ambulance riders. Perfect fit for him.

I'm really pleased that I got the opportunity to own such a beautiful survivor and a piece of motorcycling history.

yRSdP5Rl.jpg
 
I was walking to the post office to send the FZ's buyer the spare keys I forgot to give him and I came across a particularly decadent church. Churches of this calibre are not that common in Vancouver and it's a reminder of ideals from days gone by

bXgMAOql.jpg


I happened to see a bird hanging out on one of the crucifixes and it gave me a chuckle. Secular bird cares not for human ideology

A2V5qpVl.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top