Check out Skywatch Friday for awesome skies from all over the world!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
It's a Mixed Up World!
On some of the blogs I follow, I read about people dreaming of moving beyond their point-and-shoot cameras to a DSLR. I see other bloggers (and I fall into this category) wanting to move from an entry level DSLR to the next level. Case in point, my nephew is visiting from Sicily and has a Canon 7D. He let me try it out (big mistake!) and now I have a really serious case of camera envy. It's a big, solid, built-like-a-tank camera that makes my Canon Rebel T1i feel like a plastic toy! High end or entry level, DSLRs are expensive, sophisticated and incredibly well engineered pieces of equipment. So, why in the world would someone what to use a sophisticated DSLR to shoot through the viewfinder of an old Kodak or Brownie with lens distortion, dust, and light leaks? Why is one of the best selling photo apps for iPhone the Hipstamatic app that makes your photos look like they were taken in the '60s on a little cheap plastic camera? Go figure. All I can say is it's a mixed up world! Oh, and it's really a lot of fun!!
Above is one of my favorites from last weekend in the CA desert near 29 Palms. These are two images taken through the viewfinder of my Kodak Duaflex II placed side by side. There was a beautiful late afternoon moon (image on the left). We were exploring this little homestead cabin. Our Jeep is in the photo on the right. A perfect afternoon!
Above are some of the places we came across last weekend. The people living out here are way, way off the grid. Talk about hardy and self sufficient! It's many dusty miles to anything. Most have electricity, but that's it. They haul out their own water. The photo on the lower left that looks like something out of a sci fi movie are two water storage tanks with gravity feed to a homestead cabin.
Above is a late afternoon big desert sky shot straight through my DSLR... clean, clear (might have been even better had I remembered to take my tripod!)... none of the old timey look of going through the Kodak viewfinder. I think each approach has it's own good and bad points. What's your preference??
Check out Skywatch Friday for awesome skies from all over the world!
Check out Skywatch Friday for awesome skies from all over the world!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Happy skywatching today.
ReplyDeleteCool one~
Love the pink tones in the last one.
ReplyDeleteGreat colors of the desert skies!
ReplyDeleteCool you write about it! I am the one with the point-and-shoot toy, squeezing last juices out of it, now and then having pleasure to hold Canon 7D (and dream about it!). But indeed the small piece of plastic is very easy to carry around, as you never know what's waiting behind the corner :) So just having big gun would be nice, but for daily fun I would choose something small and easy, unless you are grown together with cameras in a total fusion ;) Just tried in shop Panasonic Lumix, that was a big surprise of quality for such a little bug. Anyways, I don't like all those applications and layers in blogging, (maybe in other places sometimes) clean non-manipulated shot is the best.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Nice sky!
Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
great post and fantastic photos, how true it is watching folks with the latest technology trying to alter their photos back to vintage
ReplyDeletegrew up using my mom's brownie box but enjoy seeing all our new options
Cool photos from the desert. I love the last shot with the pastel colors and the moon. Great captures! Happy Skywatching!
ReplyDeleteInteresting commentary about the older cameras. I used a 35mm SLR for many years, but now I'm really enjoying the digital cameras. Most of my blog photos are made with a Canon PowerShot G9. It's small enough to go anywhere, and the lens has as a macro setting and a zoom. The zoom feature is rather limited, but I like the ease of carrying the camera with me. My husband uses a Nikon and he totes a camera bag so he can change lens for different shots. Fantastic pictures, though, so I guess it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful desert sky in the last photo!
Thanks for your visit and comments on my blog.
Happy Sky Watch Friday!
Lea
Beautiful skies and creative photos! I use a point-and-shoot Canon Powershot SX20. I enjoy being able to easily shoot landscapes or zoom in on birds but my camera is heavy and bulky. I think rather than a DSLR my next camera will be something lightweight like a Panasonic Lumix.
ReplyDeletelovely captures but the last one gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, especially the last one but I must say, the water tank shot looks like a Twilight Zone moment!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are great..the last one beautiful! Thank you for the nice comment on my blog.Maybe someday I can get a bigger camera, but right now I have a small Canon power shot, and I take it everywhere I go..even out in the backyard.Photography is a soul-satisfying thing!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, and keep shooting! I am following your blog.
Love the old look shots - looks like nothings changed for 50 years and really catches the atmosphere. I drove from Las Vegas to San Diego when on honeymoon. Our car ran out of engine coolant right outside of 29 Palms so we had a night there. Unusual honeymoon destination but fine if you're in need of a 24 hour buzz cut!
ReplyDeleteWill be back to have a nosey around. Have a great weekend x
Excellent post! The first photo has a stereograph look...that's really going back in time. I bought a Nikon D40 because it felt right at home in my hand, easy to carry around. Happy SWF!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the breathtaking clarity of the DSLR. I love my Nikon D3100 and wouldn't go back to a point and shoot, although I had many lovely photographic experiences with my Nikon Coolpix. At any rate, beautiful shots as usual and happy weekend to you!
ReplyDeleteThat tones in that desert sky are magnificent.
ReplyDeleteSuperb shots,,
ReplyDeleteI have a Nikon D80, have had it for over 3 years and still don't know what all the buttons are for or how to adjust all the settings. Still, I love it and am starting to finally want to learn more about it! I have had a hard time moving from 35mm film to digital. However, I do like the ease of manipulating my own photos on my computer and not needing a darkroom!
ReplyDeleteVery creative post for Skywatch. It is kind of fun to see the old Kodak styling. I think each has its place and it is up to the creator of the photo to decide what they want to depict. My first camera took 127mm film. I don't remember who made it as I was quite young, only 12 or 13 when I first started shooting. I graduated to 110 film, then 35mm. It wasn't until 5 or 6 years ago that I finally went digital. Now I am still learning!
Thank you! Funny you found my blog.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend!
Beautiful pictures from the desert. A Landscape unknown here . Thanks for showing and also for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI like both approaches - it depends on the mood you're trying to create and the tone of the photos. I'd never say one is 'better' than the other - they're both appropriate!! I'm generally too gutless to use effects - but now you've shown me the way, look out!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have found you. We are usually water people, but oddly enough Joshua Tree is our favorite National Park. As I'm sure you know, not everybody "gets" it and I love to meet somebody else who does. Hope we get to come back someday. Meantime I'll drool over your pictures!
ReplyDeleteVery lovely photos. I've always wanted to visit the desert and 29 Palms area. My husband has family in Bakersfield, so maybe I'll get there soon. Thank you for commenting on my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteGo figure! That's true. I think the main thing is to have the camera that gets out of the way of the picture.
ReplyDeleteHello, Spare Parts and Pics.
ReplyDeleteYour excellent shot enhances charm still more.
It is very sweet scene.
I thank for your kindness.
I wish You all the best. ruma ❃
Those are some big beautiful skies there that you captured! I like the app Instagram for my iphone. It's a lot of fun and allows you to fool around with photos and give them various "looks". I guess it's similar to Hipstamatic...Thanks for stopping by at my SWF.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are wonderful. I love the Mojave desert, the Joshua trees, the beauty within the desert environment, that others might not see. You capture it wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful mosaic. I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and a great week.
Roberto, Rio de Janeiro
Great desert shots! I'm not too keen on all the manipulating options, my choice is the honest, straight forward shots. I can accept the odd enhancement and cropping, and I try to always make sure my shots are level. On the other hand I can see the fun in various app effects, so maybe one day I'll catch up :-)
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated to read that you and your wife spend weekends exploring Joshua Tree. I first read about this place through the blog of artist Lily Stockman, who lived out there with her husband until about a year ago. She chronicles their adventures there and elsewhere in her blog, "Big Bang Studio." Thought you might be interested, since you mentioned the folks who lived there "off the grid."
ReplyDeleteI'm not looking for another camera -- I just got the Nikon in 2010, so I'm quite happy right now. I like to experiment (but I think you knew that!) with what I have. Great TTV shots -- the panorama is awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteHey very interesting blog!
ReplyDelete