A friend of mine was here at the Camera Clubhouse during this past weekend. She takes pictures and knows that I've pushed a shutter release button a time or two so at her suggestion, I found a camera and added a 105mm f2.8 micro/macro Nikon lens. (Nikon made microscopes before cameras so continues to refer to their close focusing lenses as micro). To keep things even, I mounted the camera on a … [Read more...]

I recently visited Alsace which is that part of France that has, at times, been German. The capital city of the region is Strasbourg which is the home of the European Parliament and is located some 23 miles from the German border. The Cathedral in Strasbourg was the tallest structure in Europe for more than 200 years and it's still amazing to walk around in a a structure that opened in … [Read more...]

Yes, it's been sometime since I added a post. Why?? A bit of shoulder pain then an out-of-the country trip have kept me away from the old keyboard but now, on a mostly gray Monday morning,I can devote some time to writing about life (from a tourist perspective) in Alsace. For those of you who don't know about this part of France, it has been both French and German over the last several hundred … [Read more...]

The Documenting Nature class explored The Woods during the photo portion of Saturday's class.  In addition to providing advice, I used the camera I carry when I don't want to carry a camera. The daylight and temperature could not have been better so we were able to shoot around f8 @ 125 with ISO 100-200. Lighten your load and get to a wooded area as soon as weather and your schedule … [Read more...]

YES, there are two ways to control the size of the subject in an image: 1.  Optically by zooming the lens or 2. Physically by moving the camera (and yourself). I used both methods just yesterday when I rediscovered these flowers growing around and under a conifer in the front garden here at the Camera Clubhouse. Read the new Photo Tip in that section of this site. Hopefully, you'll get up and … [Read more...]

Yesterday's snow meant a trip to a forest preserve with a camera. My old shoes are perfect for tramping through wet leaves and mud in addition to snow. One lens was enough so I grabbed the 18mm and a polarizing filter along with additional batteries and memory cards. It's very tempting to begin photographing only moments after leaving the car, but I remember what I heard in a class last Wednesday: … [Read more...]