Why Did You Photograph This?

You are may be asking what the heck is this and/or why did you photograph it.

I photographed it because I saw this amazing light on the bottle of clothes detergent that I had just bought and sat at the bottom of the stairs to bring up to the laundry room. It was glowing in the darkness.

I photographed it because I like the graphic design of the stairs as they made the turn to the living room.

I photographed it because of the colors...the red bottle, the blue top, the gray stairs, the dark shadows.

I photographed it because of the textures...the smooth bottle and the rough stairs.

I photographed it because I wanted to remember that second when I saw it and sucked in my breath and said, Oooh.

I photographed it because I love seeing the beauty in something common place.

And lucky me, I had my little camera in my hand.

A New Tool

I was sitting on the couch with my new camera in my hand. My glasses were laying on a book on the coffee table. The book cover was a painting by Frida Kahlo and the woman seemed to be peering at me through the glasses. I adjusted the glasses just a bit and snap! It was a test for the camera, shot at 66mm, 1/5 sec. @ f/5.0 at ISO 1600. I haven't added any noise reduction in Lightroom. This digital file told me a lot about what the camera's in-body image stabilization can do as well as how it performs at higher ISOs. I have printed it at about 10x14 and the image looks good.

My new tool is an Olypmus E-PL5. I weighs about 10 ounces and with the lens it is less than one pound.

I hate to admit it but walking around all day with my big girl camera on my shoulder is just getting to be too much. I'm planning a trip and with the luggage restrictions on airplanes as well as not having Ned along as my luggage handler, I can't manage the weight or size of equipment that I have loved and carried on so many trips.

Fortunately, technology is making a lot of changes in the digital camera world. I won't bore most of you with what is happening except to say that mirrorless cameras with improved sensors and processors are making it possible to have much smaller, lighter cameras with interchangeable high quality lenses that can make images that in some cases are pushing up against the bigger DSLR camera image quality.

I'm happy with this little camera for now but it could become a backup camera to the new generation Olympus OMD E-M5 that rumors say will be announced this Fall. Yeah, I could be tempted.