Daylight Savings Time

This photograph, taken on the eve of the switch to daylight savings time, tells me Spring is in the offing. Yes, I lost an hour of sleep, but the trade-off is well worth it. Branches that were just recently brown and bare are finally starting to bloom. The weather is warming up, and I'm getting out of the winter doldrums. It's baseball season and I'm a most happy fella!

David and Goliath

Moving from a full DSLR, the Nikon D90 with the Tokina 11-16 attached, to the NEX 5n with the Sony 10-18, has been a liberating experience. Liberating as in "weight." While the Tokina lens is perhaps the finest lens of its kind in the prosumer range, with its 2.8 maximum aperture, the Sony 10-18 is slightly wider as well as longer. It does give up a bit of light-gathering ability (4.0 max aperture), but makes up for it in portability. I'll still use the excellent D90 from time to time, but those times are more infrequent. Photos taken with my new love, the Sony RX100.

Ione, California

Last summer, my friend Chris Volta invited me and Matt to join him in a two day golf/barbeque outing at his new getaway in Ione in the foothills of the Sierras. We played thirty-six holes, had a a great meal, and a walk/drive through this very quaint little town before Matt and I headed back to the Bay Area. Good times Volt!

South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, 2012

In April of 2012, we flew to Columbia, South Carolina for the graduation of my step-son, Josh, from USC. The next day we drove out to the coast to see Savannah, Georgia, and spend the day walking around this beautiful southern landmark. I wish we had more time to spend in Savannah as it looks at first glance to be full of photographic possibilities. All photographs taken with the Sony NEX 7 and Tamron 18-200 lens.

Saint Lucia

A few selections from Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, all taken with the Sony RX100. The top three are from the tiny town of Soufriere on the other side of the island from the main port of Castries. The bottom two are from Castries, one at the only open bar in the town that Sunday where we not only had a cold Piton (the name of the mountains in the photo behind the boys and the local beer) but a terrific history lesson about Saint Lucia from the bar's very proud owner. I could easily imagine using only this camera on a trip and never having to carry around more than one body and an assortment of lenses. At the beginning of any trip, I am always excited about getting out there and shooting away. At some point, however, I get tired, usually after about ten days, and just use the smallest camera I have.

Cameras I Use

The post says "Cameras I Use" but that's not really true. I only use a few of these now. There's a couple missing as well. From bottom to top, my new favorite is the Sony RX 100. It's with me always, thanks to my friend George who bought it first. Remarkable little machine. Above that is the Sony NEX 7, my main camera for travel, sports, and just about everything I don't use the little guy for. Now for the retired friends. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1, the Sony HX-5, and the Pentax Optio S4. The Pany got the most use, followed closely by the Sony, with the Pentax taking third place. Moving on up, we have the Nikon Coolpix 5000, which accompanied me on my first trips to Greece and Cuba, the Konica-Minolta A2, which went to Italy, Greece, and many points in between, and the Nikon Coolpix 5700, another travel companion. Moving farther back in time, there's perhaps my all-time favorite camera, the Nikon FM 2. Constant concert companion and workhorse. All-manual film beauty. I wish it still worked. Above that one are two other cameras that I used all over Europe and beyond. On the left, my first auto-focus, the Nikon N80, next to the Rollei Prego 90. The Rollei was essentially a point-and-shoot film camera which served me well for a few years. And finally the switch to digital. In the middle is the Canon Powershot G1, a three megapixel job which cost me about $ 800 in 2001. Remarkable for its time but not viable today. On the left is my wife's first digital, the Canon Powershot Pro 1, which died on her in Venice, but recovered to do a fine job, and my  later Canon Powershot G9, which has been a proven performer for a number of years. Missing cameras include the Nikon D80, D90, and Sony NEX 5n, two of which I still have. To be continued.

On The Road To Siem Reap

After getting off our ship somewhere on the Mekong, we boarded two buses for the drive to Siem Reap, Cambodia, the home to numerous temple complexes, the most famous of which is Angor Wat. Before arriving in Siem Reap, we made two stops; one at a rubber tree plantation where a little girl was waiting for her mother to get off work, and another snack/bathroom break. After arrival, we took a cab into town to get a fish foot massage from Dr. Fish. One dollar for the fish massage, one dollar for a beer. What a bargain! We then walked around Siem Reap before heading back to the hotel for dinner. Nikon D90.