My new hobby

In preparation for some exciting things happening in the near-ish future, I've decided the time has come to upgrade my camera. Unfortunately, in times like these, the disposable income for a significant upgrade is simply not in the stars. Regardless, I decided to research anyway. I checked out the amazon.com dSLR buying guide, the Consumer Reports buying guide, and my friend Jenna's blog about buying a camera.

As I was sorting through Jenna's photography posts, I remembered that she wrote about basic photography principles like ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. I looked at my camera and realized that I could manipulate a lot of the settings she described. As I further considered my camera, I noticed a little button on the front, but I had no idea what it did. Through internet research, I discovered that my little Canon Powershot A540 supported conversion lenses, like a wide-angle lens and a close-up lens for a tiny little fraction of the price of a real dSLR.

I made my way over pictureline, a fabulous camera store here in Salt Lake City, where they talked me though what lenses would work and which ones wouldn't, thus saving me a bundle of money. And, since they thought I was cool for recognizing a song playing over the speaker system, I scored a free t-shirt.

When I got home, I immediately fit my new purchase onto my camera, and hurried outside to try it out. (Note: this next part will not come as a suprise to my family and friends.) In my excitement, I closed the front door behind me. As soon as I heard it lock, I realized that I left my keys and cell phone in the house.

After spending the next ten minutes trying to break back in, I gave up, and spent the next hour and a half wandering around the Avenues trying out my new lens.

Here's what I came up with. Please note that none of these photos have been enhanced or edited in any way. Mostly because I'm writing this post lying down and all I have is my eraser head mouse. Photoshop is less fun that way.

Without wide-angle lens:


With wide-angle lens (please notice the magical appearance of my car, and the almond tree):


My view:


Then, I realized that I didn't have to keep my camera on the wide setting.

Sky:


During my wanderings, I walked down streets for the first time. Imagine my delight when I discovered these really cool stairs!


Anyway, just wait until I learn how to use my close up shot. I'm really excited about life.