The Mercy Finder

The Mercy Finder

Monday, November 17, 2008

California Dreamin'

It's a world of contrasts and opposition. This past week Southern California has been in the news with all the protests over the passage of Proposition 8 and then the rampant wildfires in Santa Barbara County, north LA County and parts of Orange County. Freeways have been shut down. Thousands of people have been evacuated. Hundreds of homes have burned to the ground. And several people have died or been severely burned. Winds have been up to 70 miles per hour and the temperature over the weekend hit 100 degrees in some areas...except here.

Here it's felt like Hawaii without the humidity. It's been hot but not too hot, clear, fresh, and glorious.

I can't help but wonder how I can live so close to such terrible disasters and yet my biggest inconvenience was trying to get to a performance of the LA Philharmonic Symphony at the spectacular Disney Concert Hall Friday night and dealing with 2 1/2 hours of traffic, which had nothing to do with any of the news items, but was just a typical Friday night on the I-5 parking lot.
AND...I've been able to play with my new camera. In preparation for the birth of my first grandchild in 2004 I finally switched from my film camera to digital. It's been 4 years and I knew it was time to upgrade even though I really like that old Sony for ease and size. But with the impending arrival of Chelsea's little boy and the massive changes in technology I knew it was time to upgrade again, which I'd been trying to hold back on---but I just couldn't any longer. The problem, of course, at least for me, is the learning curve on anything new and improved. Today around 4:30 Chelsea and I went for a quick ride up the PCH to Laguna Beach. I knew the optimum time lately for sunsets around here is 5:15. The day before we'd also been for a drive to keep her from getting punchy when we discovered a place that looked like a super location to practice on my camera. Because Chelsea is only moderately coming off bed rest until Tuesday and because the window of opportunity was limited I only got to play around for 20 minutes or so. But it sure was fun to start to discover what this new camera can do. Unfortunately, it's now 1:50 am and I'm barely figuring out how to transfer the images to my computer w/ all the new software. But it's coming around, slowly but surely.

Do you see the people in the kayak?



I zoomed in on them on some of the shots but I'm not going to bore you with all of them.

This is one of my favorites, I like the star in the upper left hand corner

This one surprised me the most, it was dark out but the lens really opened up

This is going to be great sport! It might take me another 4 years to figure out most of the stuff. I wish I was one of those people who's intuitive about technology, etc. I tend to need to read all the instruction manuals instead of just playing around and see what happens. Maybe I should apply that learning style to how I live my life. I'm trying, I really am.



5 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay for new cameras!!! I need one myself. I got my first (and only) camera in 2003, and I'm pretty sure there've been so changes since then. Maybe for graduation, eh? I love the pictures and wish I could have gone to the concert with you. Here's an idea - how about I come down and visit for a weekend next semester and watch the baby and you and Chels can play and rest. All I ask for in return is that you take me to a concert at the Disney hall. I've always wanted to go there.

MAMACITA said...

Way to go! Beautiful pictures!! I'm a camera freak too, and sounds like I am just like you as far as having to read the manual! But I LOVE taking pictures--ever since my parents gave me my first camera--one of those flashbulb instamatics--for Christmas when I was 17 or 18. I've been hooked ever since. And Chelsea is doing so GOOD with letting this baby percolate! I'm impressed! Can't even imagine how hard it is--how slow time must be going. She's a real trooper.

V.a.n.e.s.s.a said...

Wow!!! All of those pictures are AMAZING. I really love the last one. You should submit that somewhere. The green is so beautiful and the water is glowing with pink. Love it! Impressed!!!

Gayle said...

Love the pictures! I get to see the sunrise more often than the sunset here with the way our windows are and I love it. What kind of camera did you get? I took a photography class this summer to learn more about using my new one and had an absolute blast with it!

jowo said...

I got a Canon Eos Rebel XSi because it has live feed which I hope to be able to use down the road. I chose the Canon because I'd had a 35M Canon Rebel and I was familiar w/ it, along w/ the fact that I still have the flash and another lens although it doesn't have a built-in stabilizer so I would prob have to use my tripod nowdays to really use it effectively. And also, Marlene and Brittany have variations of this camera from a few years back and I really like what I've seen from them. My first camera was a Kodak Brownie when I was 9. The first pictures I took were at Campfire Girls Camp and later in Arizona on a family vacation. We went to an Indian parade and Dad let me use color film to capture the costumes, etc. I remember that was a really big deal because the developing of the film was more expensive than black and white along w/ the actual cost of the film. Nowdays, it's just the opposite at an actual lab.