Email Me: If you have any comments regarding any of these postings, you can contact me by sending email at the following address ... kccandcj@yahoo.com
My Cellphone number is: 702-544-5541
About Me: My wife Connie and I retired to Henderson Nevada from Greenland New Hampshire in May of 2003 and have really enjoyed the relatively nice year-round climate this area offers. In between our casino hopping and regular dining out, Connie spends most of her time reading while I work on a variety of photography and art projects and keeping this blog up-to-date. Little did I realize back then that this little hobby would end up costing me thousands of dollars over the years in cameras, accessories, photo printers, paper, ink, scanners, picture editing software, etc. Though I have now been taking pictures for years, it seems that I am still a "babe in the woods" and still have so much to learn about taking good pictures. But I guess, that is part of the creative challenge that every picture opportunity presents.
My Photography Journey: When I first retired back in 1997, I decided that I needed a hobby and began to dabble in the world of photography. A friend offered me a good deal on a 1.3 megapixel Olympus D-450 Zoom digital camera [Olympus D-450 Zoom Review]. This was my first 'digital' camera and thought it was wonderful. I loved its small size, allowing it to fit in your pocket. It offered 3x optical zoom (35-105mm) with a 2x "digital telephoto" at any focal length and Macro focusing to 8 inches. After several years of use, I learned that I didn't have the ability to be as creative with my photos as I would like due to the limitation of 1.3 megapixels.
So I began looking around for a camera with a greater megapixel capability and in early 2005 finally decided upon the Canon PowerShot S2-IS digital camera [Canon S2-IS Review/]. With 5.3 megapixels and 12x optical zoom (36-432mm) and 4x digital zoom. Needless to say I thought I was in heaven. For the past five years this camera worked fine and appeared to be meeting all my needs until I again ran into the same problem - NOT ENOUGH MEGAPIXELS!
In late December of 2010 I decided I finally decided to bite the bullet again and upgrade to a higher megapixel camera with interchangeable lenses. Being retired and with money being a somewhat limiting factor, I began to scour the Internet for a new camera. After what seemed like hundreds of hours of research between companies, brands and models, I finally decided upon the Panasonic Lumix DC-G2K digital camera [Panasonic DMC-G2 Review]; a 12.1 Megapixel mirror-less system with a LCD touch screen and Micro Four Thirds lens system. Knowing that I would be taking a lot more pictures in the upcoming months and years, I decided that I needed a new site to better showcase them. Although still a work in progress, this is the result.
My Photography Journal: My intent for creating a separate journal site was threefold. First, I wanted to have a place where I could chronicle my daily photographic encounters without 'cluttering up' this site. Second, was to assist me with my CRES problems by providing a place where I could locate reference information that I might need during my various photo shoots. Lastly, was a to make available a platform that would provide helpful information, hints, and tips to other amateur photographers with the same desire to improve their photographic skills.
Let me start by saying this. I am amazed at how much there is to know about taking a good picture. It seems that the more I read , the more I realize that there is more to learn and retain - sometimes I feel like my brain is on overload. Couple this with being over 65 and plagued with CRES (Can't REmember Shit) syndrome, it sometimes makes this pleasant recreational hobby seem more and more frustrating. I can certainly understand how one can spend years improving their picture taking skills as they pursue the goal of becoming a professional photographer.
The good news for people like me is that there are many more advantages to starting out today versus years ago when everything was accomplished using the medium of film and its often expensive accompanying darkroom procedures and techniques. Digital photography and photo editing software has just about totally replaced the medium of film and use of the darkroom. Today's cameras are literally small computers that provide dozens if not hundreds of automatic settings that can be made just by turning a dial or pushing a button. Granted, you still have to learn them and know how and when to use them to your best advantage, however, it still beats learning how to use and read light meters and reference tables just to set the stage for capturing a good shot.
Then there is the availability of photo editing programs for performing all kinds of post picture taking adjustments, many that could only be dreamed of back in the days of the darkroom. Granted, even though they are getting easier and more user friendly to use, mastery of these programs can be often be extremely difficult for new users and often require a long learning curve. Many are just too intimidated to even try. Believe it or not there are free editing programs available, that even a novice can use with relative ease. Check out my [Software] tab.
Finally, there is the Internet, a vast resource of easily accessible information, much of which wasn't even available through books or training seminars years ago. Let it be known that I take very little to no credit for most of the information found on these pages. With the exception of those things that I have actually learned or experienced in the field, almost everything else that cam be found here was condensed from various books I have read or from websites I have visited over time. Check the [References] tab for a list of my favorite books and sites.
In and effort to overcome the previously mentioned CRES problems, I have developed a very organized system of notes and references to aid and assist me in the process of creating good pictures. For formatting and capturing pictures refer to the [Taking Pics] tab. For transferring your picture to a computer, storing and backup procedures, refer to the [Saving Pics] tab. For post processing and photo editing, refer to the [Editing Pics] tab. Finally, for sharing your pictures, refer to the [Sharing Pics] tab. Hopefully, those who visit here will find some of the information provided useful in their journey to becoming a better photographer.
Click here to view my photo journal ... Ken's Photography Journal
