things i found

My latest attempts at bad photography

More Fun with the Sony

I have a few more picture that I feel are post worthy. I really haven't set aside the time to really work with the camera. Mostly what I have is images I have captured while walking my dogs in the morning and afternoon.


Seems that some one asked that I post or send them images of fire hydrants. I don't think that is all that odd and actually, like dogs, fire hydrants make for good subjects. They work cheap and they seem to be everywhere.


The next images is a real hole in the wall, It's amazing the dives you can find in your own neighborhood.









And to the two poop monsters that made all these shots possible. Too bad they have gotten so old that all we get is a short walk to the end of the block before they want to return to the cool comfort of home. They really are spoiled couch potatoes.

Mephis in B&W



No matter how advanced the cameras get I still need a white index card to get a decent flash shot. This camera has a VERY harsh flash. A strategically placed index card in front of the flash bounces the light off the ceiling giving a more natural feel to the light.

I Have New Camera

It was a hard choice and it took months of looking at prices and specs, but I finally made my choice. I was a hard one for me and I still have misgiving about my choice. I have been a Minolta person since I was 15 yrs old and I have been using my current my Minolta X-700 35 mm SLR since 1983. The decision to switch to digital was hard enough but to change camera brands was almost too much.

I basically came down to three cameras, the Sony DSC-H1, the Konica-Minolta Z5, and the Canon S2. The cheapest of the three was the Z5 and it a Minolta (almost just bought this one without looking into it) but the reviews for it in low lighting and at higher ISO were less than acceptable. That left me with the Sony and the Canon. I could buy them both for the same price and they had the same features. Some reviews would pick the Sony, others leaned more towards the Canon. What it came down to was the LCD size and image storage. The Sony has this HUGE 2" screen but the canon was the dinky little thing that made looking act images a little difficult. The Sony uses the more expensive Memory Stick while the Canon used the more reasonable SD cards.

I went to the stores and looked on-line for weeks; honestly even as I write this and get ready to post my first shots from the camera I still have misgivings about my choice. The Sony won out. I know that this is a transition camera and that I will eventually make the leap to digital SLR but until the technology stops advancing as quickly as it is and the prices come down a little more this will have to do.

Maybe you have come to the wrong place...

There was a recent article run in the local paper, the Palm Beach Post - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/. That may have led you to this sight looking for my blog about teaching. This is not it. I don't talk about my professional life here. This is a place for me to show off what little talent I have as a photographer.

If you are looking for my rants about teaching try www.madkhemist.blogspot.com . I have not posted much there lately because I have been on our summer break. Teachers went back last Wednesday, August 3 and the students return this Wednesday, August 10. I am at a new school so things should be pretty crazy this year.

Wish me luck!