Gilded

I was on a walk last week in the beautiful hour and I saw these buildings being gilded by the sun and creating this gorgeous blue and gold color pair. So naturally, I pulled out my camera and immortalized it all. Incredible. I just love the clarity of the San Francisco light. I also love the duskiness of the Southeast Asian light - they both have their strengths, but there is something just so perfect about this light, and these buildings, and these colors.

I Have the Best Boyfriend Ever

Recently, I decided that I needed some new pictures of myself. Not being one for self portraits, I decided to enlist the help of the ever eager to help Evan (ok, actually I had to twist his arm a little, I'm not going to lie). We went for a walk. And so I thought, I'll frame the shot with him as a stand in for me, and then I'll hand him the camera and he can push the shutter button. Kind of like boyfriend-as-tripod.

Unfortunately, Evan has a will of his own, and this method didn't really suit his style. He insisted on taking control of the whole shoot. So the whole time I'm going, "Don't shoot up on me! How is the light? I think the light's too hot!" And then he'd ask me to step into the sun and I'd be like, "No direct sun! What's your aperture?"

So, a little backing and forthing, yes. But who cares when the end result is some photos like these? I love them! (And actually, that direct sun thing turned out ok!)

The Girl Who Cried Wolf (a cautionary tale)

So, a long time ago (in blogging time, in real time about a year and a half) I announced that I had broken the auto focus on my 50mm f/1.8 lens. The cheapest lens I own, but also one with the most beautiful image quality. I mean, who doesn't love a 1.8? That soft, luscious bokeh (out of focus area for those not initiated into the photography geek club) is a small miracle. So, a minor tragedy. Minor because it wasn't much out of pocket to replace the lens, tragedy because, you know, one of my favorite lenses was broken.

Since not much of anyone read my blog at the time, no one really commiserated with me. And so when Evan discovered that my lens was fine, it was just a firmware (software) bug with the camera body that was causing the problem, I did a private little dance of joy and forgot all about it. And so did everyone else.

Now, in general I just might be a little hard on my camera gear. I have taken most of it to at least 10 countries, you know. I change lenses when it's dusty if I have no other option. Some salty spray has reached my camera body, and yes, from time to time I just throw a couple lenses in my everyday bag. Because, just in case I need them, you know? I might. It might be a life and death scenario where if I didn't have my telephoto things could get hairy. And I always always always carry my camera body with me.

Until recently, no harm no foul. Not even any scratches. (And let the record state that the lens caps and end caps are always attached to the lenses.) Until the morning when I stuck my hand into my bag and pulled out... half of my 50mm lens. Heart palpitations ensued, I fished around and pulled out the other half. Best I can guess sticking it into the bag with the lens hood attached was not such a good idea, as this created the opportunity for enough leverage to pull the lens into two pieces. So there I was with my lens in two pieces and still needing to get to work on time.

I put it down, tried not to cry, and went to work. What else could I do? I figured it was a good excuse to pony up the money for a 50mm f/1.4, but not for a few more months at least, when I could maybe convince myself that I deserved a new lens after treating my old one so badly.

After work, I showed Evan my sad two pieces. And he..... popped them back together. Somehow. And now there's this disquieting grinding sound when the lens focuses, but it kind of works. Amazingly.

So anyway the moral of this ridiculously long post is this: treat your lenses well. Thank them. Coddle them. Embrace them. And if you must throw them into your bag, take the lens hood off first!

Press Pause

Today is September 11 and I wasn't planning to post about it. In general I let the holidays and important days go by without comment on the blog. I'm not a pundit, and photography isn't politics or marketing.

But after a bit of reflection I thought I would say a few words.

Yes, this is a day of extreme sadness. Nine years ago the world changed in a few moments, and not for the better. But in my opinion it doesn't help anyone to use that day as an excuse for hatred or violence. We can do so much better than that.

Yellow

I love backlight on grasses. It makes my heart sing.

And I love having the chance to go for a walk in the late afternoon, with no other purpose than to look for the beautiful light. And once I find it, just wallowing in it. Evan is very patient on our walks. He is getting used to me stooping down for no particular reason and taking ten photos of a blade of grass. I honestly couldn't have a better or more understanding boyfriend.

Splash!

It's been a busy past few months for me. Which is why when Evan asked me if I wanted to take a long weekend at his family house near Lake Tahoe, I immediately said yes. We came up on Wednesday night, and it's been really wonderful to have a chance to get all my proverbial ducks in a row. And, you know, relax a little. The peace and quiet here is tremendous.

Plus, I got a chance to try out a cookie splash photo, which I have been dying to attempt. Yes, dying. And now I will pull through. Thank goodness!