Even though I’ve switched, it’s been this type of camaraderie that’s kept me coming back and checking in every once in a while. Adam, the site’s founder, had even established an “Off-Brand” forum, where many folks like me tended to congregate. Last weekend, much to my pleasant surprise, I ran into this thread while perusing PentaxForums. No, it definitely wasn’t an early April Fool’s joke designed to freak out some of the die-hard Pentaxians.

The new site for Canon and Nikon users is now up and running, as of today. Check it out at:

http://www.canikonforums.com/forums/

Many kudos to Adam for putting the hard work into creating  this the site!

I’ve already registered–find me under “hwblanks”. I’ve already found several people that I recognize from PentaxForums, so I’m very hopeful that the family spirit will be alive and well, as site continues to grow in users.

Once you’ve checked out the site and determine that you like it, please register and become part of this great community. Please get the word out to your other photographer friends so that they’ll come check us out. Of course, if you’re a Pentax user and haven’t checked out PentaxForums, I would most definitely encourage you to do so.

As you well know, this winter has been an usually cold one. Even though I haven’t had to dig myself out of the snow (being in Florida), it has still been too cold and/or rainy to go out and do a lot of shooting. Needless to say, I have gotten out a few times to brave the weather, though. I think that I’ve gotten a bit of photographer’s cabin fever, as I’ve been taking more pics of my indoor cats lately. My camera gear sits in my office beckoning me to come use it. Spring is only about a month away and I’m really looking forward to getting out and capturing the blooming flowers, green grass, and budding trees.

Fortunately, I will be going on vacation week after next, so that should bring some relief to my cabin fever. For our 10th Anniversary, my husband is taking me on a cruise to Panama, Costa Rica, and Belize, which should bring some great photo ops my way; there will also be some great photo ops on the ship itself.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a shot that I got at Burgess Falls, Tennessee while visiting my parents in December. The temperatures didn’t get out of the 30s that day, but I think this shot was worth braving the cold for.

In upcoming posts, I’m planning on sharing my thoughts on my cruise vacation (both gear and creative ends), shooting car shows, and close-up filters.

One last thing: since my last post, I’ve switched from Flickr to Smugmug as the host of my pics and have gotten my own domain name. Check out my new site at http://www.heatherslightbox.com.

This idea wasn’t cooked up in my own brain, but inspired by a Facebook post by the Adorama Used Department, which I’m a fan of. BTW, if you comment, you’ll be eligible to win some Adorama gift certificates. I’ve already made my comment there, not just in hopes of winning one of those gift certificates, but because there is a photographer that I’m especially thankful for. He’s not famous, he’s not even a professional, but he encourages and inspires me. While he is my favorite shooting buddy, the roots of this relationship go deeper than that, for he contributed his DNA to me. He is my dad.

I had been dabbling in photography off and on throughout my adult life when I finally bought my first DSLR in October 2007. Up until then, Dad had never shown any interest in photography to speak of–Mom took almost all of the pics of me and my sister when we were growing up. As I started sharing what I was learning about both my new gear and techniques, Dad started to get really interested. Finally, in May 2008, he took the plunge and picked up his first DSLR and started learning from scratch, with lots of help from me and another photographer friend of his. In the past year and a half, we’ve both attended a couple of nature photography workshops and have gone on our own photo outings whenever we’ve had a chance to get together, which isn’t often enough. Not only have we had a great time both shooting and learning, our personal relationship has grown as well. To me, that benefit alone makes it worth all of the thousands of dollars that we’ve spent between the two of us on camera gear and workshops. When I compare how much the relationship I have with Dad is worth in comparison to the money that I’ve spent on this hobby, I most definitely got a bargain. Lord willing, I’m looking forward to many more years of photo adventures with him.

I also am thankful for Mom, who has been so supportive of us and our photography. She has gone on most of our photo outings with us and has let Dad spend tons of money on gear (not all spouses would be as supportive as she has been), not only for himself, but some for me, as well (they bought me the Canon 40D body that I’m currently using). Even with her little Kodak superzoom p&s, she is a good photographer in her own right.

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On a totally different note, I’ve been on vacation this week, so I’ve had time to make some changes to the blog page. I’ve done a little deleting, but I’ve added a good many new links. While I’ve added a section with links to Canon resources, I’ve opted to keep the Pentax links for those who find this blog via the link to it in the signature that appears on all of my posts to Pentax Forums. I’ve also added a button that will allow you to receive my postings via email, if you’d rather not keep up with them via the RSS feed.

Have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

Here’s my take on the issue…I guess it could be titled something to the effect of “Why digital photography is so great” or “Why the development of the DSLR is one of the best things since sliced bread.”

Yes, there definitely is a certain nostalgia when using film. Up until nearly 10 years ago, I used film exclusively until my then husband-to-be bought an Olympus 1.3MP p&s digital camera for around $300 to take with us on our honeymoon. On the honeymoon, he had the digital camera and I had his old cheap film p&s film camera. Looking back at those pics, there were some good ones between the 2 of us, but for many of the shots, the IQ left something to be desired. After that, I moved on up in film cameras, owning a series of both SLRs and P&Ss, with a few digital P&Ss thrown in for good measure. By the time I bought my first DSLR in October 2007, I was mainly using digital. Even since going digital, I’ve played around with film, but I’ve always relied on digital for the bulk of my photography for several reasons:

1. Film (beyond consumer quality) is getting harder to find locally.
2. Depending on how much you like to shoot, film and developing can become awfully expensive. Memory cards are reusable and decent image editing software can be had for free or inexpensively ($100 or less). Since you’re reading this, I’ll assume that you’ve already got a computer at your disposal that you can load image editing software on to.
3. If I’m going to take a film camera on a trip with me, then I’ve got to make sure that I have enough film for the trip, otherwise I might run out and not be able to find my favorite film at my destination. My memory cards are always available; when I fill one up, I transfer the images to my PC and reformat. In a typical day’s shooting, I generally don’t run out of memory card space.
4. Unless I send my negatives off to a specialized scanning service, I just can’t get the quality of scans that I desire from local developers and I don’t have the type of money to pick up a Nikon Coolscan for myself. The main reason that I would want to scan my film in the first place is to share it with people like you.
5. Unless I send my film off to be developed, then that means having to make a special trip to the camera store to drop it off and then another trip to pick it up.
6. If I rely on somebody else to develop your film, my prints may not come out like I want them. Doing my own film developing at home requires dedicated space, as well as special equipment and chemicals, which can get messy. I don’t have that type of space in my house and I don’t have an overwhelming desire to get involved in film developing on that level. OTOH, I can do many of the same things involved with film developing with my digital pics–dodging, burning, color adjustments, etc. with my computer, mouse, and Bamboo Fun tablet using Lightroom and PSE and I’m really enjoying the process of seeing what I can do with each image. As for printing, I generally rely on uploading and ordering prints from a printer like AdoramaPix, although eventually picking up my own photo-dedicated printer (think 9×13 print size) isn’t entirely out of the question.

Really, what it boils down to for me is convenience. With skill development (behind the camera) and practice, I can safely say that the results I’m getting from my DSLR are definitely on par with what I could do with a film camera.

If you feel the same way I do about digital, but would like to edit your images to mimic that film look, check out LifeInDigitalFilm. The author of this blog has developed LR and ACR presets that aim to emulate different types of film, both past and present. I have a good many of his LR presets and I use them pretty regularly when I’m editing in LR.

Yes–I am very thankful that DSLRs have become relatively affordable so that it is a lot easier for me and other people like you to experience the pleasure of photography.

fall photo workshop 09-1112

Originally uploaded by Heather’s Lightbox

This was one of the shots I got while I was at Lori Kincaid’s fall photography workshop last month. This post really isn’t so much about the picture itself as the experience involved in getting this picture to begin with.

Overall, the weather was not what any of us had anticipated. While we were expecting the cool temperatures, we weren’t expecting all of the rain and fog we got. At 4100 ft in the Pisgah National Forest, the fog did not lift all weekend–we did not get to see the spectacular view of the mountains from the back deck of our cabin at all. Believe me, it was most definitely a challenge to keep ourselves from getting too wet and muddy as well as keep our spirits up in spite of the fact that the weekend hadn’t turned out like we had hoped. In addition, I was also dealing with a head and chest “bug” that I had caught before I had left home.

Despite the cold and wet, we still made the best of it and managed to get some great shots like this one. I think most everybody else that I was with would agree with me in saying that in spite of everything, we were glad that we pushed ourselves past our normal limits and faced the challenges of the less-than-ideal weather we were presented with. After this experience, I can now say that I’ll be less likely to skip a photo opportunity simply because the weather isn’t ideal. As long as I and my gear are properly protected, I now know that I am capable of going out and shooting in almost any kind of weather.

Lens cloths are a necessity in keeping your gear clean and you can never have too many of them. I find a couple of problems with the ones you get at the camera store, though–they’re often too small, not providing you with enough surface to clean your gear sufficiently. Their too-small size also makes them easy to lose. When you do lose one, that means you have to go out and buy a new one, which can be expensive if you keep losing them. I have a solution, though…

This solution actually comes from Lori Kincaid, our workshop leader. She suggests taking an old and much-washed t-shirt and cutting it up into rags; how big or small you want the rags to be is up to you. After cotton knit has been washed a bunch of times, it develops a smooth lint-free finish to it that’s perfect for cleaning the glass on our lenses. Before putting those rags to use, make sure that you wash them first, but leave out the fabric softener. Since I also had some wool hiking socks that needed to be washed by hand, I opted to wash my cleaning rags with them in the kitchen sink using Woolite and cold water. As I write this, both the rags and socks are out in my laundry area air drying. Not only are you saving money, you’re also recycling a t-shirt that might otherwise go into the trash.

Woolite and cold water in the sink also works great for camera straps, especially the neoprene ones. If you live in a warmer climate like I do and tend to get hot and sweaty while out shooting during the summer, this is a great way to get your strap clean. Once you’re done washing and rinsing your strap, just roll it up in a towel to absorb excess water and then hang it up to air dry.

Keep an eye out for more postings and pics from the workshop. While I’m not done editing the pics yet, I have already gone ahead and uploaded a few of the finished ones to my Flickr page–click here to take a look at them.

Lately, I’ve been pondering the idea of how I can use my photography to uplift the spirits of the people of the world. Sure, I post on several different photography forums, share my pics via my Flickr account (and here), and by posting my thoughts to this blog, but I sense something in my spirit that longs to do something on a greater level that will have a greater impact on more people in the world.

Within the framework of my own spirituality, I believe that my passion and talent for photography is a gift from God. As a result, I want to use that gift to uplift as many people as possible and hopefully bring them to a greater awareness of their Creator. In doing so, I know I am honoring my Creator.

You may not share the same spiritual worldview as I do, but I encourage you to ponder how you can use your photography to have a positive impact on the world.

I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I’ll post more as ideas pop into my head.

First of all, no one DSLR system is going to be right for everybody; each system has it’s strengths and weaknesses. Companies like Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sigma all make great cameras and lenses. You just need to figure out which system will best meet your needs as a photographer.

While this list of questions you’ll want to ask yourself isn’t exhaustive, for sure, I think it’ll start to point you in the right direction of which system will be best for you.

1. What is your experience level with photography and cameras? How important is ease of use to you? Do you want just a basic camera to get you started, or do you want a camera you can grow with?

2. What type of photography do you intend to do with this camera? Kid pics? Great vacation pics? Specialized types of photography like flash photography or macro photography? As I mentioned before, different systems have their strengths, so choosing a system that will allow you to best do the photography that you want to do will save a lot of frustration in the long run.

3.  Where do you want to go with your photography? Are you content with just getting great snapshots of your kids and vacations or do you plan on making this a serious hobby beyond just the snapshots? If you’re already a hobbyist photographer, do you have thoughts of someday going professional?

4. What kind of budget are you looking at to start with? Even if you’ve done your homework and have planned out what you want to have in your camera bag, but feel a little down because you can’t afford to buy everything you want right away, don’t fret. All you need is one body and one lens to get started; you can add more lenses and accessories as you get the money. Also, keep in mind that you can save some serious cash by buying gently used bodies and lenses off of reputable dealers and individuals. On the other hand, just because you have a bunch of cash to blow on your new DSLR and lenses doesn’t mean that the most expensive ones will be the best for your situation, either.

5. Relating to question #2, once you’ve figured out where you want to go with your photography, as you look at each system, what types of lenses and accessories does each offer? While having a wide variety of lenses and accessories to choose from is a good thing, that alone should not be the main determining factor. While more serious enthusiasts and professionals may need to have a wide variety of lenses and accessories at their disposal, family snapshooters don’t really need that; any of the DSLR systems offer good quality basic lenses and accessories that will do the job.

Now you may be thinking–where do I go to learn more about DSLRs and figure out what it is that I really want or need? Excellent question–I’ll give you some resources below that will get you started.

If you’re debating on whether or not you really need a DSLR to begin with, Adorama has an excellent article that will help you determine whether or not you’re ready for a DSLR. Once you’ve determined that you do need or want a DSLR, they have another excellent article with suggestions for starter DSLRs.

Seeing about picking up or subscribing to some photography-related magazines, as they are good sources of information for gear information and reviews. Out of the major ones, Popular Photography is my favorite general photography magazine.

Since you’re already on the web reading this, go check out some photography-related forums. Almost every brand has a specific forum covering their gear. Browse, read, sign up, and ask questions. Photographers tend to be a pretty friendly bunch and are willing to help newbies. Here are some that I know about:

• Pentax: http://www.pentaxforums.com
• Canon: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
• Nikon: http://www.nikonians.org/
• Olympus/Panasonic (4/3rds system): http://forum.fourthirdsphoto.com/

A few good general ones for all brands include:

• DPReview
• DGrin
• Photo.net

For reviews, I like:

• Steve’s Digicams
• SLR Gear
• Imaging Resource

Another excellent resource is the people you know. Look around in your circle of family and friends–do you know anybody who is currently using a DSLR? If so, talk to them and ask them about what they like and dislike about their own gear. If you’ve got a local photography club in your area, that’s another excellent source of information, as you’ll generally have a wide variety of people doing all different types of photography with different cameras and systems all in one place.

While this list of resources isn’t anywhere near exhaustive, hopefully it’ll be enough to get you started on your search to finding the best DSLR system, camera, and lenses to fit your wants and needs.

The 40D vs. the K20D–in a nutshell, I have to say OH MY GOODNESS!!

What really got this going was that on Monday of this week, my husband and I were in a small local camera store looking for some old extension tubes for the Pentax among the store’s used gear for sale. As it turns out, the salesguy and I got into a conversation about how hard it is to find accessories for Pentax (either OEM or 3rd party). He mentioned that he had a very gently used (maybe 100 shots) 40D and asked if I would like to take a look at it. Out of curiosity, I opted to. He mounted a EFS18-200 onto it, let me have it to play with and it was then that I was hooked. What hooked me was the much faster AF speed (I used it indoors, under so-so lighting), how quiet the AF was (even though 18-200 isn’t a USM lens), and how quiet the shutter was. Even though I really haven’t had a real need for it thus far, I was really impressed by the burst mode (6.5fps) Other than messing a little bit with my dad’s XSi (since replaced with a T1i), I really hadn’t played with a Canon DSLR before, so it wasn’t like I really had anything else to compare my Pentax to before then. The salesguy wanted to sell it to me right then, but it wasn’t like I had the $629 they wanted for it lying around. I went home with a copy of Canon’s Spring/Summer catalog and started doing some serious thinking, including figuring up how much I could get for all of my Pentax gear. Tuesday evening, I had a conversation with my dad (in Tennessee), sharing my excitement about my experience with the 40D and hashing over my plans to possibly switch. Needless to say, he was very excited about the whole prospect.

I’ve had fleeting thoughts about switching before the, but a couple of weeks ago or so I got the latest issue of PopPhoto and was perusing through it and found out that Nikon had just come out with a dedicated hot-shoe mounted GPS system for under $250. That got me to at least give a little more thought about switching then. Even though Canon doesn’t have anything equivalent at this point, I’d be surprised if they don’t eventually come out with their own dedicated GPS to keep up with Nikon. Besides OEM accessories, there is so much greater choice in 3rd party accessories with either Canon or Nikon than with Pentax and it’s been frustrating to get all excited about a new gadget that I read or hear about, but discover that they don’t make it for Pentax.

The story gets even better. Wednesday, after getting home from work and eating dinner, I get a phone call from my parents, as I’m doing the dishes. They called me to inform me that they called down to that local camera store I was at on Monday and bought that 40D for me!! It was so unexpected and so generous of them. I’m planning on going back to the camera store tomorrow afternoon to pick up the camera. It doesn’t come with any lenses, so that’s why I’m pushing to get my Pentax gear sold, so I can buy some great lenses for it.

Another reason that prompted me to consider switching is that there’s more of an upgrade path with Canon than with Pentax. I have a long term goal of eventually going FF and most of the lenses that I’m planning on buying for the 40D are also FF-compatible. Pentax has basically more or less said that they don’t intend to produce a FF body and I know I won’t be able to afford the 645D when it does eventually come out + I’d have to buy a whole new set of lenses for it even if I could afford it. For the long term, it really does make more sense for me to switch to Canon.

Originally, I was thinking of making the switch starting around Christmastime, but Mom and Dad’s unexpected gift threw that whole idea out the window. I’ve got another photography workshop in Tennessee in October that I’ve signed up for, so I need to get going on building my Canon kit and getting familiar with it before then. There’s also an advanced photography class through the Continuing Education program at the local college that’s supposed to be starting towards the end of August and that’ll be a good opportunity for me to get to know my new gear better, as well.

In a way, switching does make a lot of sense, but at the same time, I’ve come to regard you folks like an extension of my family and that’s the hard part about it. You’ve been so helpful and I’ve learned so much from you over the over 1.5 years that I’ve been reading and posting here. Once everything is sold, I still plan on stopping by every once in a while to see how everybody’s doing.

Even though I feel that Canon will be a better path for me in the long run, I will still continue to be a cheerleader for Pentax. I really do hope that Hoya can really make something of Pentax and attract even more attention to it and the great value that it really is in the DSLR world. To people who come to me and ask about buying their first DSLR, I will still continue to recommend Pentax as a viable option.

For those of you out there that are contemplating your first DSLR and are leaning towards Pentax, don’t take this as a sign that you shouldn’t choose Pentax. Do your own research and buy into the system that will best meet your needs in the long run. For many people, Pentax will be that best system, and for you, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

In the near future, I’ll be following up with posts further detailing the experience of my transition to Canon. Stay tuned!