snadblog

While going through the pictures I took on Easter, I got to the one I took of the whole family outside.  One picture.  The only picture.  Ever.  I do believe this is the only non-pro snapshot in existence of all of us together (there was one session at a portrait studio, but just one).  Seriously.  This is it.

Lately I’ve had the best of intentions to take a group photo on special holidays, but it never seems to happen.  Finally I remembered and everyone was willing.

It was just after the Easter egg hunt last Sunday, and we were all standing in my parents’ front yard.  I saw the opportunity and asked everyone to stand still for a second.  I propped the camera on a planter and set the timer and got exactly ONE attempt at capturing the family before they split up and went inside.  Not the best shot in the world, but I love it because it’s full of people I love.

Maybe they’ll all see this and realize how cool it can be if we take our time and all smile at once.  Then I’ll get some better pictures next time!

Remember a few weeks ago when I dropped my camera and broke my lens? I struggled for at least a week on what new kind of lens to purchase to replace it. I was debating between a simple replacement 18-55mm, a better quality 18-55mm, or a luxurious 18-200mm. Still struggling with the pros and cons of each, and trying to keep my cost under $300, I was torn and couldn’t decide.

Then I did yet another eBay search and this time discovered the perfect solution. It was a single auction for two lenses — an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm, both with Image Stabilization, and both Canon brand. They were factory refurbs, but included a 90-day warranty and I’ve always been happy with refurbs in general, so that didn’t bother me. The auction also included two UV filters and two lens cap keepers (something I’ve been meaning to get for a while). And the whole kit came in at $299.95, which was just under my budget.

I just had to do it. I had to spring for this deal and treat myself a little. I didn’t have anything even close to a 250mm zoom in my bag, and could really use something with that much power and that much flexibility. And both lenses having IS was a huge boost — I don’t have that on any of my lenses, and I knew it would help my focus a lot. Plus, the price of these two lenses together was less than the dreamy 18-200 that I had been looking at, thanks to their refurbished state. So I clicked “Buy it Now” and a week later, these beauties were added to my camera bag.

I have not gotten to fully enjoy these lenses yet due to a busier-than-usual schedule, but I have taken a few sample shots and am very pleased with them. The 250mm zoom lens is a dream, and I can’t wait to really put it to use. The 18-55 is a pretty equivalent replacement for the broken lens, but with the added IS feature.

So after taking a few pictures of the ice and snow this morning, I was showing Dennis the power of the 250, and finally got around to showing him the broken lens, to see if he thought he could pop the lens back in line.

He took the lens into his hands, did a quick twist and push, and the lens let out a loud SNAP. He then let out a loud CACKLE, handed the perfectly fixed lens to me, and I did a big frustrated FLOP onto the couch. Here’s what the lens looks like now.

A few test shots later, I knew the lens was fine and hadn’t really needed replacing after all. The zoom works smoothly with no clicks, the glass is not broken, and the pictures come out just as before. Sigh. Oh well. I wanted a better zoom anyway :)

Over the last couple of months, there have been several times when I’ve realized that I no longer treat my Canon Rebel XT digital SLR with kid gloves. I don’t abuse it, but I don’t baby it like I used to. Part of this is because the newness has worn off enough for me to not worry about how much it cost, and part of it is just my growing comfort with the camera. I often remember how well I used to treat it, and laugh.

Serves me right.

I was working on a project on the kitchen table last night and had a large piece of material over most of the table. My camera was sitting on top of the material, because I had been taking pictures during the project. At one point I needed some table space, so I pushed the material aside, forgetting the camera was on top. Forgetting, that is, until I heard the loud SLAM of my camera hitting the tiled kitchen floor.

I rushed to pick up my beloved camera and was initially quite happy to see that it looked fine. It wasn’t smashed to bits like I thought it would be. Then I noticed that the outer ring of the lens didn’t quite seem straight. The camera appeared to have landed on the front edge of the lens, knocking the inner parts of the lens out of whack. There were no scratches or dents visible anywhere on the lens or camera, but the inner rube was now clearly crooked.

At first I was able to turn the zoom ring with extensive pressure, but now it won’t turn at all. The focus ring won’t turn either in automatic or manual mode. It’s toast. Well, unless I want to take pictures at the exact level of focus and zoom at which it’s currently locked.

Now on to the good news. This was just the kit lens, not my expensive macro lens. The camera body is still fine, and I’ve taken pictures since then and got them off the camera with no problems. In all, the damage was quite minor, especially given how badly things could’ve gone.

My next task is to buy a replacement lens, but as with anything having to do with photography, the choices are both awe-inspiring and wallet-clenching. I will most likely settle for the standard and affordable Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, although I spend significant time this morning agonizing and drooling over the Sigma AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS. I’ll mull it over a bit before deciding what will be the best fit for me for now.

As a side note, there’s a “customer image” that has been uploaded for the 18-55 that looks so much like Jack that it totally freaked me out when I saw it. Even Dennis thought it was our dog when I showed him. You can check it out here. Crazy!

What a crazy week and a half it’s been getting ready for Christmas and then celebrating it. It has been busy and fun, and I haven’t had much time to sit in front of the computer, which is both frustrating and a welcome change of pace.

We spent Christmas Eve at my folks’ house with the family. We had lots of fun, filled our guts with tiny food (we always do all appetizers on Christmas Eve… yum!), and even opened a few presents. Jack went with us and he behaved perfectly, just happy to be around people who would pet him all night.

The highlight of the evening was when Emily changed into her new Christmas nightgown and I announced her entrance into the room with “Ladies and Gentlemen! Presenting Little Miss Emily in her new! red! NIGHTGOWN!!!!” She ran down the hall, giggling with delight as we all applauded her. As those of you who spend any time with 3-yr-old children can guess, this entrance had to be made more than once. More than two or three times. Emily was after me all night, begging me to “do the little miss red Emily words, Chica!” I obliged, of course, at least a dozen times, and she was the most well-announced person around.

On Christmas Day, we all got up really early and headed over to Mike and Shanon’s house. We all arrived before Emily woke up, assuring us a front row seat at the Santa show that followed. The gifts Emily received seemed to have multiplied while in hiding, and she had plenty of opening to do. She enjoyed opening presents so much, in fact, that every time she handed you a present to open, she would ask if she could open it for you. If you agreed, she would take it and announce what it was before it was even opened (if she knew), tear off the paper, hand it to you, then run off to find the next one to open. Despite the eagerness, we still managed to slow down this year and stretch the gifts out over the better part of the day. We got to play with everything as it was opened, which made it a lot more fun for everyone.

I received two new camera lenses as gifts this year (for my digital SLR). My parents got me a 50mm f1.8 and Dennis got me a 100mm f2.8 macro. It is amazing to look at how my photo quality changed from Christmas Eve (with the old lens) to Christmas day (with the new 50mm). I played around with the macro lens, too, but it is really particular about being held steady and it requires very careful focus. I’m currently troubleshooting a problem with my tripod, and once that’s working I hope to have some great macro shots to share. In the meanwhile, I am learning a LOT about depth-of-field and focus, and I’m loving it. Now I just need a new camera bag to hold all this gear!

One of my favorite gifts Emily received for Christmas was a Chicago Bears cheerleader uniform. If we lived in Chicago, this would likely be a very typical gift and you’d see them everywhere in stores. But in Kentucky? Not so much. However, Mom and I were in Walmart one day and out of the corner of my eye I saw the familiar C on a field of orange. We couldn’t believe it, but there was a whole rack of Bears uniforms. No other teams were present, just the Bears. And they were marked down to $13 and they had Emily’s size. It was just too perfect, so we had to get it. We thought it would be a fun joke for Dad and for me, and Emily could cheer on the games next year (this season is pretty much over), but when Emily opened the box, she loved the uniform and insisted on wearing it immediately — and through most of the day! Pretty adorable, I have to say.

So I have only 4 more days left of vacation, then it’ll be back to work (shh!  I know!).  Unfortunately, I’ve still got tons of stuff on my list that I meant to do during the break.  I guess I’d better get busy!