An Instagram Newbie

This is how my Instagram account began. I have Ove to thank (or blame?) for getting me into this. He made it seem like so much fun that I couldn't resist. I don't know how long I will be able to keep up with this; but, we will see how it goes. I have found a couple of folks I know at Instagram and judging by the response to Ove's post, I may soon have some more people to follow.

You can check out the three photos I posted today as I stumbled and fumbled my way through setting up my account. I am at ajessephoto.

Since I have had my smart phone for less than a month, there aren't many photos in my camera roll. 

An Invitation and a Link



The photograph above is an oldie, but I do have this thing about trees and felt the image deserved another day or two on the blog. Looking at it again sets my mind going as to what I would do differently now.

My latest post at http://www.anitajesse.com includes a new equine image, a question about habits, and a bit of poking fun at myself. I hope you will follow the link and visit my other blog.

I Made Room For Play Today

Playtime involved a 100mm f/2.8L lens and a 7D. Oh, and, of course, a horse of sorts. I hope you will take a look at http://www.anitajesse.blogspot.com/2013/01/playing-at-28.html.

Still Tweaking

(By some crazy mistake, I deleted my blog roll and trying to put it back together. If your site isn't on the new list, it doesn't mean I meant to ignore you. Just another mess up on my part. Let me know about the oversight and I will fix it.)

I am still tweaking the new blog. But, don't let the title of the latest post over there persuade you that I am about to launch a cooking blog. Yes, turnip greens are mentioned, but it is really about blogging and social media. Well, that and tackling new things. Read More

Blog Accessible Again

My blog linked at www.anitajesse.com is back in operation. Turns out this one was on me. I must admit that I was not at my best today. A huge loss and not fully functional.

But, all seems back to normal in the blog department.

The 7D and high ISO

For those who might be curious, I have posted a sample photo from my 7D at my photography blog. This one is pretty much right out of ACR. I made minor adjustments to the exposure, tone curve, and clarity. Next, I applied a minimum of noise reduction and cropped out a couple of distractions. In Photoshop all I did was reduce the file before saving to jpg. The image was shot with the 24-105mm f/4L IS at 6400 ISO, f/5.6 and 1/125 sec., without flash.

Perhaps I am easy to please; but, when it comes to higher ISO thus higher shutter speed, I am happy with this upgrade. While I don't expect to use ISO 6400 on a regular basis any more than I expect to photograph action shots inside our great room I will no longer flinch at 1250 or 1600 when shooting in low light. Since I will be shooting action using the 70-200mm f/4L, access to the corresponding higher shutter speeds is likely to give me more keepers. When photographing horses, I have learned that anything less than 1/1000 shutter speed means you had better be great at panning and I am not. That skill still eludes me. Whew! Another goal for 2013. This is getting out of hand.

Unexpected Goals

Galen is always ready for a run

(Click here for the bigger, better version)

 

While I had not finished a post about my goals for the new year, I thought my list was close to being complete. I thought that I just needed to settle on how to frame my thoughts. The idea of a new camera had not occurred to me. The cost and weight of Canon's 1D cameras had always stopped me and nothing else had been irresistible. I hadn't bought a camera since mid-2009. 

Then, a friend began talking about his new 7D. I told myself that I was merely curious. Because I had pretty much made my peace with the fact that the 1Dx was out of my league, I would stick with the trusty old 50d. Still, I succumbed to the temptation to look up the specs for the 7D at B&H and found myself thinking, "How have I overlooked this?!"  Reading the specs and reviews, along with yet another conversation with my local friend, convinced me that this was a good compromise for me. Not the 1Dx, to be sure, but a definite step up from the 50D which, in its three plus years, has served me well. 

Since The Husband was asking if I would ever decide on a birthday and Christmas present, I figured a new camera was a good answer. Now, I have added a new and unexpected item to my list of goals. In fact, this one has to go near the top: Learn to use the new-to-me focusing mechanism for the Canon 7D. I had long been restricted to 9 focusing points. Now, I have 19 and new focusing modes to master. I will likely have a very tired shutter finger and an even more muddled brain before I can effectively use the new features, but plan to have fun learning. 

Naturally, Galen, was drafted for one of my first practice sessions.

I have posted another new image from my new camera here. See what you think about it.

Post #1 for 2013

My first 2013 post is now up on my blog at http://www.anitajesse.com. I hope you will mosey on over and visit.

I also hope 2013 is off to a smashing start for you.

Season's Greetings

I wish you all a

Merry, Merry Christmas

and a

New Year filled with blessings!

Ups and Downs with CS6

Mostly, new software turns me into a quivering mass of dread and my brain turns to unset jello. On the other hand, new program also inspires me. I get excited about all the things I'm going to be able to accomplish with the new tools. That doesn't mean I learn the software quickly and easily. It's that the joy of discovery eases the pain. 

On the Jesse Dread and Inspiration scale, Photoshop CS6 was a 9.5. I have eyestrain from the tutorials that I've watched and I still feel like a blithering idiot. The first time I launched CS6, my jaw dropped. My first thought was a panicky, "What program is this?!" I knew immediately that I was in for a long and steep learning curve. For me, it's a big leap from CS3 to CS6 and I'm still not done.

Would I go back? Not even that proverbial "team of wild horses" could drag me there. (Well, face it, if there were horses involved, who knows.) The point is I find CS6 a dramatic improvement over previous versions and only wish that I made the move earlier. 

The new ACR alone makes the cost of the upgrade worthwhile, if you shoot RAW files. Since upgrading, I have examined  RAW files previously processed in CS3 and been astonished by the untapped information. This is mostly true with the equine action photography. There were countless cases where I got everything I wanted in the image except the exposure—the black horse running into a shadow resulting in under exposure. In most cases, so far, I have found that the RAW file had all the information that I needed, after all. 

And, I haven't even gotten into those incredible brushes. I like painting with the various brushes before, but this is a whole new world. 

Especially if you shoot RAW files, give CS6 a try.  I don't think you will be able to resist it. It's that good.
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Note: new post up at http://www.anitajesse.blogspot.com/