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Today I am marking the second anniversary of my blog. And, I haven’t a thing to wear. Actually, the problem is that I don’t have much to say about it.
I suppose it is worth a sentence or two to say that when I began my blog on July 11, 2007, I had no real clue what I would write about and why I was starting a blog. It seemed as though it was worth trying—after all, it was free. Unfortunately, my posting is as erratic as it was in the beginning, and I certainly wish that I had chosen a more original name for the blog, but I wasn’t willing to invest much thought in the experiment when I began—I was that unsure of my intentions. A couple of days ago, Andreas Manessinger shared fascinating thoughts about blogging and celebrated post 1000 in two and a half years. In my two years, I haven’t posted one-third that number. I could work on being more consistent. Still, I can’t imagine now allowing the blog to wither and die. I am grateful that I decided to explore the blogosphere.
The photograph of the doe was taken mid-June when higher ISO was on my mind. (I had just gotten the 50D.) The Husband and I took a drive up on Deer Trail to enjoy the view and spotted this gal beside the road. The light was fading quickly and this was taken at ISO 1600. I couldn’t very well bracket shots (she wasn’t still long) which meant the exposure for the dark background was less than ideal and showed some moderately unattractive noise. I experimented with a small amount of selective noise reduction in CS3. A down and dirty mask thanks to the Quick Selection Tool made the selective part easy and fast.
After shooting with the 50D for a little over a month now, I am comfortable with the battery grip. I still shoot occasionally with the 40D, even the 20D, and I continue to have moments of mental paralysis when shifting from one body to another. I know that I could only solve that problem by taking hundreds of photographs every day and regularly changing bodies. Not likely, I am afraid—except in brief periods of intense activity.
I suppose it is worth a sentence or two to say that when I began my blog on July 11, 2007, I had no real clue what I would write about and why I was starting a blog. It seemed as though it was worth trying—after all, it was free. Unfortunately, my posting is as erratic as it was in the beginning, and I certainly wish that I had chosen a more original name for the blog, but I wasn’t willing to invest much thought in the experiment when I began—I was that unsure of my intentions. A couple of days ago, Andreas Manessinger shared fascinating thoughts about blogging and celebrated post 1000 in two and a half years. In my two years, I haven’t posted one-third that number. I could work on being more consistent. Still, I can’t imagine now allowing the blog to wither and die. I am grateful that I decided to explore the blogosphere.
The photograph of the doe was taken mid-June when higher ISO was on my mind. (I had just gotten the 50D.) The Husband and I took a drive up on Deer Trail to enjoy the view and spotted this gal beside the road. The light was fading quickly and this was taken at ISO 1600. I couldn’t very well bracket shots (she wasn’t still long) which meant the exposure for the dark background was less than ideal and showed some moderately unattractive noise. I experimented with a small amount of selective noise reduction in CS3. A down and dirty mask thanks to the Quick Selection Tool made the selective part easy and fast.
After shooting with the 50D for a little over a month now, I am comfortable with the battery grip. I still shoot occasionally with the 40D, even the 20D, and I continue to have moments of mental paralysis when shifting from one body to another. I know that I could only solve that problem by taking hundreds of photographs every day and regularly changing bodies. Not likely, I am afraid—except in brief periods of intense activity.
Congratulations on your anniversary. I poke around now and then to try to discover some new blogs and find a lot of them don't get updated very often at all, with very little community participation. So pat yourself on the back for posting as much as you do and maintaining an audience. It is no easy task to keep one of these things up.
ReplyDeleteMark - Thank you and I particularly appreciate your noting that it isn't always easy to keep a blog going. Even in my two short years, I am noticing how many people begin, only to soon disappear. It can become overwhelming at times. I can't imagine how people with demanding, full-time jobs manage. It would be beyond me.
ReplyDeleteFirts: Congratulations! Two years, that's quite some commitment.
ReplyDeleteAs to the battery grip, I always wonder why people use such a thing. Is it for the vertical grip? I mean, I could have used one with the D200. That was one power hungry camera, but since I switched to the D300 ... no need at all.
As to blogging while having a full-time job, well, it's demanding, but when what you have to do for the blog is just what you want to do anyway: it works. Passion does that to you :)
Andreas - Thank you. I am frankly quite surprised by the two-year mark. It has been a grand adventure.
ReplyDeleteYes, on the battery grip for vertical grip. At least that was my motivation. I am one of those who struggled with holding my camera in position for a portrait shot and thought the grip would help. Fortunately, it has made a difference. I trust there will be some occasions when I appreciate having a second battery on board, although I haven't done that yet.
You manage a blistering pace with posting. What is most impressive is quantity along with quality.
Congratulations on the anniversary! I read and enjoy every post you make.
ReplyDeleteAnita, Congratulations on two years of blog history. Blogs are a little like relationships--they become even more interesting when they have some history. I always check your blog daily and look forward to new post...may there be many more years!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes use a battery grip because I do find it makes for a more stable vertical grip, but then sometimes I take it off if the weight becomes more of an issue then the grip. I can't decide if I'm a fan of it or not.
Steve - Welcome and thank you for the lovely note. I am delighted to know that you are visiting frequently. I hope you will leave notes often.
ReplyDeleteEarl - I so appreciate the good wishes. Isn't it interesting how much we look forward to the updates of the blogs we enjoy? I am fascinated by how attached I have become to so many people that I have met only on the web.
ReplyDeleteI did balk a bit at the added weight on my camera, but I think I am past the crucial test. I certainly like the ease of making those portrait orientation pictures. There may still be times when I dump the grip for a lighter load. We'll see.
Well, congratulations!!! Keeping a blog afloat is certainly a bit of work, to be sure. It's kind of hard to come up with new, thought provoking, interesting content on a daily basis. Unless, of course, you are Andreas! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI, like you, have noticed that many blogs go dead after a short while, usually less than a year. I guess that the person who started it thought that it was a cool idea at the time, but then later decided that it wasn't worth the effort or perhaps that writing was their thing. My older son tried to start one. He loves sports, but after writing the blog for a scant very few months, decided that he liked watching and participating more than he liked writing about it, so he quit.
Reading your post made me think about when I started mine. My earliest post dates to April 30th, 2006, but I actually started sometime around January, but on Blogger. I show that I have made 2206 posts in 3+ years. Not bad! That said, I recognize that there are more gaps between posts now. I'm a bit more introspective before posting and I don't like to talk a lot about equipment.
Regarding the battery grip. I love it! I keep mine on my D300 as I shoot a lot of verticals and, with the grip, the camera fits my hand much better. I just like the feel of it. It feels like my D2x did. Big, tank-like, formidible! ;-) Manly!!! LOL!
Paul - Heavens, it's a good thing that I did not think too much about "thought provoking and intersting content" or I would have given up after the first week! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to see how people abandon the process. I think you really have to enjoy the process of organizing your thoughts into putting them into words, because it isn't always easy—at least, it isn't for me.
Wow. Two thousand plus posts. You deserve a little slow-down in schedule. That is a formidable number. I wonder if I have that much to say over time. My meager experience means that I am not the person to write much about equipment. Ditto, technique.
As is so often the case, you provided me with a hearty chuckle when you described your "tank-like" "manly" camera. Now if there is a similar effect on my 50D, what the heck am I doing working with a tank-like and manly camera?!
@Anita: A small (large) correction. I queried my database wrong. I have 890 posts! :-) Not quite to 1000 yet! Wordpress classifies all items as 'posts', but some of them include the pictures as 'inherited' posts, whatever the heck that means! LOL! After I wrote it, I thought: 2000 is way too many for 3 years. That would be almost 2 per day, 7 days per week. Even I don't talk that much!
ReplyDeleteI think that you have to use a tank-like. manyly camera to keep the mountain lions away and respectful! :-) If one of them does come after you, you could use it as a weapon! Bop him over the head with it!
Paul - Now, isn't that like me! I bought it and never even questioned the numbers. Of course, I rarely question anyone in matters of math. At any rate 890 posts is nothing to sneeze at. That 'inherited' posts designation is an interesting puzzle. I hope you will share the explanation when you find it.
ReplyDeleteOf course. The mountain lions. I should have thought of that.
Congratulations on two years of blogging! That's an accomplishment, regardless of whether you post daily or not. I am certainly glad to have discovered your writings and photos, they are on my list of regulars.
ReplyDeleteHere's to another year, at whatever pace works for you!
Mary Ann/qpb
Mary Ann - Thank you! I have accepted the fact that my pace is erratic and maybe I should hope people enjoy the unpredictability. Sure, that's rationalization, but it's something.
ReplyDeleteI'm catching up and it seems everybody celebrated anniversaries while I was away. Two years, that's a long time when looking back and adding up all you've been writing. From my point of view, you have always been writing interesting posts and your photos are really something extra. And about that title, I think it work very well, it's most certainly better than mine. :) Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOve - My sincere appreciation for your kind words about my blog and thank you for the vote of confidence for the blog name I chose. I like the name you chose for your blog very much because it is wonderfully creative and unexpected.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it's great to know that you are back. I look forward to catching up with you.