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. 

A Sign that Points to Questions

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Yesterday was one of our Bakersfield-trek days. Faced with errands that can’t be taken care of in Tehachapi, we devoted much of the day to the drive and schlepping store to store. If we could get a Trader Joe’s in Tehachapi, it would cut down considerably on time spent in Bakersfield. But then, I would want to stop with TJ's and that's not fair to the people who want other types of growth. Drat. Oh, well driving to Bakersfield isn't so bad. 

If you aren’t familiar with the Trader Joe's chain, their prices are exceptionally good and they have items that are either unavailable elsewhere or scarce at best. (For example, The Husband is crazy about their store brand frozen tamales. I am, too, but can no longer eat them, unfortunately.) The chain is bit like a poor person’s Whole Foods. The latter offers terrific products, but I have heard them referred to as Whole Paycheck, and let’s just say that we patronize Trader Joe’s instead.

I can’t resist taking a camera with me on these treks in spite of the fact that I don’t usually come home with much. Drive-by photography doesn’t typically produce great yields (especially with an incredibly dirty windshield). Of course, I want to stop about every ten miles. That isn’t practical for many reasons—including a time schedule to keep and most often no place to pull off going down through the mountains.

For yesterday’s trip, I took not only the 40D—because it happened to have the 24-105mm lens attached, but the G7, as well. I ended up using the small camera on the way home. As traffic slowed approaching a traffic light, The husband and I each spotted this sign at the same moment. It provided a nice giggle .

Drive-By Photography on the 58

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Last Friday, The Husband had to drive to Bakersfield to pick up an attachment for the tractor and I decided to tag along. Because he needed the trailer to pick up the beast he was buying, I knew that it wouldn’t be all fun and games. Hauling the trailer meant that pulling off the road wouldn’t be easy and I knew that The Husband wouldn’t be keen on taking any detours that might take us to a spot where it would be near impossible to back up and turn around. This would be strictly business.

Still, I thought it would be a good opportunity to spend some time catching up with him, and I always enjoy the drive on Highway 58 from Tehachapi to Bakersfield. I even enjoy seeing Bakersfield, occasionally. It’s not inspiring, but it’s vastly different from my surroundings and it’s the biggest city near us. I thought that I could use the change in scenery. That’s one of the true joys of my new life style. For decades, the idea of simply playing hooky just for the heck of it, was a subject calling for serious soul searching. Now, I can be irresponsible on a whim and without feeling guilty.

Since we have been surrounded by rain storms for the past several days, we weren’t surprised by the rain we drove through. But before the clouds opened, I had fun practicing my drive-by photography shooting scenes along the way. I can’t resist that type of shooting even though the return is quite small.

As I was firing away, I thought a bit about why that type of shooting appeals to me. I think the main draw is that I like the challenge of framing on the fly. The other reason that I don’t attempt to resist is that every so often I get a shot that I like, and those always seem like freebies. After all, I was shooting with nothing more in mind than sharpening my seeing skills, not really expecting keepers. Anything I like, then, is a pleasant surprise. Yes, it’s almost always true that even what qualifies as a drive-by keeper would have been better, if I had more time to do the job correctly. But, those shots are usually taken in spots where it would be impossible to pull over, unless we were willing to set off a multi-car pileup. Whlie they aren’t the shots that I would put in a portfolio representing my work, I always learn from them. Sometimes I enjoy them enough to process them and look at them more than once or twice.

Heck, I even shot through the windshield while it was raining. As long as the shutter button fires, I can't resist shooting. I have no will power when it comes to photography.