Writing All Over Again

A New Horror Novel to Read

Writing and Cameras

When I began writing a blog, I understood the benefit of using photographs. The fear of using someone’s work without permission drove me to find stock photos that allow free use as long as I attribute the work to the photographer, which I’m happy to do.

But there are times I want to create something of my own. As a result, some of the photos at my website are mine, taken while hiking or on vacation. I’ve even discovered that my photos inspire me to write. (Always a plus!)

I’m still a newbie, though. I use my Pentax digital SLR with its most basic settings and bemoan my inability to take night shots or indoor pictures without flash.

 

SAM_0045 - Version 2

 

I don’t have Photoshop, although I do have Gimp sitting unused on my computer. The one time I tried to use it I had turned a photograph into a frightening mess of yellows and browns.

Two drawbacks to a DSLR camera are its bulk and weight. It’s not something I can just slip into a pocket. It’s always a conscious effort to pack it, and the longer the day goes, the heavier it feels.

Point-and shoot-cameras have evolved to being light and compact, and most even offer zoom capacity. I also eyed the latest version of Apple’s iTouch. My old one held music comfortably but didn’t include a camera, and I knew Apple’s iPhone took good photos.

But I wanted something that didn’t multitask. Right or wrong, I feel that multitaskers end up sacrificing functions that standalones would have. So my decision was to go with a point-and-shoot camera. That would be easy to buy, right?

 

ID-100131602*

Okay, okay. How was I to know how much the market had changed since the old Instamatics? My DSLR was the only camera I paid attention to. Thanks to a good friend (thanks, Jeff!), I was brought up to (basic) speed and made a list of what I needed.

  1. A budget of $200 (but preferably less).
  2. Good picture quality, including night photos.
  3. Zoom capacity.
  4. Wifi and video were not important.

I finally decided on the Samsung WB35F Smart Digital Camera ($109 at bandh.com). Here, I used a penny for scale:

 

IMGP8965

 

Of course, there are added costs. A mini SD card and spare battery added to the total but still kept everything significantly lower than my top price.

I’ve barely tested it out but so far have been pleased. And now the camera will go with me everywhere unless I feel the DSLR would work better.

Duck everybody, I’m armed!

 

Note: The photos of each camera were taken in Auto setting and cropped. Like I said, still a newbie. 🙂

* Image courtesy of Photokanok at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

2 Comments
  • jan • August 17, 2015 at 11:46 am

    For purposes of a blog I don’t think you have to be a great photographer! I’m certainly not! Have fun!

    • J. M. Levinton • August 17, 2015 at 2:31 pm

      I look at your site and it’s filled with gorgeous, dynamic pictures, videos, and cartoons! I’m envious. Where did you get the Captain Kirk pic? (Feel free to ignore that.) *grins*

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