Two Twenty Five Twelve

Mum's the word - early morning flowers on the kitchen table.

Jars of water with algae at North Park Nature Center.

                               Mr. Norman Bates.  He was fed today and is now content.                   

Eleanor

It sure didn't feel like 36 degrees today.  The sun was shining, and the air was calm.  I took the Canon out for a walk, revisitied some old spots, made a couple of new friends, and put in a couple more hours of practice with the new camera. 

First, some more shots at the abandoned trestle.

I met a nice lady walking her dog "Eleanor".  Eleanor is a 14-year-old mixed-breed.  She was very calm and gentle, and reminded me of my old dog.  She was very photogenic and seemed to like the attention.

Burrs.

Nobody's home.

On thin ice.

Illinois Beach State Park, Zion

Upgrade

So I recently graduated from a modest Samsung point-and-shoot camera (which was used to take all photos so far on my blog with the exception of the "Michigan Sunset" post, which I used my wife's Canon Powershot G10 for) to a Canon Rebel T3 EOS (an "entry-level" DSLR camera) with stock lens.  I figured that since I spend enough time and energy with a camera, I might as well try something that will give me more options. 

My first impression is that this new Canon is a BEAST.  I am a total amateur at photography but have enjoyed it for years and want to become a better photographer.  To do this I have to learn all these crazy terms like aperture and shutter speed.  I think I am slowly getting the hang of it, but it will take a lot of time and trial and error before I can master this new technology.

Once I started using the Canon with stock lens, I realized two things - the zoom is entirely inadequate and the macro is terrible.  I won't be getting any good shots of subjects from afar with this lens nor will I be able to get good macro shots  (such as the invertebrates and amphibians I captured last year).  For these, I will need to upgrade to a more appropriate lens or lenses.  The Canon Rebel T3 takes stunning photos in low-light conditions, unlike the Samsung.  It also allows the subject to really pop out.  I have been playing with the aperture settings and have taken a few halfway decent (and I'm being generous) shots.  So, until I procure some nicer lenses specific to my photographic needs, I will be alternating between my new toy and the old Samsung (which I still really like). 

Here are a couple of photos I took today with the new camera.  This was kind of a test run to become more familiar with this technological marvel.

Rusty & Forgotten

Midwest Fence installed this fence during or following the contruction of the Kennedy expressway during the late 50's or early 60's.  There are still quite a few of these old signs with the old phone numbers posted along this particular stretch of I-90.

Just another old sign that has seen much better years.

Variety Auto Supply

Something tells me this sign is going very soon.  The auto supply business is long gone and now houses a clothing store.