Celestia
19-05-2007, 14:57
Thought I ought to introduce myself and say hello. I'm Rachel, otherwise known as Celestia and a number of other names (couldn't use my usual nick as it was already taken :'( )
I've had an interest in photography since my teens when I used to read a huge yellow covered book, "The Complete Kodak Book of Photography" that a couple I used to babysit for had.
About 5 years ago I started playing with digital cameras, and got an Olympus Camedia C-4000 Zoom, which I love, and has been a great little camera. Unfortunately though the SmartMedia cards are somewhat tempramental, and are very expensive to replace. Last year, deciding I wanted to be more creative, I got a Minolta Dimage 7i, but I've used it very little. When I have used it, it's a lovely camera, but for me there's just too many damned buttons and I don't find it easy to use, so the Olympus and Minolta are probably going to be going on ebay.
I'm a part time local government officer, and part time web designer, and at the moment I tend to use my cameras mainly for taking photos for clients' websites.
Four years ago I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that's damaged my eyes, and has left me with no peripheral vision, intermittent blurred vision, permanent double vision (I wear an eye patch to control that), and a strange variety of visual effects - walls that bend at times, strange colour casts, and weird depth perception - and all without the use of any filters! :lol: People think it's weird that given my visual problems, I like photography, but the camera has eyes that work right and picks up details I miss, and I can magnify them on screen so I can see them better.
At the moment I've got a Vivitar Vivicam 3105s that lives in my bag for snapping of things I see while out and about, and this week, to replace the Olympus I got a Canon Powershot A710is, which I love! I love everything about it, and so far haven't found anything about it that I don't like, though I'm considering getting the optional flash add-on to extend the range of the flash. I was taking some shots for a site I'm working on at the moment last week, and the Olympus struggled with the lighting where I needed to take the photos, and reading the Canon's documentation, with a similar flash range I think it's going to struggle too.
Anyway, here's some of my pics....
http://ecanus.net/photos/spire_bw.jpg
This was one I shot last year for my business site - it's Chesterfield's "Crooked Spire". Taken with the Vivitar - very literally a case of point and shoot, or rather point, shoot, and hope for the best. It was very bright so I couldn't see the LCD screen at all.
This was one I took last summer with the Olympus Camedia in Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood country), which isn't too far away from me. The old tree stump was just at the side of a path in the forest, and the texture and patterns of the bark fascinated me.
http://ecanus.net/photos/sherwood3.jpg
http://ecanus.net/photos/sherwood3a.jpg
This one was taken this morning with my new Canon A710is of the rhodedendron bush in our garden, which is a mass of flowers at the moment.
http://ecanus.net/photos/rhodedendron.jpg
So, that's me, and that's some of my pics. I know I've a lot to learn and thankfully digital cameras have that very useful "delete" button so that I can dispose of my disasters without wasting precious pixels. :)
I've had an interest in photography since my teens when I used to read a huge yellow covered book, "The Complete Kodak Book of Photography" that a couple I used to babysit for had.
About 5 years ago I started playing with digital cameras, and got an Olympus Camedia C-4000 Zoom, which I love, and has been a great little camera. Unfortunately though the SmartMedia cards are somewhat tempramental, and are very expensive to replace. Last year, deciding I wanted to be more creative, I got a Minolta Dimage 7i, but I've used it very little. When I have used it, it's a lovely camera, but for me there's just too many damned buttons and I don't find it easy to use, so the Olympus and Minolta are probably going to be going on ebay.
I'm a part time local government officer, and part time web designer, and at the moment I tend to use my cameras mainly for taking photos for clients' websites.
Four years ago I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that's damaged my eyes, and has left me with no peripheral vision, intermittent blurred vision, permanent double vision (I wear an eye patch to control that), and a strange variety of visual effects - walls that bend at times, strange colour casts, and weird depth perception - and all without the use of any filters! :lol: People think it's weird that given my visual problems, I like photography, but the camera has eyes that work right and picks up details I miss, and I can magnify them on screen so I can see them better.
At the moment I've got a Vivitar Vivicam 3105s that lives in my bag for snapping of things I see while out and about, and this week, to replace the Olympus I got a Canon Powershot A710is, which I love! I love everything about it, and so far haven't found anything about it that I don't like, though I'm considering getting the optional flash add-on to extend the range of the flash. I was taking some shots for a site I'm working on at the moment last week, and the Olympus struggled with the lighting where I needed to take the photos, and reading the Canon's documentation, with a similar flash range I think it's going to struggle too.
Anyway, here's some of my pics....
http://ecanus.net/photos/spire_bw.jpg
This was one I shot last year for my business site - it's Chesterfield's "Crooked Spire". Taken with the Vivitar - very literally a case of point and shoot, or rather point, shoot, and hope for the best. It was very bright so I couldn't see the LCD screen at all.
This was one I took last summer with the Olympus Camedia in Sherwood Forest (Robin Hood country), which isn't too far away from me. The old tree stump was just at the side of a path in the forest, and the texture and patterns of the bark fascinated me.
http://ecanus.net/photos/sherwood3.jpg
http://ecanus.net/photos/sherwood3a.jpg
This one was taken this morning with my new Canon A710is of the rhodedendron bush in our garden, which is a mass of flowers at the moment.
http://ecanus.net/photos/rhodedendron.jpg
So, that's me, and that's some of my pics. I know I've a lot to learn and thankfully digital cameras have that very useful "delete" button so that I can dispose of my disasters without wasting precious pixels. :)