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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!
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....
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.
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.
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!
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....
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.
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.
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.
