This months photo walk was an anniversary walk. It’s been a year since the first organized walk took place and to mark the event we all returned to the area which started it all. Now I’ve been to Old East village a few times over the course of the year, but it was still nice to go back with the group. It was interesting to see all that had changed and all that had stayed the same.
In one of the alley ways there was an old Chevy Corvair that was much photographed last year and this year. We found it in the same place this year and in much the same condition (it hadn’t deteriorated much) waiting for someone to pluck it up and restore it. Some of the buildings we had photographed last year were gone, namely the old Embassy, which was destroyed by fire shortly after our walk last year.
Early that morning before the walk I decided that in addition to my DSLR, that I would take my old Nikon point and shoot out for a spin. By old I mean a circa 2005, 4 megapixel camera. Apart from a bit of use last January as my second camera on my trip to India and a 3 day camping trip the year previous, it really hasn’t been used since I got my DSLR in the fall of 2007. I didn’t know really what to expect from the camera. I just started randomly shooting with it, often not even looking at the screen (or viewfinder) and just shooting. I set it to black and white to distinguish from the shots I was taking with my Canon. I have to say, I was really surprised at the pictures that I got out of it. I’ve heard it said before that you don’t really need a fancy camera to take great pictures, and I think I really proved it to myself on this walk. Check out my flickr feed to see for yourself.
Now I’m not going to put away my DSLR and go back to the point and shoot. I really like shooting with my “fancy” camera and the results I get from it, but maybe the old point and shoot might see a bit more action in the future.
I’ve had some interesting experiences since I got to this town. Most of them seem to revolve around eating in some way. It’s probably because food or drink is a prime motivator for me to go out into public other than work. Also, I tend to frame my outdoor excursions around getting a coffee or treat.
My experiences have ranged from being basically told that I wasn’t welcome at a locally popular breakfast spot, to finding some real gems with really good food and a really welcoming atmosphere. Well of all the places I’ve visited so far, two of my favourites have closed. All of a sudden they were gone. One I went to almost every week, the other maybe once a month. Both offered a somewhat unique offering that I don’t know where else to find.
And now a rare moment of technobable. I’m really proud of this shot. Sure it might not be technically perfect, but it’s the best I’ve done in a long time. And what makes it so good? The numbers. I shot this at 1/6 of a second F2.8 hand held. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s damn hard to get a clear shot below 1/30th of a second usually. The thing that gets me is why I’ve sat on it for so long. I shot this way back on Sept 11th, 2010 (which was the first time I went to a particular restaurant which closed, where I shot the picture. see it’s all connected). I just sat on it. There are a few other shots that I really like, but I’m sitting on and haven’t shared. What is this urge, it’s almost instinctive, to keep the best for myself and not share with anyone? Am I afraid it won’t stand up under the scrutiny of the internet? Or I’m just selfish and I do keep the best for myself and my closest. And even then, I don’t share everything with them either.
But then why am I sharing all this right now on the internet? It makes no sense whatsoever. As it turns out I’m not only a secretive hoarder, but also a hypocrite.