Our New World of Photography

We've always dreamed of having a decent camera to satiate our appetite for developing our photography skills. Thanks to Uncle Sam, we received our Economic Stimulus gift and that dream came true. I can't guarantee our skills will improve, but the pictures will certainly improve over those of past camera's we've owned.

We didn't get the fanciest, highest featured camera, but we got one that seems to be just right for our amateur needs. We bought a Nikkon D40 6.1 mega pixel, Digital SLR Camera with a bonus zoom lens with vibration reduction for under $600 from Costco.com. It has more features and options than any camera we've ever owned.

So the past few days we've been experimenting with the camera. Although I still do some post-shoot editing, most of it is cropping and a little brightening in some cases. Anyway, here are a few results from our new camera (click on picture to see detail better):

Spring is the perfect time for testing colors and close-ups. I love the depth of field this new camera provides. And it has some nice vivid pictures...its not washed out like the point-and-shoot tended to be. And the focus is tons clearer than our point and shoot.

How about moving targets? I was stunned when I saw how clear this seagull turned out in mid-flight. On top of that the blurred background makes it stand out.

Friday night the beach had an eerie orange haze as the sun set giving a fitting backdrop to the skeletal remains of Peter Iredale.

One of the best tests is the moon. I was quite pleased with how well the zoom lens took shots of the moon. This picture was cropped and still has a lot of detail without the grain--a testimonial to the value of increasing mega pixels.

This is one of my favorites. Not only does this cropped shot say a lot about the capability of the camera, I was also fascinated with the unique opportunity of snapping wild life in action in my own backyard. I was fascinated at the scope of this scene. It's like a single snapshot of this mortal life: start of new life (the specks of pollen came out so clear I was surprised), our reliance on each other, and death completes the circle.