Tag: photography

Ripples …

Ripples …

While recently browsing some of my older photos I came across this image I took on a sailing trip in The Bahamas over twenty-two years ago and I remember it so clearly. It was a near perfect, cool morning in November, and I was up before the sun and on deck with coffee and camera in hand. There was really no breeze and the ocean was flat with just left over memories of the previous waves, giving me a slight ripply effect in the reflection of the sky. As the sun rose to peek at the scattered puffy clouds, I could see the beginnings of deep orange in the east fading to dark blue to the west. So calm … and so calming. I still relax every time I view this photo, so decided to make it the wallpaper on my desktop.

The mornings at anchor on the sailboat are some of my favorite memories of those trips. I remember a morning anchored in the inside passage of the Florida Keys. It was another very calm beginning and after the sun rose, a slight offshore breeze began to stir the water. I was ready to go, but my wife was still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb her. So I pulled in the anchor by hand, pulled the genoa out, and the boat slowly glided through the water towards the channel. I still think of that morning as another perfect beginning to a day on the water.

I hope this image will help you get to the same relaxed state of mind …

Please feel free to download this image – It makes a nice Wallpaper on a laptop. Image dated Nov., 2002, taken with Canon EOS D30.

A New Direction …

After several years of inactivity here on the blog, I’m back.  This lack of attention was not even for any good reason other than the normal distractions of life.  You know how it is to get caught up in the daily chores and various projects; those times when you’re not truly busy but just doing busy work.  Plus, like most of you who write, either in a journal, a blog, or your work I have writer’s doubt when I confront the “blank page”.  As you’ve discovered, the cure for that is to simply start writing but that is easier said than done sometimes. Right?

In order to find inspiration, I’ve done a lot of reading, refreshed the look of this site, and changed the name to align with my other media sites. I also plan to change the nature of the content here, away from being photography-centric to more of a general interest platform. I’ll be keeping up with news and technology improvements to better reflect our rapidly changing world.

Also,  after almost 20 years of an “almost” obsession with photography and digital cameras it’s become more of an afterthought, not even a hobby. Back then I always had a camera with me. Now  it’s just my iPhone which is the only camera I own at the moment. But now I’m ready to get going again, and even caught myself browsing B&H Photo this morning.

Part of the new theme is the header image, just a sliver of the entire image, but still interesting, and it’s intriguing that it was generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence)!  The detail, and the light and shadow are very well done.  I normally prefer to use my own photos, but I had nothing that was even close to what I was looking for so I downloaded it from https://pixabay.com.  Pixabay is an online image site that offers over 1500 free and royalty free images, and that is their mission,  Free Images.  There, I found a 4096 x 4096 pixel image that was almost exactly what I had in mind for the header and just needed cropping to the right shape and size.

Coming up next … a brief look at AI unknowns. Will they determine whether it turns out good or bad.?

For Me … It’s the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Okay, the votes are all in (okay – “the” vote is in – mine) and I’ve decided on the Olympus E-M5.


I’ve read and studied and pixel-peeped every online source I could find and the E-M5 will be my next camera. The reasons are several and varied and no indication of which camera might be better for you or someone else. The perfect camera has yet to be built, so every camera includes a series of compromises in one area or another.


Here are some of the main reasons I’ve decided to go with Olympus:

  • Size: The size of these newer ILC (Interchangeable Lens Cameras) appeals to my sense of carry-ability. With a smaller lens, the camera will literally fit in my coat pocket.
  • Resolution: At 16 Megapixels, it’s no where near the top that is available, today, but still produces images that can be printed very large.
  • Image Quality: This has yet to be completely tested, but DPReview.com released their “Studio Scene” images which allow you to compare various ISO images against other cameras. In the DPReview tests, the E-M5 appears to compete very favorably with the Sony NEX-5N and Fuji X100 – two cameras that we know produce excellent images. Plus, it looks like it just edges out the NEX-7 at higher ISOs.
  • IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization): As I’ve grown older, I find that my hands just aren’t as steady as they used to be, thus the need for a little help from my camera. With IBIS, “every” lens can be stabilized if needed.
  • Lens Selection: Between Olympus, Panasonic, and now even Sigma, there is a substantial and growing selection  of Micro Four Thirds lenses available. Plus, a small adapter, the MMF-3, allows Four Thirds lenses to be used.
  • Weather/Dust Sealing: I don’t shoot in the rain much, however, a sealed camera is still a good thing – you never know when that next great shot may require you to get wet!
  • Customization: The E-M5’s menu system looks like it is very extensive, allowing the operator to set many camera functions the way they desire, not how the manufacturer thought it should be. Also, it has 4 User Memories for storing frequently or preferred settings.
  • Price: I’d love to have a Nikon D800, Canon 1DX, and the Fujifilm X-Pro1 (and others) but, like many, I have a budget. 😦 And while this camera is NOT cheap, it does work for me … after I sell a few things! 🙂
Of course, there are so many features and they’ve been discussed in depth across the internet, so I won’t go into all of them. My list includes just the “Biggies” that affected my decision process and, frankly, the IBIS stabilization system is probably one of the bigger factors … for me.
As always, I invite you to share your thoughts, pro or con, and let me know which way you’re going and why.
Be sure and check out my page Olympus E-M5 Info – it’s loaded with links to many reviews and other websites with pertinent information about this camera.