Obsession Reborn

You may want to refresh your memory before reading this post. It is an update from

Obsession May 2009

Now you know the first part of the story, enjoy the next chapter.

Fuji FinePix Z5

The Fuji mentioned in the original post is shown above. It was not shown, but it took the portraits of all the camera's who were. It was a life changer for me. I had forgotten how much art there is in a good photograph and how much I loved photography.  It was light and no bigger than a pack of cards. It fit easily in my purse and soon went everywhere with me.

Finepix F5 control panel

This camera explored North and South Carolina, parts of Florida, (see Space Cadet ), together we took walks in the woods, saw our Corolla reach 100,000 miles, visited Yellowstone National Park and  my family in Utah, saw New Orleans and took hundreds of pictures of cars (another obsession).

When I earned my Bachelors (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), My Sweet Husband thought I deserved an upgrade. My graduation present from him was the lovely pink Fuji Finepix Z70 shown above. The Z5 posed with it in front of an old photo of my Mother-in-Law (one of the sweetest human beings ever).  We took this camera to Rome and later, China, as well as our usual haunts closer to home. I have used it to document restoration on the house and the extreme cuteness of Spontaneous. 

Finepix Z70 control panel and screen

Both finepix cameras have a good selection of "scenes" you can use for settings. Things like "sunset" or "Snow" or "portrait", I personally think I was able to get some great shots with these cameras, but somewhere in the back of my mind, the question sits; was it my skill, or the camera? Unfortunately a few months ago, the latch for the door to the battery and memory card compartment broke......

I was able to tape it shut. Not really an optimal situation, but it worked.

Canon Power Shot S120

My Sweet Husband strikes again. Look what he got me for Christmas! My new S120 is posed here in front of a photo I took with the Petri for one of my photography classes. (Taken with the Finepix F5 it still works great) I won't say exactly how many years ago those classes were (hint, big hair ) but it was long ago and far, far away. This camera is very flexible. I can set it on Automatic then all I have to do is push the shutter button (and try to hold it still of course), I can use one of the many "Scenes" as settings, or I can take complete control. 

The Z70 and S120 posed together for comparison.

The S120 is almost as small as the Z70. It weighs less than half a pound. It has a lot more camera packed into it's small package. I can transfer photos from the camera to the computer without removing the memory card or carrying around another cable (had problems after I removed a memory card during our trip to Boston). 

Now I have some playing to do. As shown above depth of field can make a big difference to even a recipe shot, do I want to emphasize that delicious looking crust, or do I want to show the ingredients as well? See how much difference it makes even in the colors? The lighting was the same for both pictures. I have a little bit of studying to do. Lucky for me the subject is fascinating. 

  

Vintage Battery Operated Truck

In the mean time, here is one of my favorite pictures so far.  This cute little guy was my Dad's. It sits under my Christmas tree each year. I took the photo while I was playing with the settings on my Canon S120.  The camera is great, but the photographic skill is mine. 

What are you obsessed with?

Cheers

Kat 

Cats of Rome # 1

Most of you guessed it, yes, we went to Rome. We had planned a big trip for our twenty fifth wedding anniversary, but between my job and school, we were unable to go. Our twenty sixth anniversary came and went last December, school continued to get in the way. Once I graduated, off we went.

This first picture shows two rather content looking big cats from a painting by W. Peter. The painting is called "Adamo ed Eva nel Paradiso Terrestre".
These lovely lions and the little kitty at Adams feet below are from the same picture. The picture belongs to the Vatican and is located at the "Pinacoteca" in the Vatican Museum. If you go, plan on spending plenty of time. We spent two days at the Vatican and that was not long enough to see everything.

My graduation present from My Sweet Hubby (in addition to the trip) was a new digital camera. I have loved the old one so much, he got me the updated version. It is a Fuji Fine pix Z70 and it is pink. I would not have been able to take a lot of the pictures I did without it. These three are an example, there really was not enough light and flash photos are not allowed for fear of damage.

As you know, I love cats. Apparently, so did the ancient Romans. They are well represented in all types of ancient art. I took so many pictures on this subject alone that I will have to split it into two posts. This regal looking gentleman lives in Vatican City. We met when we stopped for a cup of Cappuccino :)

This little kitty looks hungry, thank goodness he is marble. He and a twin are holding up a giant sarcophagus. I believe it was made for a sister of one of the Emperors (I was so in awe of my surroundings, I did not even think about taking notes).

These lions are not alone, it seems as if everything in Rome is either covered in gold and marble, painted to look like it is covered in gold and marble or it is moving. I have decided that I really like marble, love walking on it barefoot! I could not resist, I had to make marble frames for the Rome pictures.

The Vatican has a separate Egyptian Museum. Whenever the Ancient Romans conquered new territory, they tried to bring the best of it home as trophies. They brought back a lot of Egypt. These two representations of Bast are some of the best. I will show more Egyptian art later.

This little spotted kitty reminds me a bit of our Spontaneous. She got to remain at home with very dear friends who agreed to stay in the house while we were away. She is a sweetie and we sure missed her. The picture is from a Tapestry that the Vatican keeps in a very dark room. I am amazed at how well the new camera uses what light is available.

Last for this post. My Sweet Hubby and me. This Kat really enjoyed her vacation.

More Rome to come, Cats, Columns, Ruins, Paintings, Statues, and Cappuccino.
Cheers,

Kat