Monday, October 15, 2012

One Stroky’s Journey: Readers fuel my mania


My enthusiasm about our region’s autumn butterflies and the Mobile Botanical Gardens compels this response to comments that fellow bloggers have left on my Butterfly Mania post.

Gigi, Marcia, Muffy, Dianne, Sandra, and Sue, thanks for the encouragement about my photographic efforts post stroke. It helps more than you could imagine.

Lyn, thanks for the reminder about the continuous shooting option. I have that setting on my Canon, too. I am excited that I can try that right now, even while I am still working on getting function back in my left arm and hand.

Your tripod suggestion is for the future. Right now, operating my little Canon Power Shot A590 with one hand is what I can do without help. I look forward to eventually implementing both suggestions.

In fact, the final connection on our return from our West Coast trip was delayed from 7:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.  I spent time playing with my camera, taking snapshots of My FOOT among other things. I avoided pointing at people. I didn’t want to aggravate the other weary and frazzled travelers around us, all waiting and hoping that the aircraft that would take us to the Mississippi Gulf Coast would eventually appear at the Houston gate.

 Dianne, I do hope you get to visit the Mobile Botanical Gardens.

The governing folks of the non-profit gardens appointed my favorite local garden columnist as executive director not too many months ago, and he already has things hopping at this modest operation.

Sue, for the closeup of the butterfly wing’s underside that you mentioned, I cheated. It is a tightly cropped version of the original below.
Original photo

Cropped version

Use of telephoto would require a tripod; macro setting requires getting close. Both are challenges.

My closeup strategy these days is to hold my camera as close as possible without toppling over. I can rarely see the screen in sunshine, and neither screen nor viewfinder is an option for targets close to the ground. I just try to have the lens pointed in a direction that may capture the subject. Sometimes it feels like photography by Braille.

7 comments:

  1. I admire your efforts and your enthusiasm. I keep thinking I want to get a new camera and learn how to use it, but it all seems so complex.

    I have been bogged down too much to read posts. Once I am moved, I'll be back. Take care!

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  2. I think your butterfly pictures are awesome! I tried photographing some butterflies, in the garden, and I had a very difficult time--even using two hands!

    The butterflies have really enjoyed my volunteer zinnias this fall--and I've enjoyed both the zinnias and the butterflies!

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  3. I completely understand the feeling of photography by braille.
    Half the time I really don't know what I'm doing.
    Just keep on practicing and "playing".
    The entire sculpture of the woman including the shower streams is carved wood. It really is an amazing piece.

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  4. As all artists know, cropping (or cutting out the crap) is one of the most important parts of the creative process.

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  5. I am simply amazed that you can use a camera at all with the use of just one good hand. Awesome!

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  6. ha ha on the braille photography, i say what ever works to get a snap and i do a lot of cropping, i just don't mention it. cropping is a good thing. can't tell you how many shots i took of my toes when i got my first Rebel, i would put it on a setting and snap and again and again, it was like lightning in our living room. part of the reason bob named me MadSnapper

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  7. I have a heavy Minolta camera I haven't used in a dozen years. I had a tripod for it, but gave it to my granddaughter. A cute little camera wihout a tripod works well. Mage over at Postcards has just such a camera and takes stunning photos. Dianne

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