New Camera and a smack in the back of the head with a bus mirror

I splurged on a new camera the day before yesterday. Since buying it I've been impatiently waiting for the battery to charge, setting up the software and generally fussing.
I got the Canon D5 Mark II and being a full frame DSLR it's a step up from my D40. I've tended to be a point and shoot sort of guy so I need to experiment and learn how to do the manual thing now. At $2300, it is an extravagance for an amateur such as myself but I've been watching the prices at duty free shops around the world and I figure I got a decent enough deal in the end. As you can see I couldn't wait to get out of the lift in my building before snapping away.

What follows are my first attempts at using this new piece of kit. I had to bin quite a few but I guess I'll improve eventually through trial and error. What's immediately evident is how sensitive the processor is in low light. The camera doesn't come with a built in flash, and it doesn't need it. I'm amazed at the detail that pops out in gloomy conditions and the usual noise at a high ISO setting is absent. This allows pictures in a smokey temple for instance, to be more reflective of the naked eye. Flash tends to wash things out so this is a nice new thing for me and (I keep telling myself) worth the money alone.Colours also pop out a bit more vibrantly, though the haze of the day conspired to dull everything down.

Apart from the pictures, yesterday's excitement was provided by a glancing smack in the head by a bus mirror. I didn't think much of it at the time as it didn't really hurt and the bus was just inching along. Later however, the whites of my eyes had turned red and I'm ashamed to say I went into mini panic mode.

Suffice to say after a trip to the hospital and doc's I've been given the all clear.

The whites of my eyes are returning as quickly as they departed and I feel a tad foolish.

I'm in the Middle East this week and hope my camera skills can cope with the harsh light of the sun in Qatar.

Stay tuned

T

Random pics

Kind of like me yesterday.

OK.

After yesterday's silliness I set about getting my stuff in order and did a bit of housekeeping. I finally loaded up pictures into a digital frame I got as a gift and in so doing I realised that I have a HELL of a lot of cool snaps.

The one below ranks as my all time fave and was taken in Beirut a couple of years ago before all of the current sadness there.

It was taken with a pretty crappy camera but I think is my best.

I've loaded a ton of pics on this post, most of which have appeared on this blog before, but quite a few haven't. There's only two of yours truly, one of which is above and taken by a REAL shutterbug, my friend Manya about a month ago in Malibu.

Tell me if you can identify the where and when.

The " why" is down to my whim and the need to feel like my job doesn't own me.

I'm getting a ton of blood tests in the morning to find out if I pass muster.

Don't worry there's nothing infectious on the roster.

Good thing yesterday's syringe didn't register.

So:

if you're concerned......

Relax.

Big day for moi tomorrow though.

Wish me luck!

Now comes the random part......
Last pic of moi.

Jeeze I love the pic above.
KARL IN MOSCOW.
Not Karl in Moscow.

This post has taken an ungodly amount of time to put up and it's mostly recycled stuff.

Go figure.

Looking at the pictures I find myself reliving a lot of memories.

Sometimes, sweat dripping off my nose, bad smells and a bit of worry I just clicked and made a dash.

Most of the time I was trying to carve out a bit of time to make myself feel that I didn't REALLY live my life according to schedules and spreadsheets.

Who do I think I'm kidding?

For the life of me I can't find any NYC pics other than the St Patrick's guy.

I realise I've missed out countries, cities and times spent with folks who visit the blog every morning at work with their first pre-hassle cup of java.

Some of you wish you were where I'm at instead of where you find yourselves.

Jeeze that sounds crap when I read it back....

C'est la vie.

All meant something if I bothered to snap the picture.

At the time anyway.

It amazes me that I often feel good about a picture and when I see it on the screen it fizzles away to nothing. In the the opposite way a picture that means little at the time turns into something special.

There's a great one of the Brooklyn Bridge somewhere in the files and folders on this laptop.....

Wherever you are and whatever the reason you come here to see what I'm doing, be good if you can.

Be prudent if you can't.

Peace to the world and do a big collective "HUMMMMMMMM!"

Try and make your own corner of the world a better place if only for yourself.

GRRRRRR.........

Whatever

Why ever

Love

T