Sunday, September 19, 2010

PHOTO OF THE DAY/Photo du Jour

Behold! My new toy. (A birthday present.)


Well, more of a tool than a toy, perhaps. This is a digital Canon EOS Rebel T1i (for those who like technical data.) It replaces some very old Minolta film cameras. It is also an upgrade from my Beloved's Canon EOS Rebel G (newer, but still old) film camera.



The price of the new unit was a bit stiff: over $800 Canadian (€600).  But J and I have been saving money for a while to help with the transition into "retirement." (Most of you realize that Bear is not a "retiring" creature; the word "retirement" is a bit of an anomaly in this circumstance, except for the fact that I have turned 65.) Who knows; photography may become my fourth career (after pastor, journalist, and ethicist.) Well, perhaps not.

I'm not exactly a stranger to photography. I've had pictures published in some Canadian magazines. But I haven't done any "serious" photography for a long time, so there'll be some re-learning involved — especially with a new camera. (True, we have a pocket-sized Canon camera for "quick pics," — like these of the cameras — but I'm increasingly unhappy with the quality of those pictures.)

Why a Canon? First, I think Canon makes good cameras. (So does my brother-in law, a professional photographer.) Second, the lenses on J's camera are completely interchangeable with mine. So why buy a different kind of camera, and then buy a whole new series of lenses? Doesn't make sense.

So, to help me get back into more serious photography, I've set up this new series on my blog: "Photo of the Day/Photo du Jour." Not that I'll publish a picture every day — even though that's the goal. (I know myself well enough to understand that a daily photo just isn't going to happen, unless I get "ultra-serious" — and that would ruin all the fun.)

So please, adventure along with me; add your thoughts, too. I'd love to hear from you.

Footnote:
About the name of the series. Canada is officially a bilingual country; we use both English and French. That's because we were a French colony before we because an English colony in 1763. Still, today, about 20 per cent of our population has/have French as a first language. So to use both official languages is a bit patriotic on my part, and a bit romantique. Mais, c'est moi — et c'est ça. (But that's me — and that's it.)

12 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

Great! C'est bon!

potsoc said...

Plus de Canadiens, dans et hors Québec, devraient reconnaître cette réalité du bilinguisme. Way to go noble Bear.

Jackie said...

Happy birthday!....and what a wonnnnnnderful birthday present.
I look forward to your photos.
I received a Nikon for my birthday present....and love it, love it, love it!!! I'm soooo proud for you!!!
Smiles,
Jackie

Rob-bear said...

® lakeviewer: Merci, Rosaria. First step: figure out how to turn on the camera.

® potsoc: La français est ma langue secondaire. Mais, parce que nous deurmerons dans a pays bilangue, je pense que c'est important parler tous les deux langue official. C'est un idée patriotic et romantique, mais c'est moi: patriotic et romantique.
(Translation: French is my second language. But, because we live in a bilingual country, I think it is important to speak both official languages. It's a patriotic and romantic idea, but that's me: patriotic and romantic.)
Sadly, I don't think the English word "romantic" does full justice to the French romantique. It's a true case of something getting lost in translation.

® TP: Nikon's are great cameras, too, Jackie. So happy to hear you got one for your birthday. Happy picture-taking!
But I suspect the camera is digital, which means they've taken your kodachrome away. (You do remember Paul Simon's song, right?)

Lee said...

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, what's a camera worth?

Rob-bear said...

® Lee: Depends, I guess. How much is a word worth?

Natalie said...

Ooh,la,la Bear - et!

Looks great, mate (reverts to Australian)♥

Rob-bear said...

® Natalie: Arvo, lass. (I won't call you Sheila.) I think my Aussie is better than my French. Righty-o, then. Fair dinkum Bear from another colony I am; and a Bear armed with a camera! Beware, mate!

The Blog Fodder said...

That is a good camera. Especially if you can share lenses. Looking forward to some awesome pictures on you blog. Happy 65th.

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

Looking forward to seeing what you produce with you camera Bear . . .

Rob-bear said...

® BF: "Awesome" pictures will be a while in coming. But I'm looking forward to some average pictures to start.

® W/H: I'm sure you'll be a much better judge of the quality than I am. Here's hoping for some decent pix.

Unknown said...

What a fabulous new toy Bear... and I think you're wise not to push yourself into a set pattern because, like you said, that takes all the fun out of it!