29 January 2012

Photography

I took over a thousand photographs in New Zealand. It was an exceedingly photogenic part of the world. However, my trusty Hewlett Packard digital camera is clearly due for replacement. Apart from anything else, it now has a mysterious tiny chip on the lens which has caused a few irritating flaws in some of my pictures. Besides, at Christmas my best and most unexpected present was a cardboard mock-up of a camera from Shirley and our children. Frances had made it . Puzzled, I prised open the back of the fake camera to discover a large wad of cash - sufficient to pay the lion's share of the cost of a new Nikon or Canon digital SLR.

Finding out about cameras available in the current market is like pursuing a degree course in photographic jargon. I just want a great camera with a lens that has reasonable zoom capacity and the ability to take satisfying close-ups - but the explanatory details never cover such simple requirements. Undoubtedly, there are people in the world who have more significant problems to deal with.

Anyway, I have spent a three or four hours sifting pictures from my NZ collection to add to Google Earth. It can take a while because of the need to find accurate picture locations within the Panoramio mapping facility. While in the "land of the long white cloud", I was drawn to tatty or empty buildings that spoke of earlier times when New Zealand settlers arrived slowly by boat and were then very disconnected from the world they had left behind. Very different from today with air travel, television, telephones and the internet - facilities that in  a real sense have made our planet shrink into manageable and sadly less mysterious proportions:

9 comments:

  1. Tony has a relatively new camera YP and his recent photos with it have been fantastic and it has a great zoom. It's a Nikon DSLR 3100.
    There is a newer model since he bought his, which our son has, that does even more great things. Tony likes the fact that there are all sorts of tutorials on YouTube to show you how to use the camera.
    Cheers

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  2. Helen
    Thanks for that tip. I will now investigate the Nikon 3100 and the YouTube tutorials.

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  3. Gorgeous photos, Mr. Pud. Was introduced (and fooled by you) over on Going Gently. Had a giggle over that one, I did, so had to check you out.

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  4. Cathy
    And it wasn't even April 1st! Thanks for dropping by my ever so humble blog.
    Best wishes,
    YP

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  5. IS THAT A LITTLE CHURCH ip?
    VERY CUTE IF IT IS

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  6. I've been happy with my Panasonic Lumix G2 which is a good all rounder. Whatver the make, I'd definitely go for a camera with the micro four thirds system that keeps the size down.

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  7. EARL GRAY - Yes the last picture was a church on the road between Opotiki and Gisborne. We saw several like that on our travels.
    SHOOTING PEE "Micro four thirds system"? You've lost me already but thanks all the same. You have certainly produced some great pictures with your Panasonic Lumix G2.

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  8. No-one seeing your past photos could find anything wanting YP...

    I have a canon EOS SLR which does everything I want it to do. I have 75-300mm as well as 18 - 55mm zooms for it.

    However I find I take my wonderful little canon IXUS everywhere and usually leave the SLR at home.

    I love your take on EnZed. You have discovered the essence of us!

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  9. KATHERINE I guess I am always looking for the "essence" of a place when I take pictures. I thought I saw it in those old NZ structures or perhaps I found it in the view to the river below your house.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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