Squirrels Go Like This

Inspirations

I love architecture and great photos of architecture. The whole gamut, from the impression that an entire building or interior space makes, to the small details. When I was a kid and I took photographs, mom would ask “where are all the people?” because I’d be taking photos of buildings and landscapes, not family or friends.

The impressionist painter Claude Monet is famous for having painted the Rouen Cathedral over and over again, but in different light. I still remember what a revelation this was to me when I first read about it (likely in my early teens). At first blush it sounded horribly boring to me, but when I saw the resulting art, I understood. Light changes and defines the mood of a space. Capturing this in your preferred media (paint, watercolor, film, charcoal…) is a worthy life-long pursuit. (Furthermore, now as an adult with more of an appreciation of our limited time on earth, I envy Monet’s ability to devote so much time on a project like this. But that’s another story…)

Now, I live near Eastern State Penitentiary, a semi-abandoned former prison in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. There’s a non-profit organization that maintains it in its current state and allows visitors, so I got a dual membership so Craftyangie and I can visit whenever we want. It’s full of interesting subject matter, and since I’m just down the street, we don’t have to limit our visits to perfect “tourist” weather. Many of our most interesting shots were taken when it was cold, humid, raining or you name it.

Flickr holds all kinds of amazing inspiration for me. It was my first exposure to HDR photography and post processing. It inspired me to be more creative with my shots, which ultimately showed me the limitations of my last two digital cameras. Which led me to conclude that we need a Digital SLR camera.

Flickr is also dangerous. For the first time, I’m experiencing some serious lens envy. I see a particularly great shot, check out the EXIF data and see a lens that’s drastically better than, or different from, the 35mm f/2 or kit zoom lens we’ve got. It takes a good deal of willpower to resist thinking any deficiencies in my photography can be solved by spending money on lenses. I remind myself that I did nearly win a photography competition with my Canon A700. It wasn’t the equipment; it was the subject, composition, luck that the light was right, and a good understanding of how to use the tool I had at my disposal. All with a (very nice) point-n-shoot camera.

Still, I’m slowly formulating the lens kit in my mind that would cover all the bases I really want to cover. I’ve seen enough interesting very wide-angle shots that I know I need a wide-angle lens. It’s impossible to take certain kinds of interior photos without one. I really want to be able to take photos like this guy. Subject matter that’s right up my alley; he’s got a really good eye; and understands how to use post-processing effectively (in this case, HDR). Apparently, he uses a “small sensor” DSLR with a 10mm wide-angle zoom an awful lot. I think if I had one, I’d get an awful lot of use out of it, too.

If he’s using a Canon “small sensor” DSLR like a Rebel or 30D, then maybe he’s using the Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM to get that 10mm shot. I’m torn about getting it. On the negative side, that lens is only for “small sensor” DSLRs; it would crop on the 5D or a 35mm film camera. I have no idea if the next DSLR we buy will be another “small sensor” model like our XTi. If Canon abandons the smaller sensor models, then we won’t be able to use it on future cameras. On the other hand, the price is remarkably affordable, especially compared with its bigger “professional” brother, the EF 17-40mm f/4L. I’m pretty torn… but I find myself wanting to go for the EF-S 10-22mm. What do you think?

Yes… Flickr is very dangerous, indeed….