Self Portrait

I am proud of my Halloween Lights this year, which really were an excuse to get the Christmas lights up early with a different bulb set. Now I just have to pick a warm sunny day, swap the bulbs and I am good to go!

Wish I could afford to catch this Disease: LBA (Lauriann do NOT read)

OK, LBA may be a horrible disease, but I would love to be in a position that I could have it and not impact my life in any negative way. What is it you say?

LBA=Lens Buying Addiction.

Many photographers have it, they get started by thinking that a better lens will make them a better photographer. This really isn't true, horrible photographers will make horrible images even if they have $20,000+ of camera equipment (See Poseur). Conversely, great photograpers can make great photographs with quite un-remarkable gear. What kind of photographer am I? Well, I will let you decide that for yourself. Isn't that the true test of photography? To produce an image that not only means something to yourself but that others like too?

Back to the point of this post. I love the lenses I have (Thanks Dave Shields and Dave Wilkinson) but I have none that are autofocus, and sometimes it is just nicer to not have to fiddle, or impractical. Part of the reason I chose Pentax for my camera system is the availability of really good lenses. Both older manual focus types like I have, and I truly to like what I have, and older auto focus lenses as well as more modern lenses designed specifically for digital cameras. I find myself wishing for something that will autofocus for days when I am too lazy, and lenses with a wider range. Meaning wide angle and telephoto. I have been looking at times at what is out there and there are an amazing array of lenses to choose from. Here is what I am thinking of in terms of everything from a low budget kit to wowie-zowie I won the lottery! So here goes.

Bargain Basement Kit:

Pentax DA 18-55 AL II Zoom Lens. $105.98
Pentax DA 50-200 ED Zoom Lens. $179.99

These do come as a kit at times, the 18-55 would have been the "kit" lens had I bought it with my camera body for about $69 extra, which I didn't have at the time.

Better Kit:

Sigma 10-20 EX DC Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens. $469
Sigma 24-60 EX DG Wide Angle Zoom Lens. $199 (On Closeout, it is normally $400+)
Or
Sigma 17-70 DC Wide Angle Zoom Lens. $355.28
Pentax DA 55-300 ED Telephoto Zoom Lens. $315.99

Best Kit:

Pentax DA 12-24 ED AL Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens. $649.44
Pentax DA* 16-50 ED AL IF SDM Wide Angle Zoom Lens. $ 656.51
Pentax DA* 50-135 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom Lens. $750.95

Ultimate Prime (Non-Zoom) Kit:

Pentax DA 21 Limited. $409.95
Pentax DA 35 Macro Limited. $599ish
Pentax DA 40 Limited. $259.33
Pentax DA 70 Limited. $444.95
Pentax DA*200. $875.46
Pentax DA*300. $1,088.00

OK, I KNOW I will likely never buy most (if not all) of the lenses on this post, but it is a fun exercise. There are some lenses on the horizon that may push their way on, eg. Tamron 10-24, and Pentax DA* 60-250, and a DA 15 Limited. But to be honest I could easily live with the 18-55 Mark II the 55-300, and the Sigma 10-20 along with the 3 lenses I have, if I HAD too. The Sigma 24-60 is an intriguing lens, it is a Film Pro lens being discontinued, it is f2.8 and can be had from Cameta Camera for the quoted $199. If my brother can get enough from selling an older zoom I have I may be able to get that kind of money. Wouldn't it be nice? Fast, Pro Quality, Screaming Deal, AUTO FOCUS. sigh.............................

Thanks for letting me get this out of my head!

;-}

Autumn Roads

When I was a kid I always wished I lived back east where the color was so awesome in the fall. (Or so I was led to believe.) As I get older, I realize that we have some pretty good color here as well. I like to road trip, I like to take short drives, the road is a powerful symbol to me, Autumn leaves falling at the side of the road on those drives... well they make me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Fall signals the start of the holiday season, and all the sounds, sensations, anticipation that goes with that. When the weather changes, I change........... and I think I like it.

I know that neither of these is a spectacular photo in it's own right, but the memory of driving these roads in our first real rainstorm of the fall, between sessions of conference, all my girls happy to be there doing it. That is a special memory I shall treasure every time I look at these two shots.

Quantaray 28mm f2.8

Conference Saturday Drive..... In The Rain.... Of Course.

This first image was taken with my Pentax SMC-135mm, the colors are interesting, they day was interesting, it was pouring, very difficult weather to shoot in. Most of my time was spent under an umbrella with my cheapie Quantaray 28mm (Which I used for the rest of the images here.) I put it on so that my more expensive lenses would not get wet/killed.

One day... weather sealed lenses to go with my weather sealed camera body... sigh.

These were all taken up Millcreek Canyon east of Salt Lake City, and just south of Interstate 80.

I loved the trees marching off into the distance, fading into the clouds, and rain.

The Quantaray may not be the sharpest lens, but it does all right close up.

Lauriann and I just wondered at the carpeting of leaves in the lower canyon, this is not the most artistic shot, but it is a nice memory of the scene.

Good/Bad Polarizer

Shot the first one with my Pentax 135mm without polarizer, then the second with, and the exposure adjusted to compensate for the lost light. I had forgotten that I had turned up the contrast and some other settings just for fun prior to that, I think it made the second one a little gaudy don't you?

More Color from Butterfield Canyon

All of these were shot with my Polarizing filter on.

Pentax 50mm Pentax 50mm
Pentax 50mm
Pentax 28mm

Fall Colors in Butterfield Canyon

Taken with Quantaray 28mm
Also with Quantaray
Pentax 135mm
also Pentax 135mm

Scenic Shots From The Timpanookie Trail

All of these are post processed, some more than others, I am still getting  used to how digital expresses an image c/w film. This have been altered to look decent on my monitor and to my eye. If you think maybe they are off a bit, let me know I will try again!

Another Mountain Goat!!

Got this bugger on the top of Mount Timpanogos today, made myself haul my 135mm up to the top just in case. Love that it turned out to be worth it.

And here is the northbound end of that Southbound goat.

Tear Down a Building......

My Bro. Phil alerted me to this building/wall the other day. There used to be a building called "The Grecian Gardens" that stood on this corner. It was recently torn down and this sign was behind it. I do wish they had taken more of the old handbills off of the wall.


This first picture was taken earlier in the afternoon with my 28mm


This with my 135mm, it is up above the pierce's sign, I think it is part of an old Coca Cola sign that has been painted over.

Later in the day with a Sigma 10-20 that I have borrowed for a few days. Different light, I was hoping for sunlight on the wall but this time of year the sun sets too far to the south. sigh.

Detail of color on the handbills. Interesting mismash of colors.

Temple Time.....

Went to the Jordan River Temple today for Stake Temple Day, decided to take a few pictures, really quite a pretty day for things all told. Nothing really dramatic but certainly nice in a postcard kind of way.

A really cool old building in SLC

Lauriann and I first saw this on our anniversary back in July, and I had the desire to go back and take more pictures. They just don't decorate buildings like they used to.

Yeah, I know flowers.....

The cool thing about flowers though is that they cannot run away from you, stick out their tongue, or whine that they don't want to pose for you any more.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so I decided to stop and smell the flowers. Look really, these didn't smell much at all.




I like the closed bud on this one, usually people take pictures of open ones, kinda fun to be different.