Location Taken: Ontario, Canada
Time Taken: June 2010
I took this photo from a small rest area on the Trans-Canada Highway as it goes along the north of Lake Nipissing. So I really can’t get more specific than “Ontario” for the location, since it is in the unnamed wilderness sections of the province. Which, admittedly, makes up a rather large percentage of the province.
It was a test of my camera in many ways. It required a pretty hefty zoom to get this picture, and I don’t use a tripod. Mainly because I tend to do spur-of-the-moment photos, the whole “That looks pretty” *click* thing, which doesn’t match the time requirement of setting up a tripod properly. And partly because a tripod that can handle all the terrains I take photos in just wouldn’t fit in my purse. I actually chose my camera partly on the fact that it’s rather lightweight for a camera with all the functions it has. The other reasons I chose it were fairly low price (it was in the $200-$300 range) and that it has a manual focus feature. I really like manipulating the focus, far more than I care about aperture and shutter speed, which even higher end cameras have.
Oh, I haven’t mentioned what camera I use. It is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, on the lower end of fancy cameras. I got it for Christmas in 2007, if I recall correctly. It has flaws, such as not quite perfect color and exposure adjusting, but it lets me do just about what I want. The camera’s getting a bit old, for a camera, since it’s about 5 years since they first released it. That may not seem like much, but camera technology is improving very quickly these days. I do recommend Lumix cameras, especially for those just getting in to photography. It’s got a lot of functionality for a fairly low price, so you can learn the tricks of the trade without shelling out one or two thousand for a high-end camera. Mind you, I may not stay with Lumix for my next camera, since I’d like my next one to be a noticeable quality upgrade, but I do rather like my little camera.
