D 243 - The Tower #4

D 242 - The Park #2

D 241 - The Park #1

The AA rechargeables died on me (both pairs) so I was forced to take my DSLR for a walk. Not that Olympus E-510 makes worse pictures than Canon Powershot A570IS or that it is a cumbersome camera. It still is one of the smallest DSLR bodies around. It just cannot be compared to the compactness of a compact camera, not without the Zuiko Pancake lenses (which aren't any near the top of my wish-list anyway).

I have recently grown to appreciate DSLRs to be a serious photographic equipment. With RAW capability and +10MPix count, larger sensors and better optical gear attached they are able to produce far better colors, contrasts and sharpness than virtually anything compact.

But if I want to make the most out of my precious photos, I have to give time to each one in Lightroom (or GIMP, or Photoshop, or Bibble, or any serious editor). It is fun to do it. But with photography not being the only thing that occupies me after work, I don't have the time to do it to every shot I take.

So I'll just stick to the out of camera JPG.

I got fed up of carrying a bag with 3 lenses, body, small tripod and external flash everywhere I go.

So I bought a small DSLR holster a wile ago. But if I should carry E-510 to shoot JPG with one all-round zoom lens, than why bother with DSLR anyway?

So I took back my Powershot compact camera from my sister. I still carry it in the same bag. But the bag is comfortable to carry now. It used to be swollen. And if the bag is undesirable, Powershot fits inside the pocket of my jacket.

The photos are still good.

And last night I dreamed I had Leica, a shiny engraved metal digital rangefinder. Damned be the marketing specialists. I own a car that's worth less than a new M9...

D 228 - Harmonious

Simple photo but I like the way the colors match.

D 227 - Sandy slam

Dramatic clouds and dramatic pose.

D 226 - Nordic Sunset

Sunset conveniently occurred over the beach.

D 225 - All things run to the sea

Experimenting with external flash fill light on a bright midday at the seaside.

D 201 - Ping Pong #1

More off-camera flashing.

D 220 - Off-camera

One of my initial, clumsy attempts to use external flash.

D 214 - Old School

Skoda Octavia, take one.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.

D 204 - Beeseye

A decent summer flower.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442

What I learned

While not being my kind of a subject sometimes flowers seem hypnotically irresistible.

D 203 - Sunset in the garden #3

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442
JPG corrected in Lightroom

D 192 - Toying around

Die alone and that cats eat you.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.

D 187 - Elevation

Perspective view on a tower block.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.

D 186 - Skew't No.2

Second interior photo with skewed horizon.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.

D 185 - Skew't

Accidental shot, really. But I liked it when I checked the photos on the LCD.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.

What I learned

My new tool in the photographic arsenal is: twisted perspective. Frames get some extra dynamic when the horizon is far from straight.

D 184 - Ablaze

Another photo of a big fire.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.

D 183 - Half Way There

Abstract composition of a ceiling lamp and a photo on the wall.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.

What I learned

So, this is it. It's summer solstice and I am half way through my Project 365.

What do I like about it so far?
It pushed my photography forward and made me shoot some great photos. It helped me explore new areas which I neglected before.

How my photography changed?
Only recently I stopped shooting compulsively. I became more critical about what I photograph. This resulted in not making dozen shots of a single object.

That's a good thing since I used to shoot the same frame many times looking for technical excellence (perfect sharpness, exposure triangle, metering and framing) which gave me several compositionally identical photographs.

Now I circle around a subjects, moving up, down, closer and further. I control myself not to shot an interesting snapshot until I work it out to be a good photograph. If I can't find a satisfactory angle of an interesting object, I force myself to leave it be and don't photograph it at that moment.

This is what I mean by compulsory shooting. I used to think that if I waste a single photographic opportunity I will loose something. No I know that I will truly waste the opportunity if I don't stop and try to make the shot. Whether I press the shutter or not is irrelevant in the long run. I could learn just as much and develop my skills equally if I only walked around with a viewfinder and a light-meter.

Let's imagine a situation when I have my camera holstered and see a funny situation on the street. I grab the camera, turn it on and press the viewfinder to my right eye. I adjust the zoom and check the shutter speed at preset aperture and ISO. Then I tilt and turn the camera a bit to improve the frame and composition. The scene doesn't usually look as good in the camera as it does in 3D but the funny situation won't last forever so I take the not-so-good photo because otherwise the opportunity would be wasted. I end up with a mediocre photo which I copy to my disk and soon forget about it.

That would be just a waste of shutter and disk space. So now I control myself not to take such a photograph. And I loose nothing because of it.

D 182 - Fire

Burning down an old desk.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.

D 181 - Old Shed Door

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Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
RAW edited in Lightroom.