Archives of Our Lives

{a narrow and broad look into the lives of people I love}

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Picture This: Your Face.

Confession: I left the last post up for two days because I liked reading it every time I opened my laptop.

I have never met anyone so intrigued with their own life story as I am with mine. But that's another post for another day.

This day is Thursday! Time to answer a reader's question! Hooray! Enthusiasm!

I know one person in particular is going to be thrilled with my choice of the week.

Question, from Raygon [to whom I would link, except her blog is all fancy pants and private, so most of you wouldn't be able to access it]:

What kind of camera do you have? Do you Photoshop your pictures (like the pics of the flowers)? Or are they naturally that colorful and vivid?
Please, oh please, answer my question...I have only asked 100 times! Come on, Camille!

Answer, from Me:

Oh, Raygon. Thank you for your long-suffering support of my blog. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer this question, and even more sorry that I won't be able to answer it the way I wanted. Ideally, I would have a photo of the cameras I use, and maybe one of me using them, but life is not always ideal. I thought I'd better go ahead and answer this week, for fear of losing you as a friend altogether. Sorry for the delay.

The answer is...

...it depends. There are two cameras in my life that I use on a regular basis. Both are cameras I have commandeered from Poor Kyle. (Poor Kyle, indeed. All that he has is basically mine now, and nothing I have appeals to him in the slightest. I think he got a bum deal.)

For everyday point-and-shoot pictures, I use this:

Image from here.

There it is in the mirror, being clutched by my rather fearsome-looking left hand [curse this rheumatoid arthritis].

It's a Konica Minolta DiMage Z3, and it's not made anymore. Which is just as well, because probably none of you have heard of this brand anyway. Which is why they went out of business, I suppose.

"Dear our customers..." Such a thoughtful way to end an era. Page from here.

Nevertheless, it's a fantastic machine, and is 100% user-friendly. I use it for quick photos that I need right away. I'm sure I'm not utilising even a tenth of what it can do, but I'm not too savvy when it comes to apertures and f-stops. For me, and for most pictures, it works like a charm.

It took this photo...

...and this photo.

Uploading my snapshots to iPhoto takes seconds--not minutes--and I'm very pleased with every aspect of it, save perhaps its bulkiness. When I take pictures with the Konica Minolta, I do not edit the shots in Photoshop. I usually only use iPhoto's limited editing options, because that's all I really need for my instant-gratification snapshots. [Fact: I actually only use the "enhance" feature. I kind of don't know how to do anything else.]


Poor Kyle let me take this camera to Europe with me last year [he wanted to marry me], and it has been my nearly-constant companion ever since...

...Which seems fine by him, since he upgraded to this:


The Canon EOS Digital How Long Can They Make This Name SLR:

An SLR is a digital camera that is better than other digital cameras, as far as I can tell. It does better things--though I'm not sure what, exactly. It might have something to do with pixels. Or all the lenses available for purchase. Image from here.

And I'll tell you the honest truth: I know nothing about photography. Sometimes I steal the SLR to make myself feel fancy, but I never change the settings from "automatic," and I only know that I like one lens: the 50mm f1.8. I don't know what it means, but it makes the backgrounds of photos all blurry, which is a style I like:

I used the fancier camera for this photo of my inquisitive nephew...

And for this image of my favourite new bedding.



And for these images of my backyard [those were happier days when the grass was green].

{It kind of bothers Poor Kyle when I sneak away with his camera. First I thought it was because it costs more than my life. Then I thought it was because he thinks I take ugly photographs. Finally I learned he just likes being the one who knows how to take pictures. I was stealing his thunder. So someday I'll just buy my own--perhaps for my next birthday--and that will be the end of it. He doesn't have to look at my artwork if he doesn't want to.}

For the photos that I do attempt with the SLR, I do use Photoshop for some minor touchups--again, I am far from well-versed in the program; I simply follow Ree Drummond's easy tutorials, and I can usually come up with something that looks nice enough.

And that, my friend, is everything I know. I bet you were hoping for a bit more wisdom, huh? Sorry. I can't be acting all wise, or people might start expecting more out of me.

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13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mmmm, I love photography.

Funny thing, our big fancy copier at work is made by konica minolta.

bRAD

October 16, 2008 at 9:22 AM  
Blogger Holly Janeen said...

so, i am really commenting on your Anniversary post, but i was afraid that if i left my old comment there with the past 17, you wouldnt read it, so here i am. (yes, i am really that egotistical!)... so, first of all, i just wanted to confess something. i was IN FACT your hugest fan when i first discovered your blog. in fact- YOU were the very person to inspire me to actually begin blogging. (of course i failed miserably to have a great blog like unto YOURS, so i have been through various phases of blog life. but that is irrellavant.) anyways, so i went along in life, thriving off of your blog and your life and your amazing gift for writing... when suddenly i found myself reading ONE of your entries that greatly offended me and i was determined to never support your blog again. it sounds drastic, but due to the difficulties in my life at the time, your words really hurt my irrellavant feelings. it was lame of me, really, to take it so personally. and it didnt even make a difference to YOU if i read your blog or not, because by that time you had so many supporters that you would never notice i was gone! so... even though i claimed to have banned you, i secretly would check your blog from random time to time... hoping for a reconversion. it never came until your anniversary blog.
i loved so much about it. i dont think i could list it all. your gift of words, your personal open and complete story... and the fact that for once you answered my deep and abiding inner question, "why did Camille ever marry PK?" and... you know what? it was so comforting to know that someone else in the world had such a rollercoaster of a courtship as i did. i mean, perhaps not as LENGTHY, but just as dramatic. i am pretty sure my journal entries are identical to yours... the constant wondering if marriage was right for me... and when. such a saga! and now... i find myself in love with your blog again. and even though you could care less... i just wanted to admit to you, and to the world that i am no longer a closet fan... but an open and very loving fan of YOURS :)
the end.
and um... thanks for being you.

October 16, 2008 at 9:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm curious, Holly, which of the many possible offensive blogs actually offended you?

October 16, 2008 at 11:43 AM  
Blogger lindsay said...

if that camera is worth more than your life, exactly how much does that amazing SLR actually cost?
my curiosity is peaked indeed!

October 16, 2008 at 11:51 AM  
Blogger HeatherPride said...

So that's how you get the blurry backgrounds! I love that style too! I've seen a lot of people use that and I always wondered.

Amazing Race!!

October 16, 2008 at 12:39 PM  
Blogger ✩Molly✩ said...

interesting post. You do take some great pictures.

I was just going to do a little plug for a few other cool features in iphoto. You can also adjust the exposure and the contrast and temperature with the "Adjust" tool, which can really do some awesome things for pics, quick and easy without having to do the whole photo shop stuff. (make a dark picture look like it was properly lit, etcetera) I had to doctor some of my wedding pictures with that feature and it worked great.

October 16, 2008 at 1:53 PM  
Blogger ✩Molly✩ said...

on another note--i am shocked that anyone could be offended by one of your blogs. but then again, i am not one of those who is easily offended, so maybe that is part of it? I think blogging is for the open minded, and that is probably one of the reasons why i love love love your blog, is because you are an open person, in spirit mind and purpose. :)

October 16, 2008 at 1:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have often been not only offended, but deeply hurt by some of the things written on this blog. BUT... I am the mother of the author.

The wonderful thing about AMERICA (and yes, CANADA is part of the AMERICAS {as is MEXICO} is freedom of speech. When something hurts a reader of this blog I invite said reader to quit reading it. No one MAKES you read what Camille writes. Her open sharing is for those who WISH to be included in her life. Some of her candid frankness and brutal honesty is not only offensive but hurtful. BUT, that my friends, is good journalism.

You can decide for yourself if everything Mrs. Fairbanks says is for real. I gave birth to her, changed her poopy diapers, and went to all her softball games and concerts, and I can tell you that she knows exact;y how to push emotional buttons. If your button is "pushed" by a certain blog, she has achieved her desired outcome.


YOU, the reader, can decide how and when to respond. You like/dislike reading this blog because it is THOUGHT PROVOKING and makes you THINK at a higher level. Your brain's synapsis grows when you are exposed to this kind of left wing thinking. I encourage you to read with caution and consider who YOU are and what you think and then share those deep and often poignant feelings with your blog buddies.

This is the way I have lived through the last 22 years and 21 days of my association with a highly intelligent life form who calls herself "Archives of Our Lives."

Welcome to this world.

Laurel A. Strate
Mother of
Camille Melvina Strate Fairbanks
Of Mesa, Arizona, USA, Planet Earth

October 16, 2008 at 9:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Millie,

Oh brother. More blogging drama. And this, my dear sister, is why I think you should give up blogging altogether. But what do I know?

Your photos are amazing, by the way. Admittedly, I skipped over the explanations because I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Your pictures sure look good, though.

October 16, 2008 at 9:17 PM  
Blogger RPH said...

Finally! I knew my endless tormenting you would result in some answers! Thanks! Too bad they dont make that first camera anymore. It looks dandy. Thanks thanks thanks!

And please never stop blogging. It is the only drama I have in my life. :)

October 16, 2008 at 10:17 PM  
Blogger Chelsie said...

I have decided that comments are over rated. I will no longer comment on your blog or any blog. Not because I think I am above it, I just don't want the drama. And I hate that I live for comments on my blog, why do they make me so happy? Well, I won't have any more of that so I give it up, all of it (comments that is, not blogging).

Remember the last thing I gave up? Wedding receptions. I haven't been to one in probably 4 years, i will break that streak next week, however, It is only because it is for B.

October 17, 2008 at 2:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HP Digital Camera Care: advices that attention should be paid to batteries:
-'Do not expose batteries to temperatures above 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). For example, leaving batteries in your car in the hot summer sun can result in permanent damage. Your best bet is to store them in a place that’s cool and dry.
- Do not overcharge the batteries.
- Do recharge your batteries before or after long-term storage. Batteries discharge over time, and if not recharged they may leak and corrode the camera.
- Do not mix old and new batteries or batteries of different types.

October 17, 2008 at 4:26 AM  
Blogger Joel said...

Well, thanks for the ground-breaking news regarding taking care of your camera's batteries, random company...

October 17, 2008 at 11:54 AM  

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