A Phototrip to Collinsville, CT

I learned a few things in today's photography field trip to Collinsville, CT.

*I really do need to get an additional lens. I've been using the standard 50mm that I bought with my camera, and I love that lens for a lot of reasons. But I wonder if I might have liked today's photos more if I had the flexibility of a more traditional lens. I'm thinking of getting a 55-250mm lens with image stabalization, but it's going to be a while before I shell out the cash.

*I also need to get a better tripod. While I liked being able to walk around a bit more easily today than everyone else carting theirs around, I think it would be cool to have a good one. I can set it up and experiment with aperture and shutter speed and all that. The one I have now is not for serious use. And I want to get one with a level built-in so I have even more flexibility about where I can shoot.

*Summer is a crappy time to shoot. Everything is green, but that makes a lot of photos a solid sheet of green. And as I was walking around, I wasn't impressed with a lot of what I saw because it all looked the same. Plus, it was damn hot. Not good for the kind of meandering we were supposed to be doing.

*It's not always the best idea to shoot in black-and-white. I'd been warned not to shoot in it because you can always convert later, but I black-and-white is my favorite style. Today, though, I took some shots in black-and-white that I really wished I'd done in color now that I look at them.

Yeah, I wasn't thrilled with what I shot today, even if I did take 218 photos and posted eleven on Flickr. The best thing about today? I have found a new place (site has some annoying yet gentle music) other than the 'bux where I can hang out reading and writing. It took me ten minutes to get from my parking spot there to my parking spot here at home, which is closer than just about everywhere. And, no, I'd never been to Collinsville before. It's north/northwest of here, and I've just never gone that way in six years.

I've got a lot to learn, but that's the whole point of trying.