Since I bought this new camera back in December, I’ve spent a lot–a whole lot–of time taking photos and editing them on the computer.  It’s a blast to be outside in the fresh morning air, watching a beautiful sunrise, or chasing the setting sun before it slips below the horizon.  And it’s so rewarding to sit at the computer, click the mouse a few times and see those photos change before your eyes into works of art (at least in my own opinion!).

Unfortunately, I’m not independently wealthy so I don’t get to spend nearly as much time with my Nikon as I would like.  And sometimes, real life comes knocking and you remember that other things need to be done.  So tonight, I had to leave my camera in the bag, and spend my evening vacuuming, dusting, mopping and cleaning toilets.  Not nearly as much fun, but I’m pretty sure it was the right decision.

But I did manage to spend a few minutes revisiting some of the photos that I took at Out of Africa a couple of weeks ago.  I promised Adam that I would post a photo of the python without somebody’s foot in the picture, so this is for “High Dynamic Reality Photography”:

I took tons of pictures at Out of Africa, but most of them have a lot of wire fence in them.  In some cases, the wire was in the foreground and the telephoto’s depth of field disguised it pretty well.  Here’s a shot of some of the tropical birds from the aviary that illustrates this:

The wire is most visible on the middle bird, but overall I still like the picture.

So now it’s time to start thinking about a shooting project for the weekend.  I have a couple of ideas, but I also have to get the oil changed in the car, and I need to get a new set of tires put on it as well.  There’s also rain in the forecast for Saturday, but that could lead to some really interesting shots if I plan it right.

We’re also planning an overnight trip to Arcosanti in Cordes Junction.  I contacted the guest relations person there and they do allow photography with tripods, especially if you stay overnight.  I’ve emailed them to see if they have a room available in March, and I’m just waiting to hear back.  If you’ve never heard of Arcosanti (and most people haven’t), stay tuned and I’ll fill you in on our visit.