Christmas is over for another year. Now begins that quiet time between Christmas and New Year's Eve. In some ways, it's a time I enjoy even more than the big day itself. No rushing around to get gifts and stocking stuffers ready. No need to prepare an elaborate feast. There are enough leftovers in the fridge to prepare simple meals or perhaps just a turkey sandwich as needed. It's a time of complete decadence. I can sleep in if I want to. Conversely, I can stay up late reading, editing photos or just surfing the web. I can even be so daring as to enjoy a cup of coffee past my usual cutoff time. Such luxury!
Christmas in our household is a relatively low key affair anyway. I've long ago given up on excessive rushing around in an attempt to please everyone on an extensive list. To paraphrase my own writing from a post I published a while ago, I doubt that the celebration of the arrival of the Prince of Peace was meant to cause stress and mayhem in the souls of those that would follow his teachings. https://multifarious-musings.blogspot.com/2011/12/ghosts-of-christmas-past.html
So Christmas is over and I've got some time to play with my toys. This year I acquired a zoom lens for my Fuji camera system. It's a fairly big one. Well, big for me. One of the reasons I switched to the Fuji system is that the cameras are smaller. (a little more suitable for travel and street photography) Although I sometimes dabble in wildlife photography, I'm not known for hauling around one of those huge bazooka barrels attached to my cameras. But, compared to either of the other lenses in my Fuji kit, this thing is big.
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| At 55mm this lens isn't so bad. |
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| Zoomed out to 200mm with the lens hood attached, we're entering ''Holy Crap!'' territory. |
Christmas Day being what it is, I really only had time to test the lens with a few close-up shots of Christmas ornaments on the tree.
But, this morning, I took it for a little walk up to the dam near my home. Yeah, yeah, I know. I photograph this place too often. But hey, it's a beautiful spot. And it's handy. And when I try out a new piece of kit there, I know that I've already got about a thousand images on file for comparison. Anyway I really like what this lens can do. It allows me to pick out interesting details of a landscape. (or in this case riverscape) I even didn't mind it's overall size too much. I could easily operate the zoom, aperture and focus control rings without having to take my gloves off. I loved how I could feature specific aspects of a scene with which I'm very familiar.
Since this is my last blog post for this year I want to close with a note of thanks. To say that 2020 has been a hell of a year would be a huge understatement. If there's a silver lining to this pandemic, it would be that I've come to appreciate, more than ever, the sense of caring and community that exists in this small town where I make my home. Thanks for all for the ''likes" and comments on social media. Thanks to everyone who has purchased my prints and postcards. Thank you also to all who follow and read this blog. Your kindness and support is greatly appreciated.
Thanks also to the shutterhounds of the Paris Photo Collective. Although the group has essentially been reduced to a Facebook page due to the pandemic, it's great to see that people are shooting and posting their work. Keep the passion alive! I'm confident we'll all be able to meet in person again in the new year. There'll be coffee, laughter, wild stories, and...oh yeah, maybe some pictures and photography stuff! You know...the usual insanity!
Wishing everyone all the best in the New Year. Stay safe.
...more later
