Auto White Balance

With the first good snowfall of the season upon us, we took a ride up to the little common across from Mt. Holyoke College to try to get a little night-time-winter-wonderland-scenery in.



The small common is always pretty nicely set up for holiday lighting, as is the Village Common shops right across the street.



The blustery winds were freezing us to the core, so it was a quick stop and we were soon heading right back home. But I did get some pics to experiment with...

Hmm, to photograph in black and white...



or color...?



And if in color, with the white balance dead-on correct, or off just a little bit...?

Aaah, these are the questions, young padawan...

Life With Nikon

I've been messing around more and more with my 'new' Nikon D40, an entry level DSLR camera...



Up until now I've been shooting pictures in a fairly casual manner; whipping out my trusty Canon A590 point-and-shoot walking around at town fairs, clambering over rocks on hiking trips, sitting in a restaurant looking at my shrimp scampi, riding the motorcycle at 40 mph, etc... and have been happy enough with the results. The point and shoots they make now can do just about anything a DSLR can, and are super portable and convenient. So why bother with a DSLR? I guess mainly for the bigger lens, which offers the potential for much clearer, brighter pictures that I've been craving for.

But the DSLR world I've just freshly found myself in seems to quickly pull a person towards a sort of 'engineering' pictures mentality, rather than just 'capturing' them...I'm not sure if that's better, but it's what I've been doing. The newer camera is not that big, but it's still too big to pocket. So it usually has to be carried around in the open. Not a big deal, but the difference is a mental one, and it's this: with the Nikon in hand I'm no longer spontaneously capturing moments as they come; I'm now out looking for pictures. That is, the picture taking goes from being a passive pursuit, to an active one. Also, with a camera slung over your shoulder, your engaged in a much more obvious hobby. In fact the first night I was out with it, this past Halloween, I was approached twice, by people who asked if I was a 'photographer'. One passing couple even asked me to take their picture. To wit:



Sure, they were probably in high spirits that night, but I've never been asked to take a picture by someone while carrying around the point and shoot. I still intend to carry around the old Canon for daily use, video taking, and blogger moments that might come up unexpectedly. But like a new sibling in the household, it will have to share time with the DSLR...

One of the things this new 'engineering pictures' mentality has brought about recently is a new found interest in black and white pictures. I've never really understood the allure of b&w photography, and thought the idea was a little gimmicky since like, the advent of color photography. But mucking around with it lately, I can see that it does bring out the structure and certain details of the subjects in the photos, if that's the effect your after...





So black and white will probably figure into a few of my pics in the near future. Kelly, of course, will be bearing the brunt of my latest compulsions...



So be duly warned oh, faithful readers; 'in the valley' will keep on keeping on, but there may just be an artsy-fartsy picture mixed in there once in a while...