Apparently there is a tropical storm that will show it's face on our weather radar in the next few days. I love living near the beach and watching the slow change over the days as a storm comes from the East or North East. These storms are usually tropical (ish) in origin and therefore far more interesting to me now that I live on the East coast, than the wintery southerly blast we get. The ocean usually

Ever since I outgrew my D5000 I have wondered about upgrading to a full frame camera (As defined by a camera with a sensor around the dimensions of 24mmx36mm). Actually "wondered" is far too tame a word! The correct word would be closer to 'anguished'! The reported difference in DOF rendition, better quality images, better results at higher ISO, my primes actually showing true size and whatever other benefits are associated with the upgrade, vs the weight increase of the body and lenses, the price hike for the body and lenses and the normalised 'reach' of the telephoto lenses. I went from the D5000 to the D7000 and I do really like using it. I like to shoot wide, my all time favourite lens is the 10-20mm Sigma. I like low light work and try to use available light and shoot hand held as much as possible, as a challenge. Depending of course, what I am photographing. This shot ..https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454254684681763&set=a.192767657497135.42094.188648587909042&type=1&theater ......

Walking The dog along the beach is so therapeutic for my soul. I am very grateful for being able to enjoy this activity each day. Not that I am so very consistent with  doing it, but the  potential is always there. I had great inspiration today from just getting out there and paying attention to the textures of the shells, the unusual shape and colour of a certain stick or a convoluted shell attached to a piece of dried seaweed. One man's boring is another's inspiration! Home again after the walk and I felt inspired enough to do some painting and drawing, which was squeezed in amongst the usual daily tasks. The afternoon was dedicated to a photographic trip out to Karangahake Gorge. We were scoping it out for and upcoming photography weekend we are holding. Such an interesting place with it's rich history of

One has to start somewhere. The beginning usually. As our journey progresses if we pay enough attention, things may improve in various areas of our lives. I would love this to be true of my life. Spiritually I would love to see an improvement but practically, most especially with Photography. I have studied it formally to achieve a Diploma in Digital Photography, but quite honestly when I first started to pay attention