Creepy Corridor
About a month ago I found a fantastic deal on the Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D on Dell.com that just couldn’t be passed up. This is one of their 8 Megapixel SLR cameras! WOO! The camera was discounted almost 40% (when you include the mail in rebate) from the regular price. And since this was a camera I’ve had my eye on for a while, I jumped at the chance to buy it at this discounted rate.
This is really the first SLR camera I’ve owned. I have a Canon Rebel that was given to me about 10 years ago, but I never really got into it. The past couple of years I’ve been loving my Canon Powershot S400, and before that my Kodak digital camera, but I realized in the last year that I wantmore out of my photo taking experience. Thus the SLR. But, so far, the new camera’s been somewhat frustrating for me.
Obviously this camera is far more powerful and complicated than any previous camera I’ve owned. And I’ve clearly got a lot to learn about how to operate it. Sure, I know the basics, how to change ISO settings and F-Stop’s and what not, but putting all those things into practical usage while you’re trying to capture the perfect shot, well … you just don’t start out taking fantastic shots right out of the box with a camera like this.
One area I’ve had to retrain myself with is composition. I’ve always felt I have a pretty good eye for composition when it comes to taking photos, but I discovered that was with the Powershot and those same skills don’t translate exactly to the new camera. Using the Powershot I’d simply turn the sucker on, hold it out in front of me, examine the display and snap the photo. With the SLR, you don’t use the display, rather you look through the eye piece like a proper photographer (you can’t even use the display to take pictures with this camera). When you’re looking through the eye piece, you’re also presented with a host of other things to check out, such as your focus points and various settings being used in program mode. I’ve discovered those things often distracted me from composition.
Now, once past that, I’ve also discovered that compsosing a photo within the eye piece is very different than using the display. See, with the display held out in front of myself, I can take in the entire scene on the screen at once. With using the eye piece, my eye needs to wander around the field a bit, take in the entire scene, which is something I’m not used to yet.
I know, a little time and patience will solve most of these problems. I’m also looking for a photography class in Los Angeles to help me with some of these issues I’ve been having. Unfortunately, the one photography class I found at Valley College requires you to use an analog SLR versus a digital. I’d prefer to learn on my digital, but if they require an analog camera then that’s what I’ll use.
Sunday afternoon I attended the Fall version of the Brewery Art Walk in Downtown LA. The Brewery is a massive loft complex that attracts mostly artists and designers. It’s a fascinating place to walk around in. Twice a year, in the spring and fall, many of the artists there open up their homes, creating what is really a massive exhibit. There’s some really good art to see, but mostly a lot of average stuff. What’s most fascinating to me is to see how these people use these often strangely laid out loft spaces. How do they use the massive walls and completely open rooms? Now, unfortunately, most of these people don’t want you taking pictures of their homes and really, how can you blame them? They also don’t want people taking pictures of their art, then mass producing them in some fashion.
Now, that being said, I did go around taking photos of the grounds and the sunset and what not. Most of the photos turned out pretty bad, in my opinion, but some were OK. One day I’ll sort through them and post the ones I like, but here’s one that I thought was kinda creepy. It’s a corridor inside one of the buildings that leads to a stair well to the top of the building. Yes, people live here! The door way half way down on the left leads to the laundry room. If you tell me that no one has ever been murdered in this hall way, I’ll believe you, but I’ll be skeptical.
