What a difference a real camera makes compared to my iphone! Monday, I posted photos of an owl and hawks in my backyard. Those pics were from my iphone. The owl returned so I had a second chance with my Nikon camera. You can read Monday’s post HERE.
It was a bit of a learning curve to remember how to use my Nikon camera. Fortunately, there are lots of resources online. When I got the camera one Christmas from Costco, it came with a DVD with tips on how to use it. I still have the DVD, but it made me realize how much technology has changed since I got the camera 10 years ago.
Yes, the camera still works. But transferring photos from the camera to my laptop has changed. I’ve been through more than one laptop in the past 10 years! The camera comes with a little wireless device that is supposed to send a signal and connect to my laptop. Right. But first I needed to install the software onto my laptop from a CD disk! Funny thing, my laptop doesn’t have a CD drive. I looked online and the software wasn’t available to download.
The solution was purchasing a $9 card reader that is on a dongle that plugs into the laptop. I removed the memory card from the camera. Popped it into the dongle and BINGO! It worked in a nano second.
Here are husband and wife quail outside the casita.
Friends gave me these Flamingos from Costco for my birthday a few years ago. The flamingos like to hang out with the quail.
My favorite owl hanging out in our backyard.
One of several hawks who made a surprise visit yesterday.
I’ve written about how technology has changed throughout the years. You can read a post about how I began working in PR with a IBM Selectric typewriter HERE.
Do you notice an improvement in my photos with the camera versus iphone?
What technology has changed your day to day life the most?
I was singing Paul Simon’s Kodachrome while I wrote my blog post. Enjoy!
Wonderful photos of your wonderful backyard wildlife. Still jealous of your owl!
😉
I used to have multiple cameras around the house and while they do take much better photos, I’m afraid I’ve become too lazy and reliant on my phone to use them.
Thanks! That’s exactly what happened to me during the 10 years I’ve owned my camera. At first I took it with me walking and on trips. Then never touched it until this week!
Your photos are wonderful and you’ve hit on something I’ve been debating with myself: do I go back to lugging my heavy Nikon camera around OR do I buy a new iPhone that might take better photos than the one I have now? No answer, but your photo shoot is a nudge— assuming I can remember how to get the photos into the computer.
I relied on my iphone for years or a decade. Now I have my Nikon out handy in case I see something out the window. The technology changed so I couldn’t get the photos onto my computer. But I bought a card reader on Amazon for $9 and it came within 24 hours. No software downloads. Super easy! I went on a walk this morning and took my iphone. I don’t really want to carry the camera around with me.
Ally, I had just that debate with myself this summer. I bought an iPhone 14 (not the latest but pretty close) and its better — but nowhere near the camera, especially when wanting to zoom in!
See that’s what I want, zoom. And I know that the newer iPhones are better than my iPhone 8, but… I continue to dither. Thanks for the info.
My Nikon I bought at Costco came with two lenses. One regular, the other telephoto. My bird photos are with the telephoto. I’m going to look into learning more about photography and eventually getting another lens. My mom had a macro lens and did closeups that were amazing.
Oh, I love having a smart phone and being able to take a pix at the drop of a hat, but there’s something about a real camera and how crisp and clear the photos are. Love the shots of your nature preserve. Say hello to your owl friend.
I agree with you. For the past decade I owned the camera, but preferred the ease of my iphone. But I love the quality of the photos with the camera I took this week. It’s giving me a spark to explore photography in more depth. I’ll tell owl hi from you!
I should really take a class on my old DSR but then I would have to really learn about aperture and shutter speed. Yikes.
I took photography as part of my journalism major. We developed our photos in a darkroom. But that was many decades ago. I signed up for a digital class at a local community college before we moved and then COVID hit and the class was cancelled. I may try again.
When I was a reporter, I worked with an amazing photographer, who let me play around a few times in the dark room. That was really cool.
It was so much fun, I had my mom take a class from the photography prof. Next thing I knew, she and my dad put a dark room in our basement.
Gorgeous shots, Elizabeth!! Thank you for sharing them — and the process!
I’m so glad you like them. I am so excited to explore photography now. I’d like to know if I should use Adobe Photoshop or if there are other photo editing programs.
Lightroom is probably better for photo editing. In Photoshop, you can do a lot of manipulations, but Lightroom is more focused on enhancing and improving your image. Easier learning curve too.
There are a lot of decent editing programs out there, depending on how much time and effort you want to make. Lots of reviews and opinion on the interwebs.
Thank you for the recommendation. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. Adobe Photoshop was one of the first, but I’d like to enhance and improve!
How nice that you had such magnificent models for your photos!
I have three cameras besides my iPhone (which I use way more as a camera than a phone): an old Nikon, a Lumix, and a Canon PowerShot. I can’t say that I’ve mastered any of them completely. My dream is to be able to shoot fully Manual, but that would require a ton of practice… and patience.
Yes. I had it down in college taking a photojournalism class and developing my images in a dark room. But that 40 plus years ago. I need to relearn what I’ve forgotten and learn for the first time, new technology.
Wow, what a difference indeed, a camera makes. These are fabulous Elizabeth. What a great eye you have. Hawks, flamingos, and owls…my favorites. Thanks for taking the time to pull out the camera and find a solution to share your images. Hugs, C
Yes, I see the difference. I was wondering if it was as dramatic to others. It’s really caused me to consider exploring photography more. I’m excited about it!
I can definitely see a difference, Elizabeth! They’re all beautiful! I love the owl and hawks! Amazing wildlife outside your window! I’m glad you figured out how to transfer the photos too. Sounds complicated, but thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Using the camera and not the iphone has really motivated me to learn more and expand my knowledge. I’m excited.
I can feel your excitement, and it’s contagious! 🙂
👍🏼