Arrival

When the door bell rings, just moments after finishing my first entry on this blog, I feel a slight thrill of excitement. I've never seen such a good looking postman as he beams at me and hands me a large parcel. It's from Amazon so I know that my new camera is within. I place the packet reverently on the dining room table and carefully use a knife to slice open the packing tape. Removing the padding I am greeted by a compact box which I gingerly remove. I pour myself another coffee and get comfortable on the sofa.

For a while I just look at the box , savouring the moment. Eventually I pry it gently open. There are warranties, manuals, a DVD and CD at the top which I place to one side. And there it is: my Olympus E-520. I carefully remove the foam and plastic wrapping and just hold it for a while, softly caressing its curves and tentatively pushing its buttons. The two lenses are surprisingly light. One is 14-42mm and the other 40-150mm (double for 35mm equivalent).

As I have to charge the battery it will be a few hours before I can take any photos. In the meantime I watch the DVD guide which Olympus have thoughtfully included. It's a little bit cheesy but the information provided gives a very useful overview of the camera and its functions. Once it's finished I securely fit the strap and attach each lens in turn, delighting in the click as they lock into place.

Looking through the viewfinder for the first time I can't help but smile. A contented glow fills me and I feel like I've had an epiphany, which, given the day, seems quite appropriate.

Your equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend creating great images. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need. ~ Ken Rockwell

Waiting

The alarm goes off at stupid o'clock. We've been back in Cambridge for two days and Mrs G's early morning routine has started again. Which means that my early morning do-whatever-I-like non-routine has started again.

I just finished eating a bowl of Special K Oats & Honey followed by a bowl of Special K Bliss Creamy Berry Crunch. Yes, that's right: only 3% fat. Having given up alcohol one month and one day ago (not that I'm counting) I've decided that I need to stave off the not-quite-middle-age-yet spread. As I'm now 40 I figure I'll need to put in a bit of effort if I want to keep my Adonis like physique. Mrs G truly is a blessed woman.

Now that breakfast is out of the way I've poured myself a cup of coffee (with cream) and I wait. After several years of thinking about it I finally got round to ordering myself a new DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera which I'm expecting to be delivered today. I've always had something of an interest in looking at pictures (no, not that kind you pervs) but didn't really get into taking photographs until six years or so ago. My trusty Nikon Coolpix 4300 has served me well but it's a fairly basic digital compact.

As well as taking thousands of pictures and looking at bazillions of pictures I've also done a fair bit of reading about photography. Knowledge of shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, depth of field, focal length and other such things are all lurking somewhere in my brain waiting for an opportunity to be put into practice. And today they will get that chance! Well, maybe. I'll have to charge the battery first and then work out how the thingy goes into the wotsit. Presuming it does arrive that is.

So until then I'll drink copious cups of coffee, upload some more of my American Adventure photos and do a spot of reading (I downloaded the DSLR manual from t'interweb).

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. ~ Ansel Adams