Camera Tribulations and Trials

As you know, our brand-new cameras died on us this last weekend. It was a real bummer. I did a fair amount of research before deciding to get this Olympus model of camera and once decided, DeAnna wanted one as well.

The main feature was it's ruggedness and ability to handle water. Ever since I've been in Hawaii, I've been staying away from some places because of the salt water spray or surf. I've been extra careful to handle my camera so that it doesn't drop onto the lava rocks.

The new camera can handle water, salt, sand and even being dropped! So while it may not be the best camera for the super-critical eye, it has enough features (along with the ruggedness) to make it the best choice for our adventures. One of the things I've been investigating is HDR photography. HDR images are created by 'layering' several images on top of each other so you can see shadows and brigh objects at the same time. Although I'm still experimenting, I created a few images that I thought I'd share with you.

This is a night view from our rooftop lanai.You can see clouds, mountains and the palm tress illuminated by apartment lights where otherwise you would only be able to see the streetlights in a normal exposure.



This is a sunset taken from work one night. You can see the brilliant colours of the clouds as well as the dark parking lot in the foreground.





Notice the rich colour of the sky as well as the various shades of green mountains and white clouds.


Lastly, this is what happens when you press the wrong button on your image-mapping software! The sunset turned out to be psychodelic and the bamboo forest took on a 3-dimensional look (seriously, click on the image and stare at it!)











Fortunately, DeAnna's camera was replaced right away by Best Buy. My mom has agreed to take my camera back to Target for replacement so it's in the mail (thanks, Mom!) I'm hoping that things go well. Naturally, I'll keep you informed of my progress in the great camera tribulation.