1paw

My Picture-A-Week pages are suffering from a lack of attention. I got tied up with work, and then got tied up getting ready for vacation, and a couple of weeks slipped by. I should try to resurrect them once more before taking them down, though - it’s a great idea.

My photography has changed quite a bit. I haven’t shot with my LOMO LC-A for some time. I like to shoot close-ups, and it’s too hard to get the focus right in low-light. I’d much rather use my Canonet with its’ rangefinder, I just wish it had a shutter speed longer than 1/4 second. I’ve stopped using my zoom lenses, and shoot with my AE-1 Program with a 28/2.8 lens, or my Rebel 2000 with a 50/1.8 lens.

I’ve been shooting more digital lately, not worrying about exposure, trying to compose more, and enjoying it. Not having to develop film is great, and 2.1 megapixels is more than enough for web and snapshot work.

On a different note, I’ve been slowly replacing my coffee habit with green tea and Yerba mate. Mate (as it’s called) is a natural dried-leaf beverage like tea very popular in Central and South America. It’s got an earthy flavor, is full of anti-oxidants and vitamins and doesn’t contain caffeine - it contains another stimulant called mateine. Mateine is a little smoother than caffeine, with a less jittery buzz. It’s traditionally drunk by filling a gourd with loose leaves, steeping the leaves in boiling water, and drinking them through a metal straw with a strainer tip. I’m bucking the tradition and using teabags.