ON PHOTOS ~ Tell Me About Your Camera...

I need a new camera. I know, I know. I just received the above camera for Christmas a year and a half ago. And it frustrates me to no end. The auto settings are fine outside in the daylight. Once I move indoors or encounter lower light, it gets ugly. I can't manipulate the manual settings to improve things and I don't have any patience left to figure it out.

I was an Olympus girl. I loved my prior point and shoot Olympus but it was the size of a DSLR. Too bulky for me to cart around. I wanted something slim and compact that would provide the easy high quality of shots without a second thought that I was used to. I also wanted an extensive zoom ability. So the Olympus Stylus seemed to fit the bill.

Not so much. Indoor/low light shots are always grainy - even just inside during the day. Everyone else's photos from the same circumstances come out fine. My prior camera's shots in these settings came out fine. Not the Stylus. The auto setting washes everything out with overpowering flash. Manual settings make things a different hue and very grainy. As I said, I have read through the manual and tried different settings but rarely do I get the result I want. I don't want to manually interpret and set anything.

The focus is also a problem. Half pressing the button makes things looks perfect and then it won't hold long enough to take the shot. It comes out blurry. The extreme zoom isn't worthwhile because it just makes the quality fuzzy. What looks promising on the display screen turns out horrible on the computer screen, without any magnification of the image. Or even worse, I have the perfect shot, and when I press the button, nothing happens. It just decides not to work sporadically, regardless of battery life.

I have gotten some really great photos out of it - but the percentage is too low. I need higher consistency. As much as I wish that all my photo taking opportunities were outside on a beautifully clear sunny day, that just isn't the case. So before I go out and get yet another camera to attempt to solve my photo frustrations, please tell me:

what you use

what you like most about your model

what you like least about your model

Sony Cyber-shot? Canon PowerShot? Nikon Coolpix? Kodak Easyshare? Panasonic Lumix? Fugifilm FinePix? Something different? **Point & Shoot model input only please.**

ON PHOTOS ~ Drink, Drank, Drunk...

06-02-200 - Damage at the Harpoon Brewfest - Boston, MA

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ON PHOTOS ~ Square...

09-26-2009 - JFK Presidential Library & Museum - Boston, MA

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ON PHOTOS ~ Temptation...

10-03-2009 - Last Bite @ Trumbull Kitchen -Hartford, CT

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ON PHOTOS ~ Close To You...

07-30-2010 - Face to Face Friendship, Natick, MA

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ON PHOTOS ~ Fountains...

10-15-2010 - Bacchante & Infant Faun bronze cast fountain statue by Frederick MacMonnies @ Boston Public Library Courtyard - Boston, MA

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ON PHOTOS ~ Photographs of Photographers...

06-23-2007 - Anything For The Perfect Shot @ Elizabeth Park - Hartford, CT

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ON PHOTOS ~ Rain...

04-11-200 - April Showers - Natick, MA

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ON PHOTOS ~ The Shadow Knows...

10-08-2009 - Two Hearts - Natick, MA
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ON PHOTOS ~ Shutterbug Love...

If you spend any time here at The Bumbles Blog you will know that I love to take photos.  So it is really cool when I play along with Shutterday and find out that anonymous strangers have voted my photo submissions into the winner's circle!  Because of Shutterday I take photos of the most random things because you never know when the theme of the week will be "Rust" or some such thing.  And every week, I am surprised and challenged and unprepared for the actual topic. But a few times this year, I have finished in the top three!

Shutterday is unique among the photo memes in that you have a week to submit your photo and then there is a week for anyone to vote for as many photos as they like.  The photos with the most votes are tallied up and the winners are revealed on the site for all to see.  You don't win any prizes but you don't have to blog hop either - all the entries are viewable right within the Shutterday site.

You see submissions from all levels of ability and you don't need to be a pro to finish on top.  Everyone has their own criteria for voting and so the playing field is always level.  If you are a shutterbug and love a challenge, visit Shutterday to play along whenever you like. It is a lot of fun and has truly made me look around this world of ours with a more detailed eye - wondering what the players at Shutterday might think of THAT image...

JANUARY, 2010 - SOLO 3RD PLACE FOR "FIRST PHOTO OF 2010":

01-01-2010 - Watching Hockey @ the Winter Classic - Fenway Park, Boston, MA

APRIL, 2010 - TIED FOR 3RD PLACE FOR "PINK":

05-12-2007 - Elizabeth Park - Hartford, CT

JUNE, 2010 - TIED FOR 3RD PLACE FOR "SPOTTED":

06-18-2010 - Andy's 10 Year Old Fish - Natick, MA

JULY, 2010 - SOLO 1ST PLACE FOR "KISS ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT":

09-14-2008 - Nath & Jess' First Dance -Mystic, CT

SEPTEMBER, 2010 - TIED FOR 3RD PLACE FOR "GATHERING STORM":

08-19-2006 - Storm Front - Dexter, ME

ON TRAVEL ~ Vacationland...

We wanted to share how we spent last week instead of actively visiting all of you in the blogosphere.  We took a vacation with my family that happened to coincide with my Big 4-0.  I can't think of a better way to greet another year of living.

Our first day was crummy weather so we took a drive to do some shopping.  But along the way we stopped at a very famous lighthouse.  You can't actually get to it unless you live there since it is on an island.  I bet it gets wicked cold out there on a stormy winter night.

The next day we took a stroll overlooking the ocean.  There were lots of spots to take your breath away so it took a while to get where we were going.

Where we were going was to sample some very fresh local fare from a highly recommended and enjoyable restaurant.

Over where we had lunch is one of the region's most photographed coves, where we saw plenty of fishing boats.  I also got to operate the drawbridge on the footbridge.  The first time we were there I learned the ropes.  The second time we visited I controlled the operation.

Blessed with more sunny skies, we spent the next day wandering along the beach.  There were a few brave (i.e. stupid) souls taking a dip in the ocean, but most were content to stroll the beach, build sandcastles or fly kites.  Some surfers and fishermen enjoyed their day as well.

The next day was my birthday and we decided to take a drive over to where a former President has a famous retreat.  But we were more preoccupied with the type of candy you find sold at any ocean town worth its salt.

We headed back to our temporary home where we played a favorite outdoor game, opened presents and had a dessert buffet instead of cake.  Quite a birthday party!

Since the next day was rainy again, my sister-in-law and I treated ourselves to some spa services.  My manicure is still holding up and she loved her massage.  After another stroll by the ocean later, we took a different route back and discovered the local library.

Our last day we parted ways from my family and headed off for a hike in the woods.  From there we had a nice view of some very familiar mountains we have visited many times.  We also got to say goodbye to the coast that treated us so nicely all week long.

It was a terrific week with very little travel hassle.  A return trip is high on our list.  Can you guess where we were?  If you want to see some of my best photos from my favorite part of our trip - click HERE.  Our kitty Tedy however was bored without us and hopes we don't leave him again for a long time.  Sorry Tedy Bear!

ON PHOTOS ~ Flight...

09-15-2010 - Ogunquit Beach - Ogunquit, ME
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