Test Drive

The Quest goes on!
Sort of.
It's been hot and muggy recently and since I'm on vacation it's the perfect time to just sit around and do nothing.
Almost nothing.
The ole web browser has been working overtime as the Quest for Camera is in full swing.
So lemme tell you how it went today.
First I figured out what exactly I was going to spend.
Then I started looking around at all the cameras in that price range.
Then I figured maybe I should step up to the plate so to speak, you know, just get a good camera that'll last me till next year or so.
When the new cameras all come out.
If you know what I mean.
Then I started thinking, boy, I'm no photo major.
For what I'm thinking of blowing on a new camera, I could get me a new throwing wheel!
All shiny and new with quiet bearings and stuff.
Okay, I'm looking at way too much camera.
To make a long story even longer, I went all over the place today as far as cameras go.
From the eVilness to Amazon, I was there.
Finally I call up My Friend Hoku:
Hey dude, you still got that camera?
Yeppers, says he.
Okay, he didn't really say yeppers.
I made that part up.
So anyways, I jump in my car, it's like evening time now cause I've spent all day at this Quest for Camera, and off I go:

He's got this older Nikon D200 for sale along with a 28-105 zoom.
It's an older camera, like only 10.2 mp, but it's PRO.
As in none of the bells and whistles you find on them newfangled cameras.
All it does is take pictures.
Which is a good thing.
The not so good thing is that it's lacking a few things I've sort gotten used to.
One is the preview you get once you've adjusted the camera stuff so you can see how your image is going to look like.  This thing has a straight view finder.
The LCD screen is small and archaic, especially if you are used to the larger view screens on even pocket cameras.  The LCD is for post viewing only, you cannot use it to aim.
Canons in particular have articulated view screens that move around; I used mine to take pictures while holding the camera over my head.
On the plus side, I like the Nikon view finders more than the Canon's, it seems closer to the eyeball.
There are only four settings, P, S, A and M so there's no scrolling through a bunch of scene modes.
The control layout is pretty nice, easy to get used to.
Then there's the price.
He's asking only half of what I intended to spend and that's a really good thing, except I'll have to find me a short fast lens.
You know, for short fast work.
So anyways, tomorrow I'll be taking it our for a test drive, taking some pictures and seeing if this is the camera of my dreams.
Okay, it's not the camera of my dreams but really, what would I do with the camera of my dreams?
I mean I'm not even a photography major!
If you know what I mean.

When Things Go Wrong

They really go wrong.
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe I'm just having a hard time getting psyched up for this.
Maybe my work sucks so bad I'm having a hard time getting psyched up for this.
Well okay, it doesn't suck that bad.
Today, I took my stuff out of the kiln and give it the once over.
Then I started to try and take some decent images of them to send in to the submission place.
There are all sorts of requirements you have to consider like size and orientation and stuff.
Seems the submission place can only show images in landscape form, so you have to fix up you images and make them square.
I'm still working on that.
The hard part was taking the pictures.
I've taken images of my stuff before but somehow today, I'm just disliking every shot.
I was up late last night finishing up the glazing and I get up early so I'm a bit more irritable than usual.
Then The Dog decides he wants to dance with the tripod and everything falls over and he just looks at me gives me "what?" look.
Then I can't seem to get good lighting and my background thingy keeps falling down and well, you get the picture.
Get it?
Get the picture?
Like I'm taking pictures and you get the picture?
Nevermind.
So anyways I'm screwing around with the lighting and it occurs to me that I usually take pictures earlier in the day and that's why I'm getting all sorts of wierd shadows and no matter where I go I'm sort of still screwed.
So I just about gave up.
I'm thinking of going out to the store and getting me some Doritos and a cream soda.
Or something.
Well anyways, the two thingys came out of the kiln okay, meaning they got at least one good side that'll photograph okay.
That's important for that means I can take some pictures and send them in if only I could get some decent ones.
Pictures that is.
Here's the first one, I call it Vessel No.1:



The idea, if you've been following along at home, was to take a vessel and turn it into a well, vessel.
Like a space looking vessel.
Sort of.
This one is like your basic model.
I think.
Again, I wish that the nozzleliciousness was higher off the ground, in the image it looks like it's grounded and that takes away from the landing gear being well, landing gear.
I'm also not that happy with the lid, I wanted it to be sort a reentry looking shield thingy, but it just looks like a hat.
Turns out additional images are like five bucks extra, so I'm only sending in one of each. Hopefully they are goofy looking enough to get some attention and make it to the up close and personal jurying part.
The other thingy is so-so:



Vessel No.3 is a little closer to what I was thinking, though now I wish I had made the lid taller or maybe transitioned the shoulder up into lid.
I was going to go black and white on the glazing, sort of Polaris missile like:



Something possessed me and this is what I got.
I wanted to use the blue and black, I like that combination, it just doesn't work so good here.
The bands don't stand out like I wanted and get sort of lost; you can hardly see the ones on the nose/lid.
I wish I could have gone taller and thinner, but that right there is the about my limit for height in the kiln.
Total height there is about eleven and half inches.
Although these two thingys are not what I wanted, they are a good start.
I mean I got another six months or so until the next show, so I got plenty of time to think about them.
I'll post some close ups on The Garage if you wanna see more.
Now, if I can just get some decent pics I'll be okay.
I mean I need to send them in by tonight.
Oh well, I've been rejected by this show like four times so one more ain't gonna kill me.
Then again, I'd feel a little better if things had worked out like I had planned.
Somewhere along the line I must have muttered some famous last words.
Or something.