Last night around 9:00 PM I went out along the Biloxi Bay with my Canon Rebel XT and tripod. My goal was to shoot the Imperial Palace Casino from across the water. I took a few shots from the shoreline before moving down to a pier. I think I was in a hurry because of some cool clouds that were moving in. I failed to pocket my RC1 wireless remote. The consequence was that as I set up my tripod I dropped the remote.

Bounce, bounce, bounce…kerplunk. It fell into about three feet of murky water. I love that little remote as it offers some flexibility over a wired remote. However, my one criticism is that it lacks a lanyard loop.

For the rest of the evening I was limited to 30 second exposures and playing around with the ISO and other settings. I think I still got some nice shots, but I will not know for sure until I get a look at the RAW files. I still want to go down on the beach and shoot places like the still destroyed Treasure Bay Casino and some of the piers, but there is not enough light down there to shoot on Aperature Priority. Maybe I can get some sunset shots, though?

For Christmas I received a Canon BG-E3 Battery Grip for my Digital Rebel XT. It holds six AA batteries or two NB-2LH lithium ion batteries (a single NB-2LH powers the camera normally). I also received a second of these batteries, so I will be using the latter option unless I am in a pinch for power. I have only shot a little bit with the battery grip on, but already I think it is going to be on there most of the time. I love how it seems to stabilize and make it easier to level the camera during handheld shooting.

I entered the inaugural contest for a new photo site called See It Sunday. I was only one of two people who entered, so the odds were even (so it’s not like I’m some awesome photog). The theme was Sunday. I would like to see the contest grow, but not as big as Photo Friday (too many entries to sift through). If I ever started my own photo contest site, I would place a limit on the number of entries. I would also require a short description by the artist explaining why the photo fit the theme.

I am anxious to upgrade the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my Digital Rebel XT with some serious glass. I feel that sharpness is a key feature that I am currently lacking in the kit lens. I am forever using Unsharp Mask in Photoshop to crispen my photos. I also want something with telephoto range, as there have been several situations were I could have used one.

While I was initially eying a zoom telephoto lens like the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, I think that my needs would be better served by getting one of the Sigma or Tamron 18-200mm lenses instead. I could use it as a travel or all purpose walk about lens. It would have come in handy on my recent trip to St. Louis where I would have liked a little more DOF on some shots. The prices are also half that of the Canon, though they lack the image stabilization features.

Another lens that I am considering is a 28mm prime lens. With the crop factor of my XT, it would be the equivalent of a 50mm lens on a film camera. If you take cost out of the equation, then it becomes hard to decide between the Canon 28mm f/2.8 ($169) and the Canon 28mm f/1.8 ($399). The former is considered to be an extremely sharp lens, but the latter is an exellent performer in low light indoor situations.

I could almost go with both, as some in this forum thread suggest. Then there is a Sigma 28mm f/1.8 that splits the cost at $249, but the reviews that I have read so far have not been as favorable. I could probably not go wrong with either Canon lens, but I suppose it will have to come down to the budget and primary purpose for the lens. Do I want it more for outdoor day shots, or will it be used primarily for indoor photos of the kids and possibly nighttime landscapes?

I tied for third place in a PXITE contest. The theme was ‘Happiness.’ My entry can be found here. I received four votes and only one of them was cast by me. That means that there are three other people that liked it enough to remember to vote for me. I am just doing it for the challenge and to promote the site, but a little confirmation (no matter how small) feels good.

When I first got into photoblogging the website was called Scott’s PDA Photoblog. Since I always had the PDA with me, I posted a photo that was taken on the actual day of the post. It was a way of chronicling my life.

For a while I have felt a pressure to perform by posting perfect photos all of the time. Oftentimes I sit here late at night browsing the archives looking for the right shot. This is clearly self-induced and influenced by the great photoblogs that I peruse on a daily basis.

I want to get better at what I am doing, but in my quest I have been making too many comparisons and have become somewhat consummed. I have enough idols that I am dealing with in my life. I do not need photography to become another one of them. When it ceases to be fun it is not worth it anymore.

Lately I have been posting more of those “day (or week) in the life of” kind of photos and frankly, good or not, it is kind of a freeing feeling. I hope you do not get too sick of seeing Christmas photos, although I will try to mix it up a little.

I finally corrected the date and time on my Rebel XT. It was set fourteen hours ahead of the actual time here on the East Coast. Now future shots will not look like they were posted before the pictures were taken.

I came across a link to Posithiv+ while browsing photoblogs today. It is a photographic documentary of the issues of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The images remind me of the power of photography.