2BPhotog - my world through the lens

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Another Gadget in My Bag

I want to take a moment to thank my brother for bringing to my attention a cool toy that I added to my bag a few months ago. It's an ultraportable laptop by Samsung. I was able to get this for half price at my local Staples store. It has an 11.6" matte screen, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD and has chicklet-type keys similar to the Mac Book Pro laptops. It came with Windows 7 Home Premium edition as well as MS Office 2010 Student edition. What a deal!

It's not like a "netbook" at all. It's much more powerful and weighs less than 4 pounds. It's truly ultraportable!

A built-in SDHC reader is located underneath the front/bottom of the laptop

Two USB ports and an SVGA connection

Power connector, NIC, a third USB port, HDMI connector, and output audio jack

I primarily use this as a travel device for photo editing, posting to my blogs, writing reviews, checking my emails, and doing research on the Internet. It also has an SDHC reader built into the laptop and I take this with me on photo shoots.

When my brother came to visit me last year, we went window shopping at Staples. He said the key words..."check this out" and pointed to this laptop. After a few minutes of playing, I was hooked. I waited and waited for a few weeks and finally Staples put it on sale.

It is quick to start up and shut down. I've installed the latest version of PhotoShop Elements and it runs beautifully. I've been extremely happy with this purchase. I'm enjoying the portability and light weight feature of this new toy.

To my brother...a big thank you!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

My Hubby Preaching

This morning my hubby preached a sermon "Is He Real?" at our church. He is recovering nicely from his surgery from a little over two weeks ago. He still has to take it easy and avoid any lifting for a few more weeks. Being around church family and friends is very uplifting for the both of us as well as sharing God's message.

It took me a couple of practice shots before I finally captured a decent picture. Remember, it's been a few weeks since I've picked up my camera. No flash used.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Taking Time Out

I haven't taken many pictures this month and February is almost gone. My D7000 has been idle for most of the month along with my Canon S90 and my Nikon AW100.

Except...I have been using my trusty old iPhone 3GS. Hubby had an open hernia surgery a week ago. While we were at the hospital and waiting for pre-op procedures, I was able to capture a photog moment with him wearing a puffy cap on his head. I had his permission to take the pic of him. He was probably anxious/antsy before the surgery and we tried to have some fun while we were waiting.

Oh and I did take a picture of my latest work in progress (WIP) oil painting of a beach scene in the Caribbean. I'm either waiting for it to dry and add a few details or I just might call it finished. Sometimes...simple is better.

Hubby is slowly recovering and I've been spending a lot of time taking care of him. Quality time with him. We've been laughing a lot. We've been taking slow walks together. It's probably a good thing I'm taking a break from my many hobbies. You know, kind of like getting back to the basics of enjoying each other's company.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines and Wishing We Were Back in Belize!

Hubby and I have been under the weather. He caught a cold and has passed it on to me. He started to feel better a few days ago, but now he's sick again. I've been to Walmart and CVS and noticed their cold remedy aisles are becoming bare. I believe the winter bug has finally arrived and hit us hard.

So, hubby and I are spending a quiet evening at home watching movies and taking our cold medicine.

We do wish we were back in Belize. Having fun in the sun and enjoying the blue water. Sigh!

Goff's Caye in Belize (S90)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

With D7000, Leave the Flash Behind

That's what I should have done when we left for our vacation. I used my external SB-600 flash for about 15 minutes and I used it to take pictures of our cabin. That was it. I'm documenting it here as a lesson learned that I don't need to bring everything with me. That's how great the D7000 is. I did bring a spare battery with me. I'm still averaging about 1200 pictures per battery. Really cool!

Here's some pictures taken without flash:

Art Gallery on board (I did spend some time here)

Hubby's breakfast

Welcome Aboard champagne

Fellow cruisers dropping off their liquor purchases in Cozumel...they get it back on the last evening of the cruise

The gym on board

Galley tour!

My breakfast of champions (including oatmeal and granola)

A visit to the Medical Center for dear Hubby.

A martini demonstration

Pouring different martinis...neat trick!

The captain's champagne fall...I watched the crew stack the 616 champagne glasses!

There were times while on the ship I left my camera(s) in the cabin. There were many times I missed some wonderful shots. There is always something going on or an event taking place on the ship.

Next time, I'm leaving my flash behind.

(Note: all pictures taken in P-mode)

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Went Over 10,000 Pictures on My D7000

My seven month old D7000 went over 10,000 pictures while on vacation. After the 9999 picture was taken, the camera reset back to 0001. Our ship the Crown Princess was leaving Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) to start the second week of our cruise. Ahead of us was the recently refurbished Grand Princess. Here's the "milestone" picture I took from our balcony:

The Grand Princess sailing out of Ft Lauderdale

Friday, February 3, 2012

"C' is for the Island of Cozumel!

Crown Princess & Carnival Paradise docked at Puerta Maya

Colorful shops in Puerta Maya pier

We had a wonderful opportunity to snorkel at the barrier reefs: Columbia and Palancar. It was breathtaking to see all the varieties of fish and coral!