Lenses

Today my friend Jeff sent me a link to his boss' photographs and wow, was I wowed. I suppose I don't understand slash believe how this guy can shoot photographs that raw right through a lens, and, if in fact he can and does, I want to know with what camera body and with what lens! I won't link him here simply because he may be more private (although he's all over the web - I don't want to abuse the fact that Jeff sent me the link) but I will say, his contrasting colors and manipulated light are nothing like I've seen before - which is why I believe he Photoshops everything he shoots. Jeff will confirm this fact or deny it for me soon. So, because I was frustrated with the beauty of this guy's imagery and the fact that basic composition is what it is (although, I would say that this guy toys with composition via color and contrast, which is an interesting spin on composition) (um, in digital photography, not in art as a whole!), I decided to fool around with the Nikon D40 tonight, yielding mundane and dissatisfactory results. I could be in a lens rut, considering I only own the kit lens, the 18-55mm one sans Vibration Reduction and made of plastic. Then again, maybe the D40 was a haphazard purchase if I want to get creative with photography. Or perhaps I just don't know the thing well enough and tonight, considering it couldn't do any better (or I couldn't!) than the above with color and contrast, I felt like kickboxing it out the window. But then again, after reading more on the D40 today, it really is a beginner's dSLR, which poses all the challenge I can handle right now! Either way, Jeff's friend's photo link was inspiring and will keep me reminded of what the color wheel has to offer, and what playful things can happen when a person knows how to operate a more complicated piece of machinery.*Tonight has been uneventful. I spent way too much time chopping vegetables for salad, way too much time on the Penne Vodka, and even more time than both combined cleaning the kitchen. Craig packed a box and now is watching a guy movie (thank goodness - too many chick flicks that required my attention were showing up in the mail from Netflix!!) and I'm going to write one poem, then go to sleep. It's hard to juggle a full day followed by a swollen evening. I wish it happened in a more evenly distributed fashion. If only.