Light Meter: Congratulations on Your New Camera

Ruh roh. Did I spoil the surprise? C’mon, you must have known what was in the box already. Seriously? How could you not know? It’s square or rectangular in shape and perfectly flat on all sides. Even your new puppy knew it was a camera! What? You didn’t know about the puppy?! :smacks forehead: Well quick, go open that moving present. Catch him!

Is everything alright? Alright. Back on course. Congratulations on your new camera. If this is an upgrade from what you have, awesome, you’ll love it. If it’s your first digital camera, you are in for some fun. If it’s replacing the camera you dropped into a mug of beer while you were out shooting pool with the boys…you’re a very lucky man. Go tell your wife you love her and then take out the garbage. We’ll wait.

While we’re waiting let’s name all the Disney characters according to height starting with…oh hey the menfolk are back. 7, 8, 11, 15, 26, 53…good they’re all here.

I’m going to quickly give you a rundown on everything you need to know. Ready?

1. Read the manual
2. Charge your lithium-ion battery. If the camera takes AA, get yourself rechargeables. See previous blog on batteries here and here.
3. Keep your camera safe and protected in a padded or hard shell camera bag.
4. All digital point and shoots have some delay. Newer cameras have faster processors. One way to help speed things up is to use a faster memory card. I recommend no less than 5MB/sec. If the card you have doesn’t give it’s speed then it’s about 2MB/sec.
5. Cameras do not like liquids or sand.
6. Read the maunal. It’s worth being repeated.
7. That built-in flash only goes 8-10 feet.
8. If you use any Night mode, you’ll need a tripod.
9. Cameras have a tendency to get drunk on New Year’s Eve, fall down, and require a trip to the repair center. Don’t let your camera drink.
10. GO OUT THERE AND TAKE PHOTOS!

HERE ARE A FEW OF MINE! Why am I still yelling?! These are from MouseFest. They’re not great but they’re funny and if they make me laugh then they must be good.

While in the UK, my friends and I watched the World Showcase Players perform. This fellow was too close for the camera to focus properly and quickly enough. It’s all good cuz I still caught the moment.

I had never stopped and sat in the waiting area for Oh Canada! before. My friends were on the bench in front of this window. It reminds me of every single zoo and I thought if we waited long enough then perhaps some monkeys, tigers or bears would show up. I’m still waiting.