Strike a Pose...

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love all things Disney.  But a very close second to that is my love of photography, so the thought of heading off on a new adventure without a camera in my hand was unthinkable.

To that end, much research was taken and many trips to various suppliers of these hallowed little gadgets to suss out which was the best option within my budget.  Despite the plethora of  basic ( but quite serviceable ) point and shoots out there, I was most interested in an 'in-betweener' , just short of the features on a DSLR, boasting advanced features and manual options but still compact enough for traveling.   Unfortunately for me, the price also reflects their position in the market.

In the end, after setting my heart on one camera made by Olympus, the one I chose was a completely different and in my opinion, far superior piece by Sony.   I chose the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V - purported to be the top of the range in-betweener.  Google it for features, but the basics are 18.2 mp, 20x optical zoom, stereo mike for video,  sweep panorama, in camera editing/cropping and features like colour focus ( only showing one colour of the spectrum) and  seriously a gazillion more. 

Since buying my new treasure, I have scoured probably hours of youtube tutorials intent on learning as quickly as possible what this little baby can do, but when it all comes down to it, the proof is in the pudding and I was keen to head out on what turned out to be hours of walking to put it through its paces.

And I am delighted to discover, it is all I'd hoped for and more.

The first obstacle is the menu's within menus... finding that function you KNOW is in there is still proving a challenge, and more forays into the wilds of Caloundra will definitely be required to declare myself proficient.

Some of the functions are only usable in certain modes and then within them, there are huge variations.
There are, for instance, 2 auto modes... and I'm still working out how they differ.   I took  heaps of shots, some on full auto, to see what those were like and then played in manual for a while to see how difficult it was setting aperture, white balance etc etc and found that both modes are fun.

For the most part, on a fast moving tour of theme parks, the auto is definitely going to be the one to stick with as timing is everything and altering manual settings is more for portraiture and landscapes when you have the time to ponder all the options.  I will likely play with those settings at the Grand Canyon and for night shots in Vegas... otherwise... auto will be my friend.

So, how did it go... well, for a first try, it went great... I found the shots crisp and the focus to be really fast and surprisingly steady. 
I came home with the intent of finding that elusive continual shot and learning to hold the camera differently as I am not used to a pop up flash on a point and shoot and found I always had my thumb there when it decided to put in a backfill lighting and pop up of its own accord.

so here are a few of my first shots from the first play with my new toy... Being a fabulous 24 C day here, I decided to head down to my favourite beach in the world... literally 5 minutes walk from my front door here on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. 

Kings Beach Rock Pools...

A surprisingly spritely  and fat sea slug I managed to capture - really happy with the detail when zoomed in so close.

I wanted to test out how 'through water' would work and I was amazed with the clarity, when I was trying to get the shot between sets of waves.

An 'on the fly' shot taken by swinging from looking at rock pools to trying to focus on a fast moving object in the opposite direction.  I was surprised by the sharpness cos that chopper was hiking along.

Another shot to test out the zoom clarity.  The macro was astounding, I almost had the lens in the sand and it focused on the grains... will share that another day.

A big thank you to the little boy flying a kite on the beach for giving me the chance to test out how well the camera performed on a moving object a long way up.  The colours are crisp as are the tails flying in the breeze.  Again, very impressed.

One taken just for the fun of it on the 'toy camera' mode.  Really like the effect - a little 'instagram-like'

Always my ultimate litmus test - flying seagulls.  Notorious for being difficult to capture, I was very happy with this shot.

Another zoom shot.  I was A VERY long way away from this little birdie and am astounded how clear the shot is on full zoom. 

OK... not the perfectly framed shot but I just loved it for how you could see both the definition of the feathers and the sea floor through the lip of the waves.  Amazing.  Can't wait to try my luck on the Bellagio water fountains.  :)

I just want to finish this post by saying that all these photos are totally untouched and just as the camera shot  them.  I would undoubtedly normally have tinkered with them in a editing program, but just wanted to show how the raw shot came out.


L8R XOXO

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick.....

Only 22 sleeps to go and I will admit that the nerves are starting to kick in. 

The ‘to-do’ list is whittling down and there is some satisfaction in that, but there are still things to organise, and time is fast running out.

The concern that I might have no work in the last fortnight before departure – seriously curtailing my quest to save enough money so as not to return with any kind of credit card bill – has now been assuaged by one of my bosses desperate for staff, conveniently in the same time frame. 

After much too-ing and fro-ing, a camera has been decided upon and purchased and now being charged as I type this so I can figure out its secrets before needing to use it. 

The BEST new acquisition isn’t even something I purchased, but rather a spectacular gift from one of my besties.  

I never travel without a journal.  A huge part of any adventure for me is to document every detail so I don’t forget the tiny nuances that make a trip memorable.

To this end, my talented friend Barb, recently presented me with the most spectacular handmade journal that truly will be a joy to fill with my memoirs. 

Her attention to detail is reminiscent of my great idol Walt Disney, who knew it was the difference between watchable and unmissable.  Each page is a work of art… inked, sewn with various stitch options, stamped and lovingly compiled in red, white and blue order, so that I have a page for each day of my trip.  

Each page is also an envelope, which is where I will stash ticket stubs, stickers, and tiny mementos that will make remembering what I did each day a breeze.

To finish it off, included in with the gift was a set of beautiful sparkly chipboard ‘Americana’ type of 3D embellishments to attach where I most want them to feature, which I’m yet to stick on.

Such a precious gift involving so very much work, is so so so appreciated.  xx

I’ve also already had one practice session with treasures I’ve gathered so far for my suitcase.  Being a new one, I wanted to get a feel for what would fit inside. 

So far, so good. 

 But there’s no shoes in there yet, so watch this space.

So a few pressing things to think about now, are my Walmart outfit ( required to be as inappropriate as possible – prizes in the offing, and if you dangle a carrot, I am the first to jump);  to decorate a shower cap in the most outrageous possible way – again, with prizes in the offing… its eventual re-imagining of said cap is now down to a short list in my head.

The photos of which will be being posted online over my dead body… measures are already in place to keep any unauthorised photos off my facebook wall ;)

And the purchase of false eyelashes for nights hitting the casino’s in Vegas is also a pressing problem… I mean, do you recycle them?  Do you just chuck ‘em and put on a new pair?  Do you just forget them all together, knowing the possibility of them dangling unceremoniously from an eyelid at the most inopportune time?  Or worse still, finding them half stuck to the pillowcase and half stuck to your eyelid after a full tilt night in Sin City and not know for a few seconds what the hell is holding you to the pillow?  ( don’t ask me now I know this is a possibility - I just do)

Hmmm… yes, first world problems can really make you lose sleep some nights.

And of course, a decision has to be made to flea collar or not to flea collar…

For the bed bugs… not me  :)

Although, it wasn’t something I even gave a thought to last time and made it back into the land of Oz without any nasty surprises, so am not 100% sure I’m going to worry.    Hmmm… I guess  though, if my roomy has bed bug protection in her bed, then where are the little buggers going to migrate to??? 

 You guessed it… my bed…

Ok… decision made. 

 And as I finish off here sipping on coke, that should tell you how the diet is going.

The beautiful front cover, bound in shiny sateen fabric paper... 

a few pages from my treasure

the lovely stickers to add

 

L8R  xoxo

The Countdown Begins ...

39 Sleeps.

39 short sleeps until my toes touch American soil again. 

Am I excited?? 

Yes.

No.

Yes….

Lists are a wonderful thing.  I would not have gotten as much ready to go without multiple versions floating around on my table right now.

Clothing list.

Still-to-do list.

Holiday shopping list.

Food-for-the-tribe-while-I’m-gone List. 

Some disproportionate to the others by a long shot.

But those lists are starting to become a source of panic in themselves.

The closer I look, the more I feel the pressure of the next 38 days of activity and how I am going to a) fit it all in, and b) afford everything on them.

I am the epitome of ‘so much to do, so little time’.

I wish that I was one of those travelers that just rocked up to the gate, secure in the knowledge that the manicure is perfect, the right amount of shoes are packed and everything in the suitcase fits and looks fabulous.

But alas, I am not.  I know from many past experiences of flying out on an adventure, I will likely not sleep the night before.  I will likely have to cross ‘essential’ travel accessories off the list due to budget re-evaluation.  I will likely be still waxing areas of flesh in the middle of the night as it’s the only time I have and the worst possible time to be doing it.

I also ALWAYS have the sinking feeling of dread that something will transpire to cancel the trip all together at the eleventh hour… its happened before and I was distraught for weeks.

Nothing in my world is rock steady.  My life is always a moving walkway that doesn’t always travel in the direction I want it to.  As a single mum and the only breadwinner of the family, juggling two tacked together casual jobs, this is a mammoth effort to get this happening .

I am rostered on to work 6 days a week till the day I leave, but as has happened in the past, I could easily have work cancelled with little or no notice and find myself with no income for a fortnight (or longer) somewhere between now and departure day.

Multiple times.

That in a nutshell is why I have learned to walk with sea legs.  I don’t have a soft place to fall.  If I stumble on the work front between now and then, I will just have to keep staggering forward with a lighter wallet. 

So am I excited?

 Yep… some days I’m all but euphoric hardly able to believe that in a little over a month I will be off on another wonderful adventure. 

And No… some days the battle to stay on my feet make the whole thing seem like an unreachable dream.

So each item I cross off my list is such a monumental achievement it brings an inordinate amount of happy.

 And when I take my window seat on the flight I wanted, with the airline I wanted, to the holiday I wanted, I know that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and my excitement level will be off the chart. 

Only then though, will I believe its actually going to happen. 

Lisa  XOXO