a tale of two

I have a love-slash-bugged relationship with my cameras.

I love that the Canon Powershot is so portable. There are so many more photos of my kids outside and at the park because of this camera; in addition to photographs of Mike's runs. I love how quickly I can snap shots without really framing the shot or checking on the point of focus. I can use this camera with one hand and pull it easily in and out of my pocket if need be. I love that it is almost always in my bag. I love that I can take little videos. I love that there is no camera card to insert and remove over and over, making it more possible to be damaged. I am glad we have this camera. I do not love, however, the quality of the images compared to what my Nikon offers. The photos above, for example, would not look so great blown up to a larger size and framed and that is a little bit of a bummer.

This is a video I took with the Canon in June of a California breeze I enjoyed while taking a walk with the boys. This breeze and sound of the tall, yellow grass blowing is something I will remember and miss. I was so glad to have had the Canon handy.

I am head over heels with my Nikon D70. I makes me feel like I have wings and the possibilities are endless when using this beauty. I can print almost any shot I want almost any size I want. I can make a poster if I want to, with the right paper and printing aparatus. I love the choices, experimenting, and taking time to plan and study a subject with this camera. It was a gift to me from Mike when I was struggling with my identity as a new mother, so it holds incredible sentimental value to me. Leaving the house for a quick park trip, I am almost scared to bring it because it is so heavy and valuable to me. You have to use two hands and when two kids are in tow, it's almost impossible to bother taking it with me unless another pair of hands is with me to help with a child. This camera has been along with me in my journey of motherhood and has been an extended eye capturing moments my memory would otherwise forget. It is also more breakable. I have held my breath twice at the camera shop while pins got straightened out. Luckily $12 to fix it was the solution and not a post office visit, shipping it to Nikon for a bill that could end up being hundreds of dollars. P.S. email photos to be printed where possible (Wolf/ Ritz, Costco). Putting the camera card into public readers can easily damage the card (Walgreens, Target for example), thus damaging the pins in the camera when you put the reader back in. Use a USB chord and never remove the camera card at all. A downer with this camera is sometimes you lose a shot because it wasn't programmed the way it needed to be to get exactly what the moment reflected. Kids move too quick sometimes to stop, program where you want the focus to be, and get that desired shot. Getting the camera ready takes a little prep time. But the times you do, it is always worth it.

They are both great cameras I feel lucky to have.