After my last outing at MacLennan Park, I’ve been anxiously awaiting another snowfall. And waiting…and waiting…and waiting. The weather forecast has been a total broken record – seasonal temperatures, partly to mostly sunny, and NO precip! Finally today the forecast calls for a chance of flurries by Monday or Tuesday next week, but it doesn’t sound very promising. I’d really like some beautiful snow (preferably on a weekend) so I can fully test out my new Canon 10-22 mm wide angle lens. Sadly, it hasn’t been out of the box much since it arrived.
This weekend I plan to haul all my lenses out and test them for sharpness. I found an article on Nature Photographers Network which explains how to go through this process to determine which apertures for each specific lens yield the sharpest images. Because sharpness in my images is something I feel I really need to improve, I think going through this somewhat lengthy process will be worth it. Guess since I probably won’t be able to find anything to shoot this weekend, I may as well make good use of my down time.
I’m also going through some images for possible submission to the photo contest held in conjunction with the Topeka Lawn, Flower & Garden Show in mid-February. Members of the Topeka Camera Club judge the event. Categories usually include spring bloom, summer bloom, plants and animals, the rose, trees, landscapes with horticultural emphasis and (my favorite) Kansas wildflowers. I’ve raked in a few ribbons at this contest over the years (three last year, including one blue) and hope to take home more this year. I’ve been most successful in the Kansas wildflower category with one blue and two honorable mentions. Besides the open division photography contest at the Shawnee Co. Fair, this is the only local contest in which I can enter anything, so I always get excited. The photos must be turned in one week prior to the Garden Show; after entering them, I must wait until the doors open at the show to find out if I won anything. Oh, the waiting is the hardest part!!
Let it snow – PLEASE !!