Photo Tip: Sunset time

A Photo Tip: During those sweet minutes just before the sun sets, to judge how long before the sun actually sets. Approximately 7 minutes per finger. I think I've tested this out but I'm going to do it again.

Starting to figure out where all the buttons are.

It's finally raining! First few pictures, it's going to be a bit of a learning curve to figure it all out. 

Nice and fresh outside, my dog is barking at the resident squirrel. 

I see you Mr. Squirrel, hold still for your close up!

Olympus Stylus 1

The Olympus Stylus 1 is a very sweet camera.

The highlight of this camera is it's long zoom lens in a small package. One can use it as a point and shoot with beautiful results and then use it in manual mode for a new world of photography. It has a constant aperture of F2.8, the long focal length for shallower depth of field. That means you can blur background with your subject being in sharp crisp foreground. This is crucial to isolate your subject.

Some of the features that I love about this camera:

The size, for sure it fits my hand and is very light weight yet hefty enough that it feels substantial.
The electronic view finder vs. an optical view finder. It is sharp and crisp and in bright sunlight the best.
The long zoom 28mm to 300mm, yet the lens does not stick way out.
The "barn door" lens cap.
Low light shooting.
The Wi-Fi capabilities, it actually creates it's own private network. I can transfer my photos right to my iPhone or iPad. Very cool feature.
The touch screen.
The built in flash
That I can hang the camera with a real camera strap, yet it does not cut into my neck.
That I can use both hands to shoot pictures.

That I can start refreshing on my basic photography skills that have been almost forgotten with all the digital cameras.