by Arlene Bolokoski

am licking my lips with delight. I have stepped into the modern photographic world. The digital camera I had my eye on dropped to the price I was willing to pay for it with our 14½% sales tax here in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I am glad I waited not only for my entry price - since I always love a bargain but also in terms of the challenge of learning to use a new piece of equipment as well.

The timing was perfect. I had managed to learn Photoshop fairly well where I do most of my work. My stylus and pad are second nature. The dozens of other programs that I use in conjunction with them have more-or-less faded into transparency in terms of use. I also have the time to focus on acquiring a set of new skills and assimilate the mountains of information that have come at me. People sent me books, magazines and web sites on digital photography. An avalanche of data and instructions descended into my brain. Bear in mind I have never owned a digital camera. Luckily ahead of me I have the cold, wet winter days by the fireside to sort and read through the neatly stacked information decorating my coffee table.

Putting it mildly, I have gone wild with my picture taking. I think nothing of clicking off 109 pictures of petunias in the space of time it takes to go from my front door to my neighbor’s. I already have several file folders full of images of this year’s pear crop which quietly ripened amongst the glorious colors of my tree lined back yard. I have a gallery of bugs and insects in case anyone needs a macro and several shots of potatoes and squash baking in the oven if anyone is interested.

When invited to friends for dinner I no longer follow proper etiquette and take a bottle of wine for the host, instead I show up with my camera bag and extension cord so I can go to direct current without draining my nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries which don’t last as long as I would like. Yes I have a second set on hand. I don’t leave home without it. Dinner parties now revolve around the rapid fire of flashes and inserting a 128mb smart media card into a card reader. We gather round and cheer and clap at a computer monitor as ‘the stars’ come one by one onto the screen through a program designed to produce a slide show from a folder of images. And right then and there, pictures are selected and immediately sent to each person’s relatives, some half way round the world. So part of our night’s entertainment is taken up by flying on the wings of digital magic.

The amount of gadgets that go with a digital camera are astonishing to say the least. Extra batteries, chargers and card readers and USB hubs are just the start. I also have several gadget bags. Wearing apparel is also important to a photographer. One must cut the right image. I found I liked my fisherman’s pouch the best and it put the lens and accessories within easy reach of my hot hands.

I had to purchase an adapter that plugged into my car lighter so I could connect to my car battery. This was prompted by the recent experience of being in the middle of a macro shoot with no screen viewer due to lack of battery juice. I have a friend who has introduced me to the idea of using gel cell power packs which sounds like a good idea. And at one of our recent monthly meetings, it was suggested by an experienced photographer that I buy a laptop so I can download on the spot which is an appealing idea. That only made sense, since I had already gone to the trouble of downloading a free program for running my camera with a computer.

I have been informed that if I keep up my current pace of picture taking I will need a new camera by early next year. Now, if I go one up from the present model of camera that I have it would require me to buy a whole new operating system to be able to download my pictures to it. I would also have to buy new media cards as they are not backwards compatible with the current model. And, then there was the kindly observer who suggested I buy a sports utility van to go with my camera so I can haul all the peripheral equipment that I seem to need.

On any given day, Arlene can be found in the wild looking to capture that elusive field shot which will land her that award winning photograph.