I finished painting Fantail Rose today, an original painting of a fantail with a rose, in memory of my Dad. I didn't set up a camera to film, as I now have a very cramped workspace. I took some progress pics with my phone, so I have put some of them in this blog post.
The room I am painting in is dark but I was able to have reasonable lighting with two lamps.
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The pics in this blog post were taken with a Canon EOS R100 with a RF-S 18-45mm kit lens. One of the lowest cost cameras using new mirrorless technology. Ideal for beginner and hobby photographers.
This was on my first day of using it, without working out all the settings yet. I have left the pics uncropped, so you can see how much the subject fills the frame. I've tweaked the images slightly with Photoshop Elements. I have reduced the file size for the internet. One of my hobbies is photography. Very much at the budget end of the spectrum. I bought a Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80, a supersoom bridge camera some years ago, which is very well priced (hundreds of dollars, not thousands) for being very versatile. Recently, I bought a second-hand Canon 1500D DSLR, which is considered entry-level. I also bought two lenses with it. For the combined price of a new Lumix (prices have come down with people switching to mirrorless).
In this blog post, I am going to compare some of the photos from each camera and also how I found them. I have cropped some of the photos slightly for a more pleasing composition, plus reduced the file sizes for internet. These pics are all taken handheld (no tripod or monopod). This blog post also is a review of the Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 bridge camera, which I have used for the past five years. Aimed at hobby photographers who want to enjoy bird photography but don't wish to have a large outlay to get started.
I checked my records and I purchased this camera and accessories (including camera bag, memory card) new for NZ $653 (around US $408). It was on sale plus I asked the salesperson if he would add anything to my purchase. I saved approx $200 of the retail price of the combined items. All the photos here, I took with this camera. I've cropped some and done subtle adjustments for a more pleasing composition. Subtle, as I prefer a more natural look with photos. I've also reduced the file sizes significantly for uploading to a website. The original file sizes can be printed clearly at at least 8x10 inches (approx 23.3 x 25.4cm). It's 1AM on 1 January 2024 in New Zealand. I should get some sleep so will try keep this short.
I now live in town, so walked down to see the fireworks display in my town. We'd had heavy rain and it finally stopped. My shoes were drenched from walking through wet grass. My first pics for the year were fireworks. It's after 11pm on 25 December 2023 as I write this blog post. Christmas is full of expectations and triggers. I spent Christmas on my own but not completely alone. I didn't meet up with family.
The family in the household I am now flatting with are new to living in New Zealand and don't celebrate Christmas. They were surprised I didn't go to church. I am not religious, after being raised Christian. I won't go into all the reasons here why Christmas can be so triggering but one reason is grief. I've just been through a hard drive to delete stuff I don't need anymore. There are still a heap of photos I took during a time when I was struggling. I haven't deleted all of them yet, as they are connected to my writing (inspired by my experiences, trying to communicate what bipolar disorder with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD are like).
I find a photo diary to be helpful for my creative process. At times in my life, I will take a lot of photos, of things that other people ignore (or don't even notice). At the time, they had significance to me, of something I was processing (grief, trauma) or linked to themes of things felt inspired to create (also processing). I recently made the decision to move out of the family home and go flatting (for the first time in nearly 30 years). Other than that, since my divorce, I had lived in a hostel for a year (full of druggies and boozers). I made this decision after Mum decided to put the house on the market, after Dad died three months ago.
I moved nearly two weeks ago, to live with a young family. Coinciding with my move, I received an email from Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) stating they would be making a lump sum payment for impairment for my mental injury of posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD. Will try keep this short as I have a pile of stuff out on my bedroom floor (sorting) and there is an open home tomorrow.
After a three-year battle, I finally won against Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) for a lump sum payment for my mental injury of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I'm not going to go into detail in this post, as I haven't even read the doctor's report yet. Although it is satisfying that the doctor who assessed in my favour used to work for ACC. After seeing me on a 'good' day, at my 'best.' After years of therapy. I felt overwhelmed, burnout with low mood today. I didn't make it to work today after two weeks annual leave. I'm not going to detail here why I am so stressed (other than linked to my Dad dying recently).
I talked to a doctor today and she said she could issue me a medical certificate but that won't change the stressful circumstances linked to the bereavement. She suggested trying to get back into a routine, which includes my part-time job. I spent most of the day in hibernation, emerging for a walk in the evening. In this blog post, I would like to highlight aspects of my annual leave. |
Xanthe Wyse('Zan-thee Wise'). Disclaimer: the author of this blog is not an expert by profession and her opinions should not be taken as expert advice.
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