I’ve been busy finishing up a manuscript and getting ready for my New York trip. I’ve taken a few shots out the window and one of the sky tonight, but I’ll save those for next time. For now, here are some flowers I passed the other day.
And the shot my friend Jeff took
of me with the new camera.
Hakone Gardens in the hills of Saratoga is a lovely heritage site showcasing traditional Japanese tea houses and grounds. I had a lot of fun there today with my friends and the new camera.
Let’s start with the panorama. This was so easy to do. The camera will be great for travel.
There was a wedding rehearsal going on and other visitors, including us, were watching the action. I liked having the people on the bridge for this photo. 
Koi and turtles share the water.
The camera has a creative mode that you can set to dynamic monochrome. Not that many things look better in black and white, I’ve found, but I thought this view up through the pagoda frame was better in black and white. My friend thought it was because of the emphasis monochrome places on shapes.
This is the view from the deck on the large tea house. You can see Hakone Gardens is up the hill a bit.
I liked this little gate. Except for the lock, it seemed to invite you inside. (I made the picture a little smaller so the lock wouldn’t be visible and you could just enjoy the idea.)
One of my friends suggested slowing the shutter down to get the smooth water effect. I never thought it would work without a tripod.
I still like the blue and purple hues produced by the Sony DSL more, but I haven’t set to work on that yet. Little by little I’m trying new things and reading bits of the manuals. The camera is pretty easy to use. I want to explore the advanced features.
Nicci Carrera 