Arizona Travel Photography 2012: Blog Launch

    Arizona Travel Photography 2012: Blog Launch

    
 
    This is my blog launch. I hope you enjoy the content. My goal is to provide an entertaining travelogue of the unusual, odd and just plain interesting sights around the State of Arizona. I am a native of the state and yet there is so much I haven't seen. I'll be posting photographs and video of my escapades. When it makes sense, I will be posting GPS locations to help you find locations you would like to visit and or photograph.

    Secondly, if you are interested in casual kayaking; I will be discussing anything that strikes me as interesting on that topic. My wife and I are new to the activity and I would like to share my experiences as a newbie. It might help someone avoid the same errors. For example, I bought a kayak that was too small and would not support my weight and height and I had to return it to the retailer and upgrade to the Perception Sport Access 11.5. Fortunately, there is no video of me going in to the lake face first when trying to enter the kayak. The kayak itself was a good product, and my wife is happy with hers; it just wasn't the right model for me. The weight capacity I think is a little overstated. My daughter and I visited Watson Lake but had to cut our voyage short due to weather. Lightning and rain moved in and we had to evacuate. Weather has curtailed any additional visits. Every time my wife and I scheduled a trip to the lake the monsoon weather ruined everything. 

   Thirdly, any products I use that are related to Kayaking and Photography, I will review from a practical use perspective. This blog launch seems like a hodgepodge of topics and it sort of is. But ultimately my goal is to introduce readers to products that are about experiencing Arizona in new and interesting ways. Let's start with a brief camera review and I'll throw in some sample images to demonstrate what the camera can do.

Nikon AW 100 Review

    I purchased this camera because I wanted to take quality images in and around the water while not having to buy a waterproof housing for my Canon DSLR. A word of caution: put a LCD protector on the screen of the camera. Especially since this camera is going to be used by most of us in adverse conditions; there is an increased risk of screen damage. 
    
    Secondly, the camera is shipped with a filter adapter, (Filter Adapter UR-E23). The filter adapter accepts a 40.5mm filter size and I suggest that if you want to make an easy and affordable improvement to your photographs, purchase a circular polarizer filter. I purchased the Polaroid Optics filter for $7.99 through Amazon. You can certainly pay a lot more if your budget will bear the cost.
The basic features of this camera are:

• Water-proof, Shock-proof, Freeze-proof being water-proof to 33 feet
• 3" LCD display
• 16 MP CMOS sensor
• Full HD (1080p) video
• GPS and e-Compass
• Points of Interest can be embedded on the image

The camera comes shipped with:

1. Camera strap
2. Rechargeable Li-ion battery
3. Battery Charger
4. Filter Adapter UR-E23
5. USB Cable UC-E6
6. Audio Video Cable EG-CP16
7. View NX 2 Installer CD
8. Reference Manual CD

    A surprising part of the instruction manual to me was the camera cleaning section. Nikon advises giving your camera a bath in clear water after subjecting it to salt water or other adverse conditions. The manual is thorough and if it wasn't for the fact that I am also trying to learn the finer points of a new DSLR; I would be able to absorb the information quickly.

Practical Use

    Holding the camera like you would typically hold a point-and-shoot camera will result in a finger covering the lens. This is not a recommended technique for improving your photography. LOL! So far, mostly because this is the first point and shoot camera I have owned; I find the camera easy to use. I attached a key ring to the strap eyelet so that I can tie flotation to the camera. I sawed a section off of a yellow pool noodle. Now I can attach the noodle to the camera by threading thin nylon twine through the noodle and then to the key ring on the camera. In future posts I will look more closely at the GPS and Points of Interest settings.

First trial shots

    One of the first shots I took was this one of the landmark; (Computer Punch Card) building located at Central and Osborn avenues in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Aside from a polaring filter, there is no image manipulation. I used a waist-high wall to support the camera to avoid hand held camera shake.

 

Miniaturization Effect with added saturation in Photoshop

Panoramas using Easy Panorama setting: Nikon AW100

Watson Lake, Prescott Arizona

 

    The following panorama was shot during cloudy overcast which muted the mountains and color. The camera does an excellent job of producing a panorama

 

 
    As far as the performance of the camera goes in terms of grab shots and reproducing adverse lighting condition; the above image rendered the scene very well. I only wish I was shooting in a more scenic setting when this photo opp occurred.

My daughter's first kayaking attempt. She's paddling the Future Beach Spirit 120, 

(10'L x 2 1/2' W.; Weighs 44 lbs.)

 

    Here are some test shots which demonstrate that the camera is capable of recording good quality images in adverse lighting conditions; without any post-production image editing. The following image was taken in low light aiming right into the sunset. The time/date stamp is easy to engage through the main menu. The lettering is easy to read.

 

The following image was taken using the night portrait setting.

Here are some additional Shots from the Nikon AW100: We can see that the image quality, (I refrained from using Photoshop on these images) is promising. These images were all taken at Sahuaro Ranch Park.

  
  In conclusion Arizona has some of the most beautiful and varied scenery in the country. I hope to show you some of these special places and a little bit of fun with photography and outdoor adventure along the way! Next post I intend to include some HD video tests and more kayaking pics.