Testing... Testing... New Camera!

That's right, I got myself a new camera yesterday. My first "proper" camera, if you will. I've more or less outgrown my little point-and-shoot, so thought it was time to upgrade to a DSLR. I've got about a month to get the hang of it before I leave for some of my big, final trips in Japan. So today, with the weather being dry, if not sunny, I made my way to Nagoyama Temple to experiment.

Most of my photos came out pretty terribly, beyond what even Photoshop can save. Still, after a couple hours and a hundred-or-so photos, I can say that I'm starting to get a feel for how this kind of camera works. I'm slowly figuring out all of the technical terms on my camera's menu, and what situations work best for my two lenses.

If the weather holds, I'll go test my camera out some more somewhere in Himeji next weekend. Until then, here are the better pictures of my first attempt at using a DSLR. Frustrations at my lack of skills aside, I actually had a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to growing in skill with this camera!

The stairway fountain is always a quiet part of the mountain.

A closeup of the stairway fountain.

One of the main temples in the distance, from midway up the stairs. It was an overcast day.

A view over the city.

Two sparrows gossiping about the city below.

I spotted this pretty, little butterfly; however, it didn't want to move to a more photogenic position.

The pigeon has conquered Alaska.

One of the few photos I managed where the white of the temple did not blend with the white of the sky.

I had better luck photographing these flowers up close. Definitely the best part so far of the new camera.

It's hydrangea season, which I think have become among my favorite flowers in Japan. They're just so colorful and elegant!

This one bush of hydrangea had blooms ranging from pink to violet, and every shade in between.

What trip to Nagoyama would be complete without a picture of a cat? They were mostly hiding, but I did find this pretty fellow at the bottom of some stairs. He very enthusiastically wanted his chin scratched at all times, but deigned to let me get a portrait of him.

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