by the lake

i recently borrowed a canon AE-1 from a friend at work to try out as i've seen the results from other photographers and fell in love with the tones the camera appeared to produce (more golden it seemed). i have so much to learn and find this piece of equipment, for whatever reason, to be challenging! i have no idea why some of these photos are grainier/lighter or a bit overexposed taken in the same setting where others seem rich and full (and i'm happy with both effects). the meter seemed off to me based on my knowledge, which i admit is lacking, but when i compared these to similar shots taken with my pentax they were different. of course, i was using a sizable zoom with the canon and i guess i need to take that into consideration as well. at any rate, it's time to take notes and mark my settings and begin the hard work of really learning! i'm lazy when it comes to those sorts of things.

i am doing a fair job though of photographing more people this year- strangers by this lake here and in my prior post, that waitress. that one especially took courage and i barely framed it to get the shot i was so nervous!

(and to clarify, that alligator is roaming free, lake alice is a nature preserve on a local college campus that is very large. we often see gators there and know to be cautious. they usually just sun bathe and don't bother you, and i used a zoom to take that photograph, though admittedly i wasn't that far from him).

(canon AE-1, fuji superia 400)