4th Sac photo contest de flickr

It's not looking good for our hero. There was not the overwhelming response of praise I had deluded myself into thinking I deserved. :) No one has fallen to bow at my feet in awe of my photographic skill.

Of the 3 people who have voted (voting only started a few hours ago), one is myself, which I of course - for social reasons - cannot vote for myself; that would be in bad taste I think. The other 2 are the admins for the group, I think, and they voted for 2 others, thus it is a 3 way tie right now. Oh well, it is a lot of fun to have a goal in photography... that is why the guy who started the contest thread did so. :)

I started a group for my friends here in Sac, and when I told people about it they were interested and most joined immediately, but only one person has added photos to thier account and no one has added photos to my group. Oh well... if things continue like this for too long I will just kick everyone out and delete it.

I bought cool new toys for my camera today. I got a spare battery, a cable release that is lockable, a spongy neoprene neck strap that does not have CANON plastered all over it making me a magnet for thieves (more on this in the next paragraph), a UV lens to protect the lens I bought from the local girl a little while back, an LCD screen protector, lens cleaning cloths, and a gorillapod. I also ordered two books, one that everyone is raving about on the forums: Understanding Exposure, and a field guide specifically for my camera. I also ordered a sensor cleaning kit, as my sensor is covered with dust bunnies and I don't want to have to get a camera store or Canon to clean it for me every month... for obvious reasons. I didn't buy the card reader... the jury is still out on that one at the moment.

On the thieving note: I have started using a nondescript bag to tote my camera gear around in. One reason is that the camera bag that I bought is not large enough to hold all of my stuff at once. Another is that it is clearly a camera bag, and like the CANON neck strap, is a neon sign for thieves. I was going to donate a bunch of cloths to good will, and had a thought: I used the clothes to pad the bag and wrap my lenses and such for protection. It is a little combursome, and probably not as light as a camera bag, but works fine and holds everything and anything I wanna put in it.

I have found the next lens I want: the Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens... too bad it costs $1300-$1600 though. :( One day I will have it though! Oh yes! It will be mine! Muwahahahaha!!!! >8}~