Archive for June, 2009

Frustration

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

I was so excited when I got the phone call that my 20D was ready after being in the repair shop for three weeks.  Imagine my frustration when I tried it out before Saturday’s swim meet only to find out that although it seemed to be working fine in the shade, all of the shots taken in the sunlight were extremely overexposed.  No matter what settings I tried, AV, manual exposure, fully automatic, negative exposure compensation, it was the same result.  Good thing I brought the old Rebel for “just in case.” 

The repair place has a 180 day guarantee so I’m going to take it back the next chance I have (probably not until Friday) and explain exactly what happens.  I might even take some shots there so they can see for their own eyes what the problem is.  If they can’t repair it, then I’ll just shoot with the Rebel for the remainder of swim season and look for a new camera once soccer season gets going.  Aaaagh.

In the meantime, here’s what I was able to get from yesterday’s meet.  The meet was not frustrating for the kids at least.   The team won and Ben posted personal bests in all his individual events.  Kate posted a personal best in the breast stroke but was slower in both the back and free.  Last week she had a personal best in the free but slower in breast and back.  I see a pattern here, so perhaps at the next meet she’ll get a personal best in the back but be lower in breast and free.  Who knows what she’ll have up her sleeve for the last meet of the year!

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

We’ve had incredible amounts of rain in June, so much so that we have easily surpassed our average monthly rainfall and we still have over a week left in the month.  It rained on today’s swim meet but they carried on until it started to thunder.  At that point it was mathematically impossible for the other team to beat us, so they just called it off.  I think it’s officially in the books and we don’t have to have a reswim, but who knows? 

Ben shaved time off his freestyle and backstroke, and swam a legal breastroke for the first time!  I’m sure he’ll improve as the season progresses since he hasn’t really been able to make it to practice.  Kate took time off her freestyle but inexplicably added time to both her backstroke and breastroke.  She claims her foot slipped off the wall at the backstroke start but I’m not sure why she struggled with the breaststroke today.  Maybe just being cold since it was chilly in the rain.

On the photography front, I really miss my 20D.  These are shot with my old Rebel, and are soft, soft, soft.

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NJHS

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

That’s National Junior Honor Society to you. And if Ben looks a bit flushed and glassy eyed in this picture it’s because he was coming down with the flu. 103 degree fever and all that the next day. He recovered quickly, though, taking the pitch two days later for his last soccer game of the season.

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