Dos Lagos

In Spanish, Dos Lagos means two lakes. In Corona, CA there is an outdoor mall called Dos Lagos. I don't shop at most of the stores that are there, but at the north section of the mall, past all of the shops, it's very well landscaped. There are two man made lakes with lush green grass all the way around. There are also beautiful flowers. You can see a macro shot of one of the kinds of flowers that are there in the post below. There is a covered walkway between the two lakes. The walkway looks like the one pictured above, except the one pictured above is in the back of the lakes. I love the water flowing down, as it does in this picture. It's very tranquil. Enjoy.

Spring Flowers

Spring started just a few days ago. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather, although it felt more like summer today. We went to the Dos Lagos mall today in Corona, CA for some Easter Egg hunting for the kids. The egg hunt was quite a disappointment; read about it here. However, the landscaping is just beautiful. I couldn't resist taking some macro shots. Here's one of several that I took.

It's Snowing

This picture was taken in Oak Hills. What I like about this picture is the juxtaposition of winter and spring elements. I just was about to go visit some friends when I realized it was snowing. My car was covered in snow but it did not last long. By the time I reached my friend's house in Apple Valley all of the snow had melted off my car. It was fun while it lasted.

Farewell to a Soldier

Today was a particularly tough day, as today was the funeral of my wife's grandfather. I lost my dad two years ago, and we lost my wife's other grandfather that same year. It was just several days ago that I had spoken to grandpa. He was a good man, an honest man, a kind man, a soldier. Grandpa had many things in common with my dad, also a soldier. Ironically, they are both now buried in the same cemetery. I was asked to take some pictures of the military honor detail, which I was honored to do. Grandpa earned the right to a final tribute from the Navy, and he received it. I wept as the rifle volley echoed through the silent air, but I also knew that he would be proud to see that his fellow Sailors were honoring him in this fashion. Goodbye grandpa. I hope you're telling jokes and sharing stories with my dad now.

Spring is Coming

Hi! I will be joining Kenji on his blogging expedition. I figured I would start with posting a picture I took a few days ago. This picture was taken with a Canon 20D.

Welcome

Welcome to Picture Playground! Over the years, I have become more serious about photography as a hobby. Years ago, I bought a Pentax point and shoot film camera, and the quality was fair. When I got married, I bought a Canon point and shoot film camera with a zoom. Image quality was far better. Then, in 2000, I discovered digital photography. My wife bought me my first digital camera - a Sony 2.1 megapixel camera that looked very similar to the one pictured in this post.

I was fascinated by digital photography, but disappointed that my pictures weren't that great if I wanted to print anything larger than 4 x 6. I sort of lost interest for a while. Occasionally I'd take a few digital pictures, but I much preferred to shoot video with my camcorder, or dig out that Canon film camera. Who would have guessed then that this would actually be the start of a long and faithful relationship with Sony digital cameras.

Fast forward to 2005. We went to Orlando, Florida....a dream vacation for my daughter for sure. I was determined to get some awesome pictures. After much research, I bought a Sony DSC-W7, a stellar performing 7 megapixel point and shoot camera with a 3x zoom. The pictures were outstanding.

Then my daughter starting playing soccer in 2007. What an excuse to buy one of those super zoom cameras! Again, after much research, I bought a Sony DSC-H2, an awesome 6 megapixel point and shoot camera with a 12x zoom. The image quality is excellent, and I didn't miss the one extra megapixel that my DSC-W7 has.

Enter 2008. I've been making DVD movies out of the hundreds of photos I've been taking. Made a few creative gifts with the pictures as well. Then I decided that it was time to get serious. I had a real hobby here, and I didn't want to keep buying the next best point and shoot with a super zoom. I wanted a Digital SLR camera. Alas, after much research, I bought another Sony (surprise!) - a Sony Alpha A100. I've had it about a month now and am very pleased. A review is coming!

Anyway, welcome to Picture Playground! As time goes on, I hope to add bloggers to my blogging team. I want to share photos, discuss ideas and best practices (techniques and camera settings), and review equipment and cameras. Welcome!