expanding my new hobby


if you ask pam i think she would agree that i like hobbies that involve learning and teaching myself something. for example, along with my dad and brother i got into computers back when i was in college. i learned as much as i could about putting them together, basic programming, and doing as much as i could with them. i stil love goofing off with the stupid things. about nine years ago i decided it was finally time for me to learn how to fly fish. i read everything i could, talked to everyone i knew who did it, and finally taught myself how to throw a fly so that a trout would take it. after fly fishing it was learning to play the guitar, and then it was learning to tie my own flies for fly fishing, then it was blogging, etc., etc. it’s always something new and the old hobbies always stick with me (i.e I still fish, play guitar, etc.)

over the past year i have slowly but surely gotten into digital photography (mainly thanks to looking at alan’s and brad’s photos). i’ve been slowly learning and experiencing as much as i could concerning what it means for a photo to be “good.” after a year of really being into photography i have finally reached the point of convincing pam and myself that it is okay for me to get a good digital slr. of course, a good digital slr costs around $1,000 and that type of money is not considered “chump change” around the terrell household. $1,000 is about 1/4 what my truck cost and therefore i don’t casually go out and spend that type of money on a camera. so i’ve been coming up with ways to try and save the money necessary to buy a nikon d70s. i figure it will take me about 6 months to a year to have the money i need.

the problem with this is that i’m not sure that i can maintain a continual learning curve for a year without and photographic gratification. but that problem has been solved by the world of toy cameras. i have decided to buy a $40 lubitel 166 camera and take a decidedly “low tech” approach to photography while i am saving up for my “high tech” digital slr. the lubitel 166 is a soviet camera for the 1980s that has interesting optics and absolutely no technology to make taking a picture easier. there’s no auto focus, automatic film advance, automatic aperture setting, or any of those fancy new fangeled things. nope the lubitel 166 is a shutter, some film, and a button.

i’m watching the prices of a few of the lubi’s on ebay right now and i will buy one within the next day or two. it should be a blast and it will definitely give me something to “learn” until i buy a better digital camera.

btw, i just bought a light meter off of ebay for $5.

8 Replies to “expanding my new hobby”

  1. Robert, I can’t figure out how to send you an email directly, so I thought I’d try this instead! Besides, the more people that see this, the better. My wife, LeeAnn, had a massive heart attack 9 days ago. She’s battling for her life right now. I truly believe that God is going to heal her, but that doesn’t stop me from praying and seeking the prayers of others.

    As I was walking the streets of Birmingham on my way to visit her at UAB hospital, the Lord gave me an interesting thought. Everyone who has visited us at the hospital is having to walk a lot of miles, because this hospital is just amazingly huge. And I thought, wow, everybody’s hearts are certainly healthier because of this. And then I realized that it is everyone’s spritual hearts that are being even more radically affected as a result of LeeAnn’s sick heart. Because many people around here, including me, have become dramatically closer to God in the last 9 days. And it’s neat, despite the pain we’re all in, to see God work.

    Anyway, brother, we are in need of your prayers.

    Chris Moore

  2. By the way, Robert, I often ask God to pour out all the riches of heaven on guys like you and Nick Shimoda. I’m very honored and thankful to have had guys like you as friends and brothers. CM

  3. Hey Chris, This is Pam (don’t know your email addy either). Just wanted to let you know that we will be praying fervently for LeeAnn. Is she showing signs of improvement? How are the boys handling things? I will be praying for her healing, and supernatural peace, comfort, and rest for you and your boys. You can email us at pamela.terrell@gmail.com and robert.terrell@gmail.com.

    This verse has often given me great comfort during those deepest, darkest moments. Romans 8:26, 27:
    In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself interecedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit interecedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

  4. hey robert do me a favor tell Ms pam that the chicken and dumplings where
    AwEsOmE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. i will def. pray for her.

    my mom is birmingham right now, for like 2 weeks, and she is sick, so please pray for her to. just though id throw that in there

    and robert, your post was amzingly interesting too!!!

  6. robert, that is exactly what i am doing right now! i’m using my dad’s old Chinon photography camera. everything is MANUAL. absoloutly NOTHING is automatic at all. but it take absoloutly amazing pictures, and its a really expensive camera, ahha. it’s a film camera though. you even have to rewind the film, but the one thing i do like about it is you get to decide what kind of lighting you want.

    anyways, i’m home, finally. im so glad. hope to see you soon!

    <3 han

  7. robert, one of the fundamental rules of photography is that the person behind the camera makes all the difference, no matter what the equipment. i own a dslr, people think i take great pictures. give a pro any digicam and i’d suddently look like a chump compared to him. my advice to you is to, yes, step up to any dslr, but make your investment in the lenses and dont worry so much about the body. buy the cheapest cannon (300D), or dare i say nikon (50D?) and build your collection of lenses. its the way to go.

    the other fundamental rule: the easiest way to make a small fortune with photography…. start out with a large fortune

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