Chicago Skyline at Night

New Journal 31 – handling the heat

I’m an Englishman. My body knows cold (ish) weather. Rain is second nature to us. In the UK, if the weather is predicated to top 25c the government starts handing out health warnings – that’s how frail our sun-starved bodies are.

In one day we’ll be in Moab where the temperature will be around 40c. In that heat I think the moisture in my body will dry up leaving me looking wrinkled like Grandpa Simpson, and then I’ll die.

Rachel and I are like chalk and cheese. We can be walking down a street in boiling weather at the same time but be experiencing completely different worlds. She looks fresh and happy while I’m soaked in my own fluids. I just sweat to death.

I once played a game of football in the summer against some locals in South Korea. After the game I slowly staggered home. When I got home, I realised I had white powder all over my face. It was salt from all of the dried sweat that had left me. I then threw up in the toilet for an hour.

My team won, which meant it was worth it.

It seems like no matter how much time we spend in hot countries, my body doesn’t want to adapt. I recoil into shadows like a disfigured outcast every time the sun comes out. It’s hard to believe I was actually born in Zimbabwe.

Fortunately in Moab most of the activity will be done at sunrise and sunset. Temperatures should be slightly more manageable then. As a photographer, I do a lot of sitting/standing still once I’ve found a composition I enjoy. Searching for that composition is where the difficulties arise.

Maybe I need a portable fan, but not one of those little ones you hold with your hand. I’d prefer one I could strap to my chest that is as wide as car wheel that just smashes air into my face all day. I would buy that. I don’t care how stupid it would look.

Any suggestions for surviving the heat would be greatly appreciated.

Today’s Photo – Chicago Skyline at night

I learned a cool trick the other day while taking this shot. Beboy and I were chatting about image degradation on wide angle lenses. He said he’d recently discovered something called the Depth of Field button. Now, having shot in every mode and lived with my camera day and night, I’m fairly familiar with it. But I’d never heard of this. Yet, it is undoubtedly on of the most important functions on the camera for those of us who focus manually using Live View (which is the only way to go for sharp images).

I always knew that Live View doesn’t necessarily show you the true representation of the aperture level you are working at. For example, you may be at f/9 but Live View will be represented by f/5, for example. Therefore, manual focus is not as accurate as it could be. Never fear, however, on your camera, mine is next to the lens on the right hand side, there may be a button. This could be your Depth of Field button. By holding this down while focusing,  you will get a truer representation of the aperture that you are working at. Pretty cool, eh?

This image was shot through thick, dirty glass, yet it’s sharper than I expected!

Before the Joys of Post-Processing