Falling Off the Hobby Horse

Back in October we picked up a brand new Canon S5is camera, and I had every intention of becoming a photo-junkii like Lex. I had even started carrying the camera to work with me in the hope of capturing interesting sights along the way and, while none of my photos turned out to be stellar, I was still excited about developing this new-found hobby.

But around November, something really off-putting happened. Winter hit.

The bitter Ottawa cold has been a huge hindrance for my interest in photography. And it's easy to see why. When I walk to work, I'm well bundled. A heavy jacket, toque, and gloves are all de rigueur. And even with all that, I'm still uncomfortable.

Throughout the 25-minute stroll along the canal I'm hunched over, in a foul mood, with a hood and scarf obscuring my view. It's all I can do to look up when crossing roads to make sure I'm not about to get plowed over.

So you can imagine the likelihood that I'd be willing to stop, remove my gloves, dig through my pack for the camera (or worse - hold it in my exposed hand throughout the hike), just to get a few snaps. Not gonna happen. I soon stopped carrying the camera with me because it was just dead weight at this point.

Which is really sad - because other than my hateful resentment of it, winter in Ottawa can be quite beautiful. Regrettably, I'm just not a winter person, let alone a winter photographer.

But - Turn turn turn - spring isn't too far away. And with it, hopefully this blog will be more visually interesting. In preparation for the warmer weather, this past weekend Mel and I took a course at Henry's School of Photography that introduced us to the myriad features our camera has to offer. The keenness for photography is starting to build again.

And really, who cares if I have no visual record of these winter months? Screw it. Green trees are more beautiful anyway.