Category: Photography

I love photography. For me, it’s like painting, but better. And more accurate. And unlike painting, I can actually participate. I am not a big success or great master by any means. But I enjoy taking pictures. I also enjoy looking at other people work and sometimes sharing it. When I do, this is the category that I use.

Useless Canon distributor

Today, by virtues of the Internet, I’ve learned that Canon has an excellent but cheap lens. It is a standard 50mm 1.8 EF II lens, which costs around $70 USD. According to reviews and technical characteristics, it is much better than the kit lens (Canon EF-S 18-55).

The hope was born inside of me. I hoped that our local Canon distributor would have this lens for a reasonable price. I wanted to use it in the upcoming shooting of the Cyprus Rally 2005. As usual, I was expecting the price to be double or even slightly more of those $70 USD.

The distributor indeed had the lens. But the price was quadruple!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I kid you not – I was offered the lens for 130 CYP, which is a bit more than $240 USD.

Needless to say, I ran out of the shop and I’m never coming back, since this is my second experience with this place and the trend suggests that things are getting worse.

Cyprus Rally 2005: Preparations

Subaru butt

Cyprus Rally 2005 is about to start now. Today I went to the Rally HQ to buy a couple of Rally Passes. Mainly I was after the programme magazine which is usually included with the Pass package.

After waiting and walking around for a couple of hours, I learned that there was some problem with organizers and that they will start distributing Passes only tomorrow. Before I got disappointed and all depressed, I managed to acquire (hehe) a copy of the magazine with the rally programme. No need to feel sad – we’ll be planning our activities no matter what.

I have also walked around the Service Park. I was wearing the last year’s Subaru t-shirt and most of the guards thought for some reason that I was with Subaru team. They were encouraging me to join Subaru mechanics, asking questions, cheering and stuff like that. I used such a friendly opportunity to make a whole bunch of pictures. Drivers and co-drivers were out of the Service Park at some press conference or something like that, so no pictures of them. But, instead, I’ve got plenty shots of mechanics, cars, team camps, flags, etc.

Album location: /photos/2005/2005-05_Cyprus_Rally/2005-05-11_Preparations/

Glasses on the bench

Glasses on the bench

My mother-in-law, Olga, Maxim, and I went for a walk to the municipal park today. I’ve made a bunch of pictures – some are good, others – not so. I was surprised by light. We were in the park after 5:00pm, but the light was as harsh as in the middle of the day.

Album location: /photos/2005/2005-05-08_POTD