Back home from a lovely two weeks of road tripping through Sweden. Funny how a camping holiday makes you re-appreciate modern utilities like a decent shower or a good chair. I kept my daily meditation streak going (71 days and counting!) but it was such a relaxing trip that I didn't really need to unwind. Clarity of mind comes easy when there is little to worry about. Söderåsens National Park was gorgeous for how small it is. (Note that my frame of reference is the Canadian Rocky Mountains.) We hiked 5 km on the first evening and 16,5 km on the next day (10 miles). If it didn't rain an entire day when we were at Store Mosse National Park, I'm sure we also would've done a bunch of hiking there. While I'm not sure how well I would fare when hiking with a bunch of gear, I do think I'd love to try it. Just before the holiday I got a new cheap lens for my Canon, a 24mm prime to accompany my 50mm prime. I love that thing, it knocks the kit lens out of the park. I also experimented with HDR and panorama shots (with mixed results). The above picture is one of the coolest I think I've ever taken and it's a composite from 16 different shots. Here's a small album of a few photo's I've taken for those interested.
Those are some great shots. The one above is amazing. I'd be really proud of taking that photo. You now have two lenses. Allow me to share one of the easiest maxims in photography: limit yourself to the three hours surrounding sunrise, and the three hours surrounding sunset. Yeah, you can get pictures other times but if you look over every "great shot" you've ever taken, I'll bet you'll discover that the overwhelming majority of them were taken near sunrise or sunset. Following this rule also allows you to be sociable and not annoy the shit out of your friends and companions with stopping down all the time. They'll know that you're all theirs until the light gets really really good.
One of the nice things about this maxim is that this time period is when a lot of animals are most active, to avoid the heat of the mid-day. So if you're ever into shooting wildlife, this works on another level. limit yourself to the three hours surrounding sunrise, and the three hours surrounding sunset.
Thanks! I have a natural tendency to do that, about a third of all my photos are of sunsets and another third around sunset. The midday photos almost always have blown-out lights and highlights. On the other hand, my friends know I like to take photos and I know they like the photos I've made, so they don't really complain at all.