Chris Curtis Web Site

I am thinking very hard about buying a new camera sometime soon, while being aware that I am not always using my existing camera as well as I could. Whatever I eventually do about a new camera, the most important thing is to make more images, more often and of better quality.

To motivate me in this quest I have created a photoblog – “Thoughtful Camera” – which is live now. The idea is to make at least one image each week and publish them there. This will be a good discipline – it does not matter if anyone else likes them: though you are welcome to visit. Collections of images will still appear in the gallery from time to time.

The biggest reason for thinking about a new camera is frustration with the present one. My Nikon Coolpix 5700 is a good camera and can make great images, but it is not a SLR. It is slow to focus (and quite easy to fool) and it takes ages and great care to set it manually or semi-automatically to achieve the kind of image I want. By current standards, especially if I want big prints, 5 megapixels is limiting. The battery life is dire, even with the big battery pack and putting images onto the memory card is slow. I am looking in the direction of a Canon 400D, but the price means this is a big commitment and needs a careful decision.

By the way, the photoblog was created with pixelpost with my own template adapted from the default. Very simple and easy to use open source software (if you know anything about php and mysql web sites, that is!)

I am suffering from a classic cold – sore throat, runny nose, aching limbs – so was very unsure about whether to go orienteering. It was dry and reasonably warm, and this was the last chance to do night orienteering this winter, so eventually I set out to Borde Hill to take part in the South-East Night League and do the Olive course (4km and not too technical – broadly equivalent to Green).

Borde Hill is classic southern English park land, with lakes, patches of woodland and wonderful old single trees. The area is quite hilly, so most of the estate is rolling grass slopes. A small crowd gathered and registered soon after sun set, watching a subtle but pretty evening light silhouette the trees and the land disappear into the gloom.

This was my second night event. I had struggled in the first, partly because it was very new to me, but also because the weather was foul and the ground was very difficult: if it was not knee deep mud it was covered in “brashings” (cut wood). I enjoyed this much more.

The first control was down the slope, round the end of a lake and following a large earth bank. It felt “right” and the map made sense. I made a dubious route choice on the second leg going around to pick up an obvious fence to follow, just missing it somewhere and having to come back. There were a number of long straight runs across open park land, and these went smoothly. I kept going past a sort of “stockade” of fences in the middle of the park – some sort of equestrian jump I guess – very distinctive and visible from a fair distance in my head torch so I felt very secure. I was running faster than I thought I would be able to as well until the last few controls were I made a couple of mistakes and was fading fitness wise.

I was back in 50 minutes – twice as fast per km as my first night event and not very far off daytime speeds. The course was won in half an hour, and I was 13th overall, but I was in touch with some much faster and better orienteers, so overall I feel quite good about it. I even scored a few points for the club in the league (not that SO needed the points, it was already unbeatable before the event). More importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I felt that sense of “flow”: a mixture of concentration and focus which means that you are engrossed in what you are doing and the world seems a long way away.

Maps and routes (including mine) are available online.