This was the sunrise on the last day of October 2016. What? November is tomorrow? It was 25 degrees (Celsius) outside today. As if my plague-ridden body wasn’t confused enough, Daylight Saving Time ended yesterday in Europe and I forgot to change the time on the cameras.
Also confusing: Halloween in Portugal. It is nowhere near the celebration level of Carnival yet, but the popularity of this event is growing steadily each year. Apparently not enough to remind me to buy candy, though… which is a bit sad because the family down the hall were trick-or-treating with their little ones. An adorable mix of tiny voices (with a parent or two) were singing Portuguese songs in the hallway with great gusto this evening to announce their prowl for candy. Since I had nothing to give and I looked like hell (apropos for Halloween?), I opted to lay low. In my defence, we are usually at the home village at this time every year picking chestnuts 1. For the first time since leaving Toronto, I am reminded that the doorbell may ring. Need candy!
Photography Notes
It feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest. Time to wrap up this post with some photography-related notes. The sunrise photos were taken this morning with two different cameras bearing two different lenses. The wider-angle photo at the top was taken at 17mm (DX), the bottom with my newly-fixed 50mm f/1.4 prime (FX), the better-quality 50mm that was being repaired in Porto while I was away.
It was a tough choice to travel with a prime lens only and I changed my mind countless times, but I needed to reduce weight and bulk for that trip because I was traveling with cabin baggage only. I brought along the cheapest lens that Nikon makes, the 50mm f/1.8, available for less than $100 but consistently punches above its weight class. If you’re used to shooting with a zoom, it takes some adjustment to shift to a prime. But I always feel more disciplined afterward, and that’s a good thing. I took some great trip photos with that lens, if I do say so myself. The images needed a little extra post-production, but overall I was happy with the results. I wish I could show them, but most were taken at private functions.
There were plenty of photo opportunities lost because I didn’t have a zoom or the wider angle, but the limitations gave me freedom: I spent less time on photography and more time with friends, which was the whole point of the trip. Where I needed the wider angle, I just shot a quick video with my phone. I didn’t care about quality, I just wanted to document the trip for posterity. I went whole days without using the DSLR, believe it or not, only taking phone pics or videos. In short, travel light. No regrets.
October 31, 2016
Album: Portugal [Autumn 2016]
- The report from the field is that the chestnuts aren’t ready yet — they’re still on the trees. ↩
