Canon G11: new gear

I picked up a new tool (toy) today and can't wait to put it to work.

The Canon G11 is a pretty sweet pro quality compact that I've had my eye on for awhile.

I have a Lumix LX2 already, but haven't really been impressed with the image quality. What really drew me to the Canon is the hot shoe for off-camera flash possibilities and it's ability to focus at 1cm. I intend to use it as a small carry everywhere camera and for doing some cool macro stuff.

The key points for me are:
RAW files
Hot shoe
Manual controls
Compact enough
Low noise at high ISO
Close focusing

Frog-Macro with Flash

I was in far north Queensland, Australia shooting for the magazine Asia Pacific Tropical Homes in 2004. I was photographing interiors and architecture of some of tropical Australia’s most distinct private villas.

I was lucky enough to be staying in one incredible villa situated back in a lush rainforest. At night, the sounds of the jungle were deafening. Insects, birds, bats and frogs all trying to outdo the other screaming into the darkness. I’m sure they had a purpose other than keeping me awake.

An amazing array of frogs would end up congregating on my patio on any given night. It was bizarre.