Begin Again jn 2026
Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2026 10:26 pm
After a year of spotty production, I'm going to try and increase my output. It starts with my annual January 1st photo sojourn. This year I selected the Panasonic Lumix LX100II, a Micro 4/3 compact with a Leica DC Vario-Summilux 1:1.7-2.8/10.9-34mm ASPH built-in zoom and formats of 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, and 4:3. It can be used in Full Manual, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Full Automatic with exposure compensation of -3 to +3 in 1/3 steps. It has an EVF, a fixed rear screen, and a clip-on flash that runs off camera battery power from the hot shoe. I chose to shoot it in the L-monochrome mode for that bit of contrast it adds to the image.
Enough of the technical stuff. From Roanoke I drove up US 11 to Buchanon to take Rt 43 up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Peaks of Otter. There, Rt 43 splits off east towards Bedford, but since I hadn't been on the Parkway in quite a while I decided to keep going north to US 501. As luck would have it the parkway was closed beyond US 501, so I didn't have to make anymore decisions as to which way to go as I had to keep the trip within a certain time window. This meant making my way south to Lynchburg. with a short stop for lunch in Big Island. Then from Lynchburg I took US 221 to Bedford where I transited on to US 460 to get back to Roanoke.
I only took photos while up on the Parkway. It's not that there weren't other places of interest besides there, but being as it had been so long since I exercised my brain to be taking photos and the wind was howling most of the time, it just wasn't the best of times to be stopping every so often just to get a snap or two. Plus, I can't walk as much as I used to, and pushing the issue is not good on my systems.
Still, I was satisfied with just being out there and capturing images, though I do have one gripe with the M4/3 Panny, and that is blown-out skies when shooting towards the light. Otherwise, it is a perfectly good small camera for when you want to get back to basics.
A Whole New Year Awaits by P F McFarland, on Flickr
See the rest of the images at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCFvvv
Happy New Year!
PF
Enough of the technical stuff. From Roanoke I drove up US 11 to Buchanon to take Rt 43 up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Peaks of Otter. There, Rt 43 splits off east towards Bedford, but since I hadn't been on the Parkway in quite a while I decided to keep going north to US 501. As luck would have it the parkway was closed beyond US 501, so I didn't have to make anymore decisions as to which way to go as I had to keep the trip within a certain time window. This meant making my way south to Lynchburg. with a short stop for lunch in Big Island. Then from Lynchburg I took US 221 to Bedford where I transited on to US 460 to get back to Roanoke.
I only took photos while up on the Parkway. It's not that there weren't other places of interest besides there, but being as it had been so long since I exercised my brain to be taking photos and the wind was howling most of the time, it just wasn't the best of times to be stopping every so often just to get a snap or two. Plus, I can't walk as much as I used to, and pushing the issue is not good on my systems.
Still, I was satisfied with just being out there and capturing images, though I do have one gripe with the M4/3 Panny, and that is blown-out skies when shooting towards the light. Otherwise, it is a perfectly good small camera for when you want to get back to basics.
A Whole New Year Awaits by P F McFarland, on Flickr
See the rest of the images at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCFvvv
Happy New Year!
PF