The sights you see when you haven't got a....

Some time ago I started carrying my camera with me pretty much everywhere I go. That might not sound like a difficult task, after all, modern cameras are remarkably small and remarkably capable. However I don't have a small camera, my camera is large digital SLR. Some people carry an umbrella with them, I carry a Nikon.

To start with I carried my Nikon D300s with a battery grip and an expensive, big and heavy 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. It soon became apparent that while this is a very nice setup, it was a very nice weight as well. It didn't take long before the battery grip came off (mainly for size rather than weight) and a few months later the heavy lens was replaced with a much lighter 18-200mm VR lens. What I lost in low light performance was more than made for with the added versatility of a modern 'super-zoom' lens.

It doesn't come out of my bag every day, but it did toady on my way home. While walking up Kildare street past the Irish parliment I came across a group protest the bank bailout.

Protest outside Leinster HouseOff course not every photo opportunity requires carrying a camera with you. On Monday evening I was sat at home and outside this was going on. All I had to was get off the sofa, and open the balcony door, but the camera still came out of my bag. No umbrella required.

Something happening on Schoolhouse lane, Dublin. No idea what this was all about