Some Favorite D70 Shots Spring 2024
Over the spring and into the summer of this year, I took lots of photos with a Nikon D70. When I wrote about this in April I was trying to decide
- if I could take better photos with the D70 than I could with my smartphone, and
- if I was interested enough in photography to invest more deeply in it as a hobby.
Over the course of the spring and summer, my skill with the camera improved somewhat and I became more confident that, in favorable circumstances (outdoor light, scenarios where focusing wasn’t too fussy, etc.) I could indeed take better photos with my D70. I found that I most enjoyed taking photos of people, especially family and friends. These were the most fun and meaningful for me and they were subjects of whom I couldn’t just search the internet for photos – unlike, e.g., the St. Louis Arch, where I could take some nice photos, but they would be photos many people had taken before.
I’ve decided I like taking pictures. I wasn’t prepared to buy a brand new camera which would cost over $1,000 at this point, but I invested in a used Nikon D750 – upgrading from a camera that’s twenty years old to one that’s a mere ten years old. Despite its age, it’s still well-regarded, and I can use the lenses I already have rather than investing in new ones. It also features a full-frame sensor, which I understand is better for low-light scenes – one of my major beefs with the D70.
Sometime soon I’ll be setting up a place where I can share more of the photos from my D70 as well as the new photos from my D750. Until then, here’s a few of my favorites from the D70. In looking back over them I can see the limitations both of the camera and my skill. Focus is fuzzy in places, some are poorly exposed, poorly composed, or grainy. Nevertheless, I like each of these photos for one reason or another.

John, Oberlin OH, April 2024

Matthew, Oberlin OH, April 2024

Emma and the maypole on May Day, Boston, May 2024

Working through some contra choreography on Amtrak, May 2024

Dad, NYC Subway, May 2024

Dad and Aunt Holly, NYC, May 2024

Aunt Holly, NYC, May 2024

Aurora Borealis outside my window, Somerville MA, May 2024

Ruthie and Josephine on Mother’s Day, Boston MA, May 2024

Ruthie and Josephine on Mother’s Day, Boston MA, May 2024

Ruthie and Josephine on Mother’s Day, Boston MA, May 2024

Ian morris dancing, Davis Square, Somerville MA, May 2024

Manhattan Bridge, NYC, June 2024

Mirror self-portrait with Shane, Brooklyn Bridge Park, NYC, June 2024

Grace, NYC, June 2024

Matthew at work, Arco Art, Oswego NY, June 2024

Experimenting with self-portraiture and sullen faces, Martinsville IL, July 2024