Daisies in Watercolor. This photo of spring daisies, was captured at The Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about four years ago. I added a painter-like effect using the program Fotosketcher, along with edits made in Photoshop. The digital frame and mat were created in Fotosketcher. Camera: Nikon D40, 55-200mm VR lens.

Painted Desert Inn Museum, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. This photo shows, what is in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful examples of adobe inspired architecture in Arizona, The Painted Desert Inn Museum, in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. As you drive into Arizona from New Mexico on Interstate 40, this is the first National Park you will see. It is a thrilling natural exhibit, and is anchored by this handsome adobe inspired landmark built in the early 1920′s. The Painted Desert Inn was first built by Herbert Lore, a local homesteader, to serve Painted Desert visitors. The original two-story structure has been enlarged and renovated over the years. The Inn was nicknamed the “Stone Tree House” because so much petrified wood was used in its construction, a tangible tie to the landscape.

This photo was captured on a bright, beautiful summer day with a Nikon D40 and 18-55mm kit lens.

Route 66 Shack In Blue. This scene was captured along the old Route 66 near Acoma (Sky City), New Mexico. I had spent the afternoon tracing Old Route 66 from Albuquerque to Grants. It was just after a brief rainstorm. The sky was clearing rapidly, leaving behind cleanly scented air, and this wonderful blue/cyan sky. This old shack, a remnant of the old Route 66, was awash with the gentle watercolors of this delightful early evening. If you take away the casinos, these rural stretches of New Mexico remain timeless. I still smile when I reflect on the amazing experiences I enjoyed during my three years of residence in New Mexico. For a hopelessly urbane New Yorker, this was a living dream. Being in this place, at this moment, was better than any movie!

Camera: Nikon D40, 18-55mm kit lens.

A Storm In The Jemez Red Rocks, New Mexico. I love this! Dramatic weather patterns and red rock mesas in the Jemez Red Rocks make for great photo opportunities! This scene was captured on the Jemez Pueblo (Jemez Mountains, New Mexico) near the Walatowa Visitors Center. The Jemez Pueblo is a Native American tribe located in north-central New Mexico, approximately 50 miles northwest of Albuquerque. They are one of the remaining 19 pueblos of New Mexico, encompassing over 89,000 acres of land and home to over 3,400 tribal members. The people of Jemez cherish their ancestral traditions, and are proud to integrate their culture with modern society.This Red Rocks area of the Jemez Pueblo is open to visitors, and is used by the Pueblo for flea markets and special events. During the summer Indian Fry Bread vendors set up here. Yummy!

Camera: Nikon D40 and 18-55mm kit lens, ISO 200, F:14, 1/50 second exposure. Raw image edited with Capture NX.

Canadian Geese, Rio Grande, Albuquerque. This photo shows one of the migratory visitors to the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Rio Grande Nature Center provides this protected marshland for local and migratory birds. Home to over 50 species of birds, the Rio Grande Nature Center attracts birders and other locals who enjoy these quiet marshlands.

Camera: Nikon D40, Nikon 55-200mm VR lens.

Mallard on Blue Lagoon. As I continue to develop as a photographer, I gain more appreciation for the amazing qualities of natural light. It can transform the most mundane subject into a work of art. In this photo, I waited for the pre-sundown light that adorns the fishing lagoons in Papago Park during the winter in Phoenix, Arizona. Because the winter sun stays low in the sky, the light tends to be warmer and more colorful as it filter through more of the atmosphere. Here, it takes a common Mallard, and a man-made fishing lagoon and transform both with rich gold and blue tones. Everyday does not bring this sort of light. But when it does come, grab your camera. Almost any subject will look wonderful in this sort of light!

Camera: Nikon D40, ISO 400, Nikon 55-200mm VR lens (handheld) F:8, raw image converted with Scarab Darkroom.

The Inn and Spa at Loretto is one of the most beautiful structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It proudly offers a modern interpretation of Adobe architecture made beautiful and practical by the ancient Anasazi people of New Mexico centuries ago. This photo shows a view of the upper floors of the Loretto Inn reflecting the unmistakable Adobe inspiration.

A Mallard on the Rio Grande. This immature Mallard duck was captured enjoying the marsh lands of The Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Camera: Nikon D40, Nikon 55-200mm VR lens.

The Nikon D3100 is heavy on my mind. That is an unusual feeling for me. After early years spent chasing the elusive “ideal” budget priced camera, I came to the realization that just about any camera can do the job. The key to good photography is not so much the tool used as the ability to master that tool. However, much like automobiles, there are at times a certain make and model introduced that offers exceptional value for the price. When it first appeared, the Honda Civic set an extraordinarily high standard for small cars at a bargain price. I like to think of the Nikon D40 as the Honda Civic, if you will, of DSLR cameras. It performs beautifully and is superbly designed for its low price. Well, the Nikon D3100 seems poised to be the worthy budget-priced successor to the crown long held by its elder brother.

What makes the Nikon D3100 so desirable is the simple fact that, for all practical purposes, it offers state-of-the-art digital imaging for a rock-bottom price. With a 14 megapixel CMOS sensor, it offers all the capability reasonably needed by any photography hobbyist. And, putting aside any measurements that matter only to technophobes, it will produce an image that will meet the reasonable needs of any photographer. Whether it be a 4×5 snapshot or a 20×30 enlargement, the Nikon D3100 will be all the tool one needs for the task.

Is it the best camera on the market? No. However, it is a perfectly suitable tool for most of us, and an exceptional value for frugal photographers. Like the Nikon D40, it will consistently produce beautiful results. You can buy a bigger camera with more “bells and whistles.” However, just as a well made Honda Civic is all the car most of us will ever need, the Nikon D3100 will meet the needs of the widest photographic audience looking for good value. This is my next camera, and should serve me well for quite a number of years.

The Nikon D3100 is breakthrough DSLR camera that reflects a powerful shift in photography tools that will benefit budget-minded photographers. How so? We are seeing the shrinking of fundamental image quality differences between the high end and low end of the DSLR camera market. Of course, the Nikon D3100 does not have some of the functional features of the higher end Nikon DSLR’s. However, the single thing that matters most to the quality of the photo produced is the sensor. The Nikon D3100 uses a high spec 14 megapixel CMOS sensor that puts it image producing capability in the same league with the top DSLR’s currently on the market at a retail price of only $699 including lens! Putting aside all of the less important features such as auto-bracketing and high speed frame rate where the D3100 has been crippled to justify its marketing as a low-end camera, the bottom line is this: It is a lightweight, simple DSLR at a budget price that should be capable of high-end quality results for both still photography and video. This is the first DSLR from Nikon since the D40 that represents a meaningful advance in value and performance.

Will I buy one right away? No. My 6 megapixel DSLR’s are giving me perfectly fine results and will continue to do so. However, when the price drops a bit after about a year on the market this will most likely be my next camera. There has never been a better time to be a budget-minded photographer!