Where did the time go?

I almost cannot belive I have not posted since May. Well, I guess I've been a little busy since I had a baby and all, but hey, that doesn't mean I haven't been taking photos. I'm shooting just about every day, but mostly family snapshots in between copious amounts of coffee to fight the sleep depravation.

Anyway, we did take a quick visit to Cape May County Zoo over Labor Day and had a great time. I managed to capture these lovely feathered friends when we were there!

How can you resist snapping a swan pic? They are majestic and beautiful. I only wish I'd gotten her before she turned. Still, I love the contrast between her white feathers and the greens of the grasses and water.


A blue heron. This photo shows off a handy little trick my Canon does. You almost would never realise this bird was behind a chain link fence. The camera manages to get past that very well. I love my Canon!

My new favorite shooting spot: Allaire State Park, New Jersey

I had a great opportunity to shoot in Historic Allaire State Park in NJ last weekend. I have to say that it is just about the most perfect place to shoot! I was there doing a mini-portrait session with my wonderful niece (that's a whole separate post!) and snapped a few shots in between portraits. The buildings are great for backgrounds here - such great details with the old brick and weathered woods. There is also a lovely pond and great sprawling lawns. I could not have had more fun!

If you are in the area and have a camera burning a hole in your hand, definitely check it out!

Just a few of my favorites -

Fitting for Memorial Day. Love the brick here and the flag just pops off the screen!




I'm digging the contrast between the iron work on the doors and the weathering on the bricks. I love the green peeking out as well:

I don't know why, but the tree branches here really grabbed me:

More branches. I like the lines here - the roof line, the bricks and the window.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did taking them!

Trains, trains, trains! A visit to The Railway Museum of Pennsylvania!

We had a last-minute getaway this weekend and had the chance to visit the Railway Museum of Pennsylvania. Wow - if you love trains, this is the place for you. Aisle after aisle of locomotives, boxcars and of course a caboose or two. We had such fun!

Just a few of the many I snapped during our vist:

The outdoor trainyard:



Love the color in this one and the rust lines - so cool!

Shiny and blue! I'm digging the angle on this one:

A classic:

If you are really into trains or love someone who is, this is certainly worth the trip. One can easily spend a half day browsing and taking in all these classic trains!

Ahh...the beach!

We had a very warm weekend this past weekend and took full advantage yesterday by taking a late afternoon trip to the beach. The water was cold, but the views were beautiful. I hope I did them justice:

View from the pier:


And another - can you see the two chairs on the dock? I imagine many hours will be spent there by their owners this summer:

Ah, and the waves:

I'm so excited for the warm weather and all the outdoor shooting to be done along with it!

Its all in the details....

It's not that I haven't been shooting, it's that I haven't had a heck of a lot of time to post lately. I swear, I'm working on that and I hope to post more regularly again!

Anyway -

Getting back in the swing, I had the pleasure of taking some pictures for a friend's twin girls this weekend. They are just the cutest, most adorable girls and they will be making their First Holy Communion soon, so naturally we wanted to capture them in their gowns!

I've never really tried 'shooting down' before but I experimented with this technique for this shoot. I have to say I'm a fan. It really gives a great perspective, and lights up the face of the subject. Of course, I had beautiful subjects, too!

Love the windblown hair here and the light in her eyes!

The pink of the flowers here really sets off the glow of her cheeks and lights her whole face.

I practiced on the details a bit, too -

Who could resist the contrast between the formal dress and the bare feet? I love the reflection on the floor here and the shadows:

I'm using my new Canon 50mm prime here. This lens is great! I cannot recommend it enough. check out what a great job it did capturing the light on the hands, and the details of the gown behind them:

And a slightly different angle here. I love the drape of the rosary beads:

I had so much fun during this session! I'm looking forward to another session on the girls' big day in a few weeks!

Practicing bokeh

Bokeh sounds like it would be an easy thing to accomplish, no? Have a clear subject in the foreground and a nice, blurry but interesting background. Simple? Um. Not really.

I did get a new Tamron 28 - 75 f 2.8 lens recently and it does make bokeh a teeny tiny bit easier.

I've been practicing a lot lately on my Christmas tree.

I have a lot more practicing to do.

They liked me, they really liked me! Schmap included my photo!

A while back, I received an email to my Flickr account saying the sender had come across a photo I'd taken at the Philadelphia Zoo and that they'd short-listed it for inclusion on their site. As if that wasn't fun enough, I got another email shortly after stating they'd actually chosen to include it! Hey, it's only 150 pixels, but it's still exciting, no?

Check it out here:

http://www.schmap.com/philadelphia/sights_zoos/#p=53317&i=53317_160.jpg

Fall leaves and a new lens!

Ah, well. I have a new toy to play with! And I must say so far, it's love at first shot. I was lucky and fortunate enough to receive the Tamron 28 - 75mm lens I've been looking at as a gift for my birthday. I can get a 2.8 aperture on this baby and that makes for some nice blurred backgrounds. I'm practicing, but here are two from this week I really like:

It does take some getting used to. The focus is a bit slower than I'm used to, and it is a tiny bit noisier than my Canon lens, but...wow. I really think my shots are more vibrant, more sharp and I really couldn't be happier with this lens!

The colors of Fall!

Fall is finally here and to celebrate, we made a trip to the orchard and pumpkin patch this weekend. This is by far my favorite season. The colors are warm and bright, and the air is crisp! My favorite Fall things follow:

Crisp, tart apples, right from the tree, what could be better? The orchard was challenging with the bright sunlight and shade mix. I like how the light falls on the apple here and the shadows from the leaves:

Exploring the pumpkin patch for the perfect round pumpkin! So many to choose from! I loved experimenting with the camera in this light. The sun was winding down for the day and I really think it gave a golden, warm effect here:

The orchard had bins and bins and bins of Fall gourds to choose from! The mix of colors was so eye catching:

And my favorite...Indian corn. I remember my mother decorating our front door and porch with these when I was a child, so these definitely say "Fall" to me. I am really happy with this one!

Lines are an important element in photography, and I've been working on capturing some!

My new obsession...the lines. The horizon, the lines on a bench or forest. The lines in a photograph can make it or break it. I shot a few focusing on the lines in mind lately, and thought I'd share.

The fence, the boardwalk and the bench. The lines of the fence set off the bench well, I think.

The cracks in the sidewalk! Love the look of this in black and white, and the grass coming up between the crack:

I had the honor of photographing a building dedication recently and could not resist this. The Fireman's prayer is proudly displayed on the bricks, and the flag in the background just finishes the statement to me.

Yummy cupcakes!

We are all about M-I-C-K-E-Y around here lately. After our trip to Walt Disney World this summer, my kiddo has become the mouse's biggest fan. It was only natural we'd do a Mickey-themed birthday this year. Of course, you cannot have a birthday without taking cupcakes to school, so last night I set about creating (and photographing) some!

It was late, and my only light source was the overhead light in our dining room. I compensated by choosing a wide aperture and a high ISO (1600) I wanted to capture the contrast between the vanilla and chocolate, as well as the details of the sprinkles. I really like how the green Mickey ring in the front of the photograph stands out, and my eye catches the reflection on the bottom of the aluminum pan. I'm pretty happy with this one!

Decisions, Decisions

Okay, so I have a birthday coming up and I’ve been asked to provide a few ideas, so I’ve been shopping for lenses. I’m currently using my kit lens most of the time, but also mix it up with the Canon 70 – 300mm when the need arises. I’m pretty happy with the results I’ve had from both, although the 300mm can be a tiny bit soft at full extension, and is kind of tricky to keep steady. Hey, I’m still fairly new at this, so I’m thinking I’d like a few more toys to play with. The question is, what do I want out of my lens?

I did some reading and research and I’ve narrowed it down to two.

First, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens. You can find this online for $90. That’s not a typo. $90! This lens is all about the aperture. Reviews and photographers I’ve spoken to all say this lens is tack-sharp -even wide open- and that the bokehs it can produce are remarkable. Canon also offers an f/1.4 version for more than three times the price of this one, so I’m thinking this may be a good point for me to start with the option to upgrade later. Downside? It’s a prime lens. No zooming into a subject. I don’t think this is a deal breaker, but I’m having trouble visualizing myself without a zoom.

Second, the Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR ZL Di LD Aspherical (IF) lens. A little pricier than the 50mm. Okay, a lot pricier. $370 ish, depending on where you look. More research and reading. Lots. Most reviews hail this as a great everyday lens, sharper in the corners and center than its Canon competitor. It’s got the versatility of a small zoom and covers most of the range my kit lens does. Not quite as wide, but it is slightly longer and I do tend to want to pull in for most shots. Most photographers say it’s great in low light. Cons? Well, no USM, so it’s a bit noisier. In addition, those with great love for the Canon lenses say this one feels a tiny bit cheap.

Well. I’ve written myself into a quandary. Both of these lenses sound great. Both could be great everyday lenses – just in very different ways.

End of summer sunset

When out to dinner one night this week, I could not help but stare at this boat through most of the meal. It was such an obsession that I kept peeking out at it in the hopes it would not decide to depart before our meal was through. It was lucky for me that I happened to have my camera and the light was just perfect. I'm really pleased with this one:



Well, we see how the sunset worked its magic on the subject above, but I think it was even more stunning looking directly into it. I love the capture of the reflection on the water. I finally understand the difficulties of shooting into the sun now! I'm happy with the end result here, but I would love some more practice some time soon.

Philadelphia Zoo!

The zoo in Philadelphia is, and always has been, one of my favorite places. We had the chance to visit this week and of course I took a million and three photos.

When you arrive, you need to park a block or so away and walk to the Zoo entrance. Along the way, we passed this beautiful mural. The colors! I could not resist this capture.

Say hello to my leeetle friends. These are lemurs. They had the best time pouncing back and forth on their perches and playing games together. Their eyes were stunning and I think the background here really brings them out.

What's that? The giraffes are your favorites? Oh, mine too! Take a look at these guys, are they gorgeous or what? These guys were the perfect opportunity to try out my new 75 - 300mm lens. The first is shot at 75mm, the second at about 150, then the last at the full monty. I was pretty impressed! I do need to practice with it a bit more, though. I found it a little tricky to keep steady at the full 300mm. I can see where a tripod would have been a big help.

Of course, there are also some lovely sculptures at the Zoo. This fountain is just one example. The animals leap through the water as if they are dancing. The water crosses and plays off the sculpture, sometimes splashing passers by. I used a higher ISO to capture the water's motion. I'm really pleased with the results. Two of my favorites from the day:

This was a great place for me to practice and I hope to get back to the Zoo again soon!

Ah, a day at the beach!

Oh, I bet you all thought I fell out of blogland, just another victim of an evil tonsillectomy. Nope, you should be so lucky. I'm feeling much better, thank you! It's so good to be (almost) back to my old self!

Well, Summer has finally arrived, and we made our first visit to the beach this past weekend! Of course, my trusty Canon is like my Amex card. I can't leave home without it. I took about 190 shots! I'm making up for time lost recovering, and boy, did that feel good!

Here are a few favorites:

What's a trip to the beach without a sand castle or three? I love the angle on the water and how the sky and the blueness of the water and sky. To me, this really captures what a perfect beach day it was:

An important element to photography - the lines. I really like this one in black and white. The lines of the dock with the waves coming in and the broken slats on the base of the dock work well, I think. Next time, I think I'd like to capture more of the dock and pull back a bit.

This little guy was being quite evasive, so I had to bribe him to stay close. I tossed tiny pebbles in his direction, and he hung around, thinking I may eventually toss him some real snacks. Alas, it was not his lucky day, as I'd neglected to bring any. He did give me quite the dirty look once he realised the chuck wagon was not arriving. I'm really pleased with the bubbly effect of the waves coming in here, and that he is in mid-step.

Perhaps if Mr. Seagull had ignored my pebbles, he may have come across this guy, as I did. Again, I really like the bubbling water here. I also like the texture of the sand.

Shooting in bright sunlight really does have its challenges. Several of my first shots are overexposed because I'd neglected to adjust my ISO properly. I'd had it set at 800 for some snapshots I was doing indoors the day before. I lowered it to 200 and the results were much better!

Having your tonsils out isn't all bad.

Okay, that's a lie. It truly is as awful as they tell you it will be, at least as an adult. That's why I've had limited shooting time lately.

This morning, though, I felt up to a few shots.

There are some exceptions to the whole "getting your tonsils out is the worst experience ever" thing.

Exception A:

You have pretty drinks for breakfast:




Okay, maybe that's not the best idea of breakfast for some, but right now this is heaven in a glass for me.


Exception B:

Sometimes you get flowers:

These are both from a get-well bouquet I received. I love the light on the first one - the sun was just streaming in and light up all those pretty details. It almost looks like a backdrop, but it is not. Just a high aperture and light in the right places.

The daises almost have a milky, cloud-like feel to them. As if you were able to reach out and touch them, you know they would be soft and velvety.

Hopefully, I'll find more time soon for photos! I'm just itching to have a do-over shoot on that wine glass!

Bridges, windows and doors seemed to be a theme this weekend.

Just had a quick trip a few hours from home this weekend. We saw so many great architectural details in the old buildings and we crossed several small bridges. These are just a few of my favorites.

Bridge, shot from the window of the car (while in motion, no less) I'm digging shooting at odd angles these days - I think it can really give a unique look.

This was a walkway within The Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. I love how vibrant the aqua is against the background. More on that visit later.

I really wanted to capture the colors here. The bright fuchsia door caught my eye immediately - it stood out so much from the traditional red brick.

Look at the trim details - I love this green, and the reflection on the window. I also kind of like the angle on this, although I wish I'd been able to pull out just a little more.