Where Have I Been?

I can't believe I've been away for so long.  Close to three months?  That's ridiculous!  Sorry about that.  I have a lot of catching up to do.

In January, hubby and I went on an island adventure and visited the Eastern Caribbean.  February brought some minor health issues.  I also signed up for an online class in Design Concepts.  This month, I had an opportunity to take senior portraits for a friend's son.  In the month of April, I have a wedding photo shoot that I'm looking forward to.

I will be back with additional posts.  In the meantime, here are some pictures from our pre-cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale:

Ft Lauderdale beach:  life guard stand

Basketball court right on the beach!

Walking along the main drag near the beach

Photographing Another Wedding

I had another opportunity to photograph a wedding at my church.  It was an evening wedding.  Simple and casual was the theme.  The couple wanted to go the non-traditional route and change it up a bit.  No lighting of the candles, no piano music.  Just a harpist playing beautiful sweet music.

The bride and groom handed out leis and beaded necklaces to their family members before the ceremony

The married couple

Their beautiful cake was vegan

The happy couple!

I had a dilemma trying to decide which lens to use.  I brought my 24-85mm, 60mm micro, and 85mm lens with me.  I ended up using the 24-85mm for 90% of the time and the 60mm for close ups.  I also used my SB-700 flash with diffuser when the lighting became difficult to capture the moment.

While I enjoy photographing weddings at my church, I hope to do some weddings at another venue.  I would enjoy the challenge and change of environment.  We'll see.

Downtown Staunton

Hubby and I enjoyed our walk around downtown.  We were in awe at all the beautiful buildings.  I couldn't stop taking pictures.

Marquis Building (1896)

Suntrust Bank which was the old National Valley Bank (1865)

The Clock Tower building (1890)

An old Catholic Church

White Star Mills building which houses a wonderful restaurant called The Mill Street Grille

A beautiful Victorian house

Next post...night time photography.  My D600 did a great job capturing night time shots.

Low Light and Tiffany Windows

While in Staunton, hubby and I walked to the edge of town and visited the old Trinity Episcopal Church.  I read they had twelve (12) Tiffany stained glass windows inside the church.  When we arrived, we were told we had 10 minutes to look around.  The church was getting ready for a funeral.  Hubby and I walked from one side of the church to the other...taking in all the beauty:

Next post...beautiful historical buildings of Staunton.

Who Would Have Thought...a Camera Museum

While Hubby and I were in Staunton, we came across the Camera Museum.  There were several showcases loaded with donated cameras.  Here's one showcase with many old cameras:

Here's an old box camera...

...and when I walked around to the back, I saw this image

An old Nikonos once used by Jacques Cousteau

An Olympus camera used by Bernie Boston, a White House photographer

Remember the old Viewmaster?  To the right, is the camera used to take the pictures

An old Leica camera

"Big Bertha" weighs 30 lbs!  Used as a telephoto for sports.   I stood behind this camera and could see the cars going by...two blocks away!

Tiny spy cameras

The Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton

I spent almost an hour in the museum chatting with the owner and looking at all the amazing cameras.  The owner is planning to expand the shop as many more folks are donating their old cameras and equipment.

Next up...an old church with Tiffany stained glass windows!

Frederick House Bed and Breakfast

After we ate lunch in downtown Staunton, I called the owners of the Frederick House to see if our room was available.  It was!  Little did I know, it was a 3 minute drive up North New Street.  We parked in one of their designated spaces and entered their side entrance of the Frederick House:

Frederick House and side entrance (parking lot entrance)

Beautiful maples

 We met the owners and Evy gave us maps and directions to the house we reserved a room in.  Basically, it was up one block to the north.  Our room was in the Patrick House:

Two doors leading into our room

Living area

Sleeping area with closet and entry into the bathroom with tub

Extended bay window area in the sleeping area

Living area with false fireplace

In the entry way of the Patrick House

Waiting area/foyer of the Patrick House

Beautiful lighting

Simple and beautiful

Beautiful furniture in our room

Looking at the doorways from inside the room

It was a home sweet home stay for us.  We enjoyed the squeaky floors.  The B&B is conveniently located and within walking distance to many restaurants, shops and historic sites.

More to come with a post of the beautiful architecture in Staunton....

On Our Way Along I-81

This past Friday morning, Hubby and I headed out of town to celebrate our anniversary.  Our destination was Staunton, VA.  I found a quaint bed and breakfast place where they had 5 old homes with 25 rooms!  Staunton was not part of our original plan.  I had looked at Roanoke and Charlottesville, but there were no rooms to be found.  College football weekend?  Perhaps.  I was able to book a room in Staunton.  More on that in another post.  

We drove down I-81.  The sky was beautiful with white puffy clouds.  While Hubby was driving, I took a lot of pictures from the front passenger seat:  

We saw a lot of farms.  This one caught my eye...red building and bright green field

Another farm and field drive-by shot

Can you see the snow in the mountains?  

One of the few trees that still had the fall colors

I took this from the front window...loved seeing the rays come through the clouds

More posts to come from our quick weekend getaway....