My Nikon...Another Milestone!

I did it again.  I rolled over my Nikon D7000 DSLR for the second time.  This year.  Another 10,000 pictures taken.  I've taken over 20,000 pictures.

The 20,000 picture...blooming hybrid tea rose

Our Anemones are still blooming like crazy

I found a bee in our daylily patch

I have a lot more pictures to take this month.  I get to do a photo shoot at a local private school.  They want me to take pictures of individuals as well as group shots.   I am so looking forward to this.

The Eastern Shore...Ocean City

After our adventure to Chincoteague, it was time to head back into Maryland and find our lodging in Ocean City and enjoy some some seafood.

We had beautiful weather last weekend.  It was sunny one day and then overcast the next.  Not too hot.

We stayed on 28th street right on the beach and at the start of the Boardwalk

Parasailing was a popular activity

Can you see the gecko?

Early morning workout activities on the Boardwalk

Plenty of play areas on the beach for the kids

A Jolly Roger theme park between the Boardwalk and pier

Watching the Human Slingshot ride at night.  Yes it was pretty spectacular to watch!

Night time photography on the Boardwalk

The water was quite chilly, but not for the young at heart

The Eastern Shore...Chincoteague Island

Hubby and I had the opportunity to head to the Eastern Shore for a few days last week.  Before heading to our final beach destination in Maryland, we took a side trip and ended up at Chincoteague Island.  It was kind of weird that we started in Virginia, drove a few hours in Maryland, and then ended up in Virginia again.

We slowly drove around the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge on the island and parked at their beach.  It was a beautiful day with no humidity and we enjoyed the lovely scenery:

Chincoteague Beach Bunny!

The beach at Chincoteague...peaceful and plenty of room on the beach

Boardwalk through the refuge.  The cloud formation reminds me of eyelashes!

Wanted to stay and watch her paint....

The wild Chincoteague ponies!

More wild ponies!

This was one of those times...I wished I had a bigger zoom lens.  Sigh!

I will be back with more pictures from the Eastern Shore!

Another Civil War Commemorative Event...150 years Second Battle of Manassas

Demonstration on how to prepare, load, and fire a civil war cannon

Discussions and talk about civil war life

Taking a break and playing cards

Chatting with the young ladies about their garments

I spied a Nikon camera!  Way cool!

The men slept here at night while the ladies slept at a lodge nearby

Getting ready to fire...plug your ears!

Kabooooom!  It was so loud that it shook my camera!

Swallowtail Butterfly in Our Garden

I followed several Swallowtail butterflies in our garden.  They flittered to and fro and around several buddleia flowers.  The common name for this flowering plant is Butterfly Bush.  How appropriate.

The background in this picture reminds me of a watercolor painting.  I just might have to add this picture to my portfolio for a future painting.

Anemones in Bloom

My hubby spotted these Anemones in bloom.  I'm looking forward to the next few days as more and more of them open up.  I took this picture using my 85mm lens and compact speed light.  I was waiting for the rain showers to stop and by then it became evening.  Still not a bad time to take pictures.  

Using My 50mm Lens: A Picture for Photo Challenge #3

When I came home from work I noticed a Swallow Tail butterfly was flittering around in our front garden.  I grabbed my camera and whatever lens was attached and ran out the door.  This was one of a dozen pictures I snapped.

Check out the lovely bokeh this lens produces:

50mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 100

Here are a few more shots of the Swallow Tail:

50mm, f2.8, 1/800, ISO 100

50mm, f2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100

Putting My New 50mm to the Test

My new lens was patiently waiting in its box for my new B+W filter to arrive.  When I purchased the lens I thought I had a 58mm filter laying around.  I was wrong.  I'm that kind of person.  I won't touch a lens unless it has a filter.  So the lens and I waited...until this evening.

I took a few shots inside my house in low light.  Here's the results:

I'm enjoying the bokeh

Flower bouquet

A quick portrait shot

I then took a step outside to see what was blooming and found this beauty:

Lily of the Nile

All it took was 30 minutes of my time and I'm hooked on this lens!  This 50mm f/1.8G lens equates to a 75mm lens on my D7000 camera.  I think this will be a fine portrait lens!

My Favorite Bag: Tamrac Aria 6 for Photographing Events

A few months ago when I was visiting my local camera shop, I came across this bag in person.  I originally saw this bag advertised on Amazon and then immediately went over to Tamrac's website to check out the specifications.  The bag is new this year and comes in two versions:  Aria 3 and Aria 6.  The Aria 3 bag is so adorable, but I knew it would be too small for all the camera equipment I wanted to carry with me (just in case).  I was on the fence with the Aria 6 bag.  I wasn't too sure that it would be huge and bulky for me to carry around.  

At my local camera shop, they carried both models plus the three colors:  black, brown and moss.  All three colors were beautiful!  I had a hard time choosing the color, but naturally opted to get the safe color...black.  I think my second choice would be brown.  I know, I shouldn't choose the camera bag color based on my wardrobe!  If I didn't play it safe, my first choice would have been moss green.  It was that pretty!

Back to my bag choice.  The Aria 3 is quite small and would fit a D40 or a D5000 camera with a short lens without any problems.  It's an adorable sized bag.  Very fashionable.  I chose the Aria 6 for its size and capability to hold all the camera equipment I would need to carry with me.  

Aria 6: Front

The bag is made of lightweight water-resistant nylon fabric.  Yes, the bag is amazingly light.  I thought I would wear this bag as a messenger bag, across the body.  I haven't had the need to.  It works perfectly as a shoulder bag.  That's how comfortable it sits on my shoulder.

The back of the bag with pocket

One of the key selling points for me was the side pockets.  It can hold my iPhone.  I can slip it in the pocket with any problems.  Now, how many camera bags do you know that have small phone pockets that can hold an iPhone-size smartphone?

Side view

The interior is very roomy and holds all the camera gear I want to take with me:  D7000 with my 18-200 attached, SB-700 speed light, an additional lens (one of my primes), a small lens blower, extra batteries, extra media cards, my keys, my wallet, my pens and notepad for taking notes, and of course my iPhone.

The removeable padded interior dividers flexes quite a bit.  It hasn't been an issue with me.  I just wanted to point it out as other bags come with a firmer padded dividers.

Inside the bag with my D7000

Inside, there's a back padded pocket for an iPad.  With all the camera equipment I have to carry, adding an iPad does weigh the bag down a bit.  Still, it's a handy addition in case I need to use it.

Interior:  additional pockets for storage

Under the front flap is a pleated zippered pocket.

Under the front flap:  another pocket for storage

The Aria 6 bag is very stylish, lightweight, and very functional.  Isn't it cute?

The adjustable strap with movable padding

While I use my Aria 6 bag for taking pictures of local events, I still have my favorite camera backpack,  the Tamrac Evolution 6 that I use for long distance travel.




Just like purses and wallets, a girl can't have too many camera bags.  Yes, I'm a Tamrac gal at heart!

Photo Challenge #2 From Last Week

Last week on FaceBook, I published another photo challenge.  The theme was...My Five Senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight).  Here's the results of my photo challenge from last week:

Smell:  fragrant candles for relaxing

It was a challenging theme for everyone and I had little time to get something together (other than the candles above).  I decided to go through my pictures from VBS (+1000 pictures) and see what I could come up with.  I decided to a do a collage that captured the remaining senses:

Touch:  Ted the bear used at VBS

Taste:  Locust treats and the taste test from VBS.  Early b-day cake from work.  It was chocolate cake and it was yummy!

Hearing:  Can you hear the kids at VBS?

Sight:  Beautiful people at VBS and borrowing someone else's glasses

After July's photo challenge is over, I hope to start another one for the month of August and incorporate some photography techniques to keep the challenge more interesting.

Are you interested in joining me?

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm celebrating the big 5*0 today.  I've been celebrating since the beginning of July and will continue to the end of this month.  Today, I spent time at a fabric shop looking for additional back drops for my simple studio.  I also went to my local camera shop and bought an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens (equates to 75mm in DX format).  A 50mm lens for my 50th!  Neat huh?

Birthday flowers from my brother

I have so much that I want to write and post for my blog and I'm so behind in getting photos together for several people.  Somehow they will get done.  For now, I'm celebrating!

My Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G Lens...Results

When I attach this 85mm lens to my D7k, it becomes a 128mm lens.  Basically, it's an FX lens on a DX camera.  I've had to physically take two steps back to get my subject framed correctly in my viewfinder.

This lens does a beautiful job with portraits and general photography.  I've found that I like setting the aperture to f/4 and the results are clear, sharp photos with beautiful bokeh.

July is typically a busy photog month for me.  This week we're having a VBS event at our church.

Initially, it was very hard for me to leave my wide-zoom (18-200mm) lens in my bag and just use a prime lens.  My instinct told me I don't want to miss a shot and you know it's easier to zoom in and out than it is to walk back a couple of steps.  I made do and in a short time, I felt at ease with my prime lens.

I noticed, since there is some distance between my subject(s) and my camera, the kids and adults felt more comfortable and relaxed when I took their picture.  

Taking pictures at this event has allowed me the chance to try out my new flash, new lenses and trying out different features of my D7k.  In the next few weeks, I'll share my findings.