Retooling
In light of the recent issues I've had with the comment system on my blog and the UNBELIEVABLE amount of spam I've been receiving, I've decided to close down the comment system for a little while...at least until I've worked out a new filtering system.
I've also made some updates to the "Rates" page. I will no longer be offering wedding services for the immediate future and possibly even longer. This is change is for several reasons. 1) I do not posses the proper equipment needed for such an undertaking and 2) I've felt myself drifting more towards the landscape / outdoor side of photography over the past year and I really want to make that my focus for 2011. That being said, I just did and engagement shoot a few weeks ago and will continue to do the smaller portrait sessions going forward.
I plan on changing the entire website theme at some point soon to go along with this change in direction. Updates are also planned for the portfolios and online store as well so keep checking back.
Scott & Danielle
I had the opportunity to take some engagement photos for a friend this past weekend. Other than the nasty overcast skies which I had zero control over, I think things went pretty well for my first engagement session. I certainly would like to do it again sometime and I definitely learned a few things I'll be sure to put to use in the future.
We spent an hour or two over at Fort Foster in Kittery Maine on sunday. It was pretty chilly and on the verge of snowing the entire time, but the nasty weather held off and we managed to get some good shots. Definitely a black and white day which is never a bad thing. These are few of my favorites.
More to come...
Tyler and Cassius
I was just going back through my picks when I realized I never posted anything from the little shoot I did with Tyler and Cassius as a one year anniversary gift for his wife Kristyn. This one was one of my favorites. Take with the nikon 105 F2 @ 2.8
Weekend in the Whites
I just got back from one of the best weekends I've had in a while. This Thanksgiving, Sara and I decided to give the family a pass and retreat to the north country. For living as close to the White Mountains as I do, you'd think I'd spend more time there, but I can't tell you the last time I had that privilege. The weather was pretty gray and snowy, but that's no problem. That's the perfect weather for black and whites...which I love anyway. This first shot was taken at Lake Chocorua on our drive up. The water was so still and Mount Chocorua looked so cool in the background, I had to pull the camera out. Taken hand-held with the D700 and Tamron 28-75 2.8 lens. In fact, all the images featured in this post are from that combination. As always, click the images for larger versions.
This next shot was the view from the bed and breakfast we stayed at. I used the new HDR Efex Pro plugin for Lightroom to do this one. Will take some time to get used to it, but this one came out alright I think.
This is the Stonehurst Manor, where we stayed for 3 nights. I can't wait to go back. Drinks by a cozy fire every night, great dining room, and comfy beds. Can't really beat it. Also done using HDR Efex Pro.
This shot was taken at Cyrstal Lake in Eaton, New Hampshire. The church in the bottom right corner is a common model for photographers during leaf peeping season. Most shops selling photos in the area almost always have one of this church and Mount Washington. Unfortunately, the visibility was crap most of the weekend so I couldn't get any good shots of the presidential peaks. I'll have to try again soon as it's now my white whale.
On our last evening, the sun finally decided to make a brief appearance. I snagged these two photos from a scenic overlook near our place.
This final shot is a two image panorama stitched together using the photomerge in Photoshop CS3. We were taking a cruise on the Kancamagus Highway and pulled over when we saw this break in the clouds. In probably 60 seconds after this was taken, it was white out conditions and we could barely see the road in front of us.
In between all the sightseeing, shopping, picture taking, and eating, we managed to squeeze in a viewing of the new Harry Potter movie. Awesome!
Cheers
Up in the Air
It's been a ridiculous amount of time since I've made a post. I don't really have any excuses, expect for the usual "I've been busy" deal. I did have an eventful summer however. I attended the weddings of two very dear friends in Oklahoma City and Seattle. I didn't have a lot of time to devote to photography, but I did come away with these two pics. Both were taken with the GF1 and 20mm 1.7 pancake lens.
I'm really loving my GF1. It's the perfect little travel camera. I loved tossing that thing in my backpack and heading out the door. Soooooo much lighter than lugging my think tank bag with D700 and kit. I've seriously been considering moving entirely to the micro four thirds format lately. The new Panasonic GH2 is due out next month and the preliminary reviews look real promising. Don't get me wrong, the D700 is probably the best piece of technology I will ever own, but I haven't been using it as much as I should be. I haven't been doing any events or portrait sessions lately and to be honest, I haven't really missed it. I've come to find that I really enjoy taking landscape, travel, and street photography much more than setting up softboxes and posing subjects. I could probably sell off my entire D700 kit, buy the GH2, some great lenses and still have plenty of cash left over for the bank.
Decisions decisions...
More to come.