adventures in photography

I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last post... luckily, it's because I got busy with work, rather than true slackerdom. (slackerness? slackerocity?) When I barely have time to keep up with Twitter and Facebook, I know I'm busy.

I'm in Cleveland for the next week or so. Driving to Cleveland from Maryland is fairly simple: 70W, Penn tirnpike, Ohio Turnpike. With no deviations, it's less than a six hour drive, door to door.

Well, unless of course, you're me. I managed to drive North for not even an hour, meander around in Western Maryland for 6 hours, and then finish the drive to Ohio. The clouds were so incredible after the storms! I just had to stop and shoot. If you're a shutterbug, you'll understand.

Here's a favorite image from the trip:

Gettysburg, PA

It's surprising to me how close I live to the Gettysburg battlefields, and how infrequently I've visited. I've driven by a few times, yet haven't taken a proper tour. I hadn't even driven through until recently, when I had a few moments on the way to an appointment.

It was a very foggy and overcast day. The fields looked barren and empty, just waiting to be planted, to grow. I was able to make a few images while driving through. Here's my favorite:

down south

I was in Orlando last week, keeping a friend company while she attended a conference. I spent time on the coast, at the pool, and wandering around the city. I had a great time at the Botanical Gardens on a warm, sunny day.

minimalism

Although I did not do well keeping up with my POTD project, for a few days, I took part in the "Minimalism" pbase.net project for January.

Here's a few of my favs of a lamp in my office:

fine art figure photography

I've been poring through my photo archives lately. Mainly to assemble another wedding portfolio, but also to make sure I know how behind I am in processing. (The answer is years. Years! How sad.)

But anyway, my trip down memory lane has been interesting, so I decided to post a few favorites here. Perhaps I'll even make it a regular thing... it'll definitely entice me to clear out my backlog!

A few years ago, I able to take a workshop on fine art figure photography, an interesting event in and of itself. However, the topic was one that I really enjoy - the use of shadows.

I have to say, I love shadows. I love using shadow to portray shape and form, I love using lighting to bring out texture, I love using B&W photography to emphasize and deconstruct all of these aspects. I love using three examples in a row without using "and."

I was originally wary of taking a figure class - more than a little skittish of being the only woman amongst the class members. Overall, though, I'm very glad I went. I had a wonderful time, produced some admirable work, and was definitely able to concentrate more on the art of photography. The models were fantastic, really helped to put me at ease, and luckily, my classmates weren't all skeezy old men.

more Moo

I've been waiting for my new order of Moo cards, and they did not disappoint! My new order arrived today, and much sooner than expected. My last order (last year) was a little slow to arrive, but I think that they've gotten the kinks worked out of their system, so that delivery from London to the US has become more efficient.

So, my stats:
Ordered: Feb 4
Shipped: Feb 6
Arrived: Feb 13

Not bad!

Again, let me know if you want to add Moo MiniCards to any package... they're adorable.

new camera!

I have been in love with the 5D Mark II since it was only a glint in Canon's eye...

A few years ago, I wanted to update my camera body to the 5D fullframe, but was hesitant to switch, not knowing when a successor would be brought to market. So, I've been waiting. And waiting. Etcetera.

And then, the rumblings and rumors came true last fall... the 5D Mark II is out! I know, I know, this is old news. The news is that, thanks to my friends at Hunt's Photo & Video, there is a new 5D Mark II body winging its way to me right now!

Yay! It should arrive Monday. I intend to play with it all day, and follow the most efficient model of 5D arrival: read the manual while I charge the battery. Waste no time!