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Long Vacation from Blogging!

WOW! I just noticed how long it has truly been since I had a chance to post a blog here. Using Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and the ability of a cellphone/pda I lost track of using this interface of the web.

I've been thinking about what to do in order to update this area of the web that I enjoyed using but fell to the wayside. I'm working on several other projects right now and using certain technology that I may implement into my own website. I would like all my friends and family to have a place to reach me and to have fun doing so while staying in contact with others.

I have several domains that I purchased and I'm looking for a way to integrate all of them in a flow redundant pattern. Enabling several different groups of family or friends to interact in different ways, and also their friends to interact within also.

Lots of ideas and so little time. That is the story all the time it seems like. Soon, I will get some time some how.

Business as usual

I've been busy working at the studio shooting weddings and commercial photos. Once of my shots was in the June issue of Womans Day magazine and another will be in the Florida magazine called Lifestyle. Work is going great, learning lots of great things. It's amazing how much work actually goes into preparing a photograph to be delivered to a client at this level of professional photography. The clients expect perfection and thats' what we give them.

Photography Life

What have I been up to? Where have I been? Well, I've been busy to Nth degree!

I've accepted an awesome opportunity with a well known photography studio. Jeff Hawkins Studio in Orlando. The websites are www.JeffHawkins.com and www.KathleenHawkins.com. I've been working weekends with them learning anything I can from their vast experience in the Photography Business.

Starting next week I'll be full time and begin my long journey of learning the photography business from seasoned professionals.

Shooting weddings is a blast but hard work. I have a lot to learn but it will be fun.

Stay tuned as I hope to be able to have more time and revamp the site soon to better show my photos and my experiences.

Hunting with the new Canon

I've rented the Canon 100-400mm again from a friend on the forums I frequent. He started up a lense rental company for Canon Lenses. His site is Lens Pro To Go. So I figured what the heck I'll rent this beast again and give it a whirl.

I've also rented the 1.4x extender to go along with it. So now I have a combined zoom camera 1.6x, Lense 400mm, and extender 1.4x all equals roughly 890 mm zoom lense with IS. I should really be able to reach out and touch someone with baby. I'll post some photos of what I get next week after I return it.

Photography Life for me?

This week I'll be interviewing for what I hope is a new job and career into Photography. I'll still be persuing my degree but shooting is still an awesome job to do while I go to school. I might just change my major over to business and use it to manage my career choices.

I've been asked to work with a very well known couple who do photography and seminars. I would gain a tremendous amount of knowledge from them and hopefully become a partner in the business someday down the road.

Life is looking good, and it can only get better. My photography skills are getting better as I practice more techniques and step outside my comfort zone and try new things.

I'll keep everyone posted on the status now that I have some time again to blog away and get some more of my photos on the site. It's been a busy several months.

Ipod Nano

I received my Ipod Nano 1GB about a week ago. Now that I can sell them I figured it was time I should own one. I've downloaded a good amount of my best tunes into the little guy.

I've tested it and I can truly say it is a awesome bit of electronic amazement. The sound is superb, easy to navigate, and super easy to integrate with your computer using Itunes software.

Downloading music is a breeze. I am now in the process of trying out FM transmitters to find a good one for taking in the vehicle and using in the house. I testing out a Griffin iTrip one now that seems to work pretty good considering how small it is.

If anyone has any other suggestions or sites for Ipod goodies let me know. I would love to test them out.

Canon 100-400mm IS L glass

I rented the 100-400mm IS L glass several weeks ago from my favorite place to rent. www.rentglass.com..... I actually favor the push/pull zoom feature once I got the resistance tweaked in. It was smooth as silk when I shot several hours of surfers. The IS is also great at low light. This is my all time favorite zoom lense by far.

So, now I'm going to save up for my next big purchase. The 100-400mm IS L is going to be my new zoom lense some day. I enjoyed the 70-200mm L glass but it just didn't have the reach I needed. Try this lense out and you'll never look back at another lense.

Rented: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

Finally I jumped on the chance to rent another lense from Rentglass. The new lense should be in by the end of the week hopefully so I can use it at the zoo and the beach this coming weekend. I've been trying my hardest to caputure the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM but I haven't been quick enough.

Hopefully I'll get some nice photos and the weather will cooperate with me on my endeavor. It would be nice if this lense had the IS like the 100-400 L does but I have a steady tripod so I should be good to go.

I'm not to sure if I'll like the fixed glass part of the 400mm but we shall see. Fixed optics are supposed to be a awesome lense. This will be my first Telephoto fixed lense. Stayed tuned for some images.

Busch Gardens Pictures added to Photo Gallery

I finally finished up a fair amount of my photos from the Busch Gardens trip and posted a handful of my favorites in the Photo Gallery. So go check them out!

I justed received my prints back from the lab on these and all I can say is WOW! The colors are just POPPIN off the paper. Kodak paper is the bomb. Just say NO to Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS for doing your prints. Send them buggers to MPIX.com and they will hook you up on the consumer side. I use Millerslab which is the main company for business Pro's. But you get the same processing through MPIX, just some of the Pro photographer services that are needed are offered by Millerslab. If I want just basic 4x6 prints I just use MPIX.com because oddly enough they are cheaper for some reason.

Kodak E-Surface paper is nice paper. It is much better than Fuji paper I think. I will not use Fuji if I have a choice. Not that Fuji is horrible or anything, I just see a difference in paper feel and the colors. I just prefer the E-Surface paper over the Fuji.

Renting L glass for Canon

I had the pleasure of renting some Canon L Glass from a site called RentGlass.com. I ordered up a lovely 70-200mm L F/4 white dream. Received it a couple days later and my bill for the weekly rental came to $34 bucks. Yep, thats right! L glass for mere pennies on the dollar.

I used this lense all week to take a bunch of photos, including those at Busch Gardens and a friends daughter's birthday party. This lense is excellent with beautiful colors. Sharpness, let me tell you this momma was hands down sharp as a tack. EF lenses are nice but L glass is where it's at.

Do yourself a favor and rent some glass and try it out. I'm going to pick up a 100-400mm on my next rental excursion. After that I'm going to buy some L glass for sure. I just can't stand to not have my own. How could anyone after trying one.

Busch Gardens

Well, I'm a busy little bee, buzz buzzing around and around. So last weekend off to Tampa we went to visit some friends for a weekend of fun. And did we have some fun. We went out on the town where I had my first taste of Cristal Champagne, celebrated a birthday ( photo practice for me ), consumed some delicious foods prepared by our host, and enjoyed a day at Busch Gardens.

It was a much needed break from the daily grind where it would seem the days were going by with no great adventure. I hope we can have more excursions with the Tampa crew again. What a blast!

Happy New Year

It is a New Year and a chance at new things. Just be sure to sign all your papers with the 2006 year stamp now.

The year in review was, well, last year so lets not dwell on it. I didn't win the lotto and I didn't break my $100,000 dollar bank goal. So it was just another year. Perhaps this year will be remarkable year. You listening Ed McMann? I'm ready for my winnings!!!!

I need to redo the website to a more flowing Photo viewing setup. I just can never decide on a layout and color style. Perhaps in couple of weeks I'll bite the bullet and get it squared away.

Trillian Webstatus Plugin

Put a nice little script on my server that lets people know what my online Trillian status is all the time. Hows that for some cool apples?!

Katrina View, moved from another forum.

I moved the following viewpoint of mine here instead of a online discussion group I frequent. If you'd like to read my viewpoint then feel free. It's just my viewpoint and not my motive to convince anyone to change their thoughts or ideas.

]]> I've been to other countries. You think New Orleans was bad, pleez..... Try Africa sometime...... Oh, the flies will make you insane.... Perhaps the Middle East........ sewage in the streets like streams, lean two shanty houses with dirt floors, ...Oh, but wait...... FEMA is suppose to take care of everything in America.........

Wait, but we're suppose to do something what is that...... oh yeah..... That's why you buy insurance.... that's why you make an evacuation plan........ that's why keep a list of items ready to take your important items with you....... the news broadcasted the storm was coming, not like nobody knew it wasn't coming....

Not like the F5 tornado that went through the midwest and killed most of the people in the town 10 miles from where I grew up and wiped the earth clean of the entire town in the middle of the night...... They had no time to evacuate, they had no time to get their things, they had insurance if they had planned........... Did FEMA show up there ...NO..... Did anyone complain that FEMA wasn't there.... NO..... The Red Cross showed up and the people from the surrounding town came to help and give the people a place to stay in the churches, gymnasiums and schools...

Try Hugo in Charleston S.C., Andrew,in Florida ..... Damage from the storms was more devasting on these then Katrina........ The only factor about Katrina that I think made it such an uproar is that the levy broke and flooded everything. The storm didn't do as much damage as the flooding. Oh, wait the levy is a city thing, hmmmm... bad planning, poor construction, bad up keep..... possibly.... Wait, you live below water level right next to a levy...... what do think is going to happen if to much water comes in..........

It's sad when people protest for the wrong things. Don't protest because you want FEMA to give you money or be faster in getting to you. Get out and help a neighbor, help your community rebuild. Then when FEMA gets there take a break and be happy someone showed up..... this doesn't happen in every country...... be glad someone came at all.......

They showed how bad Alabama was hit, and the areas were absolutely devastated, but did the news even cover that... NO, all but a few clips here and there.......

But, it's their right to complain and march and thats what America is about. Free expression to blame anyone but yourself if you so desire. Even the government blames other people when something doesn't go their way. So why can't the people blame the government when things don't go their way....

I'd like to blame the news media for biased reporting and one sided coverage. They never tell the whole story, only the part that seems most shocking or devasting and then they focus on that..... So, I'd like to protest against the news media...

The End