new lens, big news!

So the new lens is really turning out to be quite an investment. I got to do some extensive shooting with it tonight in class. LOVE IT! Check out my photoblog to see some of the shots from tonight's class.

In honor of Sam

Sam is my cousin's dog. She's a 14 year old black lab who has been with my cousin's family since her first few weeks. We always heard stories about how Sam got into this and that and was always in trouble for something. It reminded me of my very first dog Jenny (also a black lab).

Well, I just recieved word that Sam's health is failing that they have decided to put her to sleep this week. I thought it might be nice to honor Sam and comfort my family with a poem i found. I only hope it will bring a small smile through the tears of sorrow.



A Poem for New Puppy Owners
Author unknown.

Don't smell crotches, don't eat plants.
Don't steal food or underpants.
Don't eat my socks, don't grab my hair...
DON'T RIP THE STUFFING FROM THAT CHAIR!
Don't eat those peas, don't touch that bush,
Don't chew my shoes, what IS this mush?!?
Eat your cookies, drink your drink,
Outta the toilet! Outta the sink!
AWAY FROM THE LITTER BOX, IT'S FOR THE CAT!
(and must you kiss me after that?!?)
Raising a puppy is not for the lazy,
Those rugrats are funny but also quite crazy.
Don't despair through the toil and the strife,
'Cause after three years you'll get back your life!
So let's go for walkies, so you can do your "thing",
And maybe I'll get back my good diamond ring!

random thoughts about how small the world really is

hmm... my fence pictures arent working. I will have to look into that.

Anyway, yesterday I made a somewhat large financial decision. Not a major one, but i did spend quite a bit of money. I invested in a new lens for my camera. I have been unhappy with the outcomes of photographs with my current set of "come-with-the-camera" lens and I thought it might be an important step forward for me to invest in good equipment if I truly wanted to move forward with this endeavor.

Anyway... It was pretty neat. I ordered it yesterday at 4pm, online, with next day shipping, so i could have a go with it tonight in my photography class. I was able to track the status of my package online. It was packaged and ready to be shipped by 9pm.
The carrier (whom will remain annonymous because they pissed me off a little this morning) picked up my package from the supplier in Kentucky at midnight. It was in Jamaica by 4am and then trucked to Farmingville, one of the larger hubs in Suffolk County for this particular carrier. I called and put a hold on my package not to go out for delivery. I wanted to pick up the lens in Farmingville on the way to work.
This was NO EASY TASK and ended with me raising my voice to one of the agents. Not the first time this has happened either.

Well.. by 9:45am I had my package in my hand.

I am astonished at how fast things can move around the country. Fifteen hours after i placed my order online, my most prized posession was in my hands and placed on my camera.

Sunflowers & Pumpkins (not just for carving)

I love harvest season. Especially when it brings the most beautiful sunflowers! Couldn't pass them up at the local farmstand by me. They were so big and bright. I am planning to grow my own sunflowers next year on the side of the house. Can't wait!


We also just baked a cheese pumpkin, one of our ingredients (ok the main ingredient) in Apple Pumpkin Soup. We'll let you know how it turns out and share the recipe if it's a winner.


OH, and we put up a fence today in our backyard. Started at 8am and finished at 1pm. I'm exhausted, but happy, because we've had the two dogs visiting for the last week and they have been quite non-compliant about going into the front yard and into the street. Its a quiet road, but still....bad habits are bad habits. We dont want them getting hurt.

the story of my inspiration

Ok, so this may seem like a strange place to start my blog but...

I was sitting in the bathroom just now, not really thinking about anything in particular, except that I'm loving the makeover we just gave it (but that's another blog - with lots of pictures). Anyway... back to it... i was just sitting there when I heard the TV from the other room start bellowing out a song - True Colors by Cyndy Lauper - CLASSIC 80s chick! Love her.

But even more than loving her, I love that song. It has had a profound effect on my life. It all started back when i was a child of 8-9 years old. My father - always trying to give his family the best he possibly could- took us to Disney World. We spent a week in a cheap hotel, as most of the money was spent on the (even then) expensive park tickets and dining out every night. It was that very first year (or maybe the second year) that my mom and dad dragged us along on this boring tour of condos. Can you say "sales pitch"? We didnt really have the money to purchase anything but my dad is no fool - we went on several of these tours in order to grab hold of the "free" Disney tickets they offer just for listening to them for 2 hours. (These days they have it all figured out with kid clubs that entertain the children while mommy and daddy decide on taking out a second mortgage for a vacation rental.)

Anyway, at some point, my dad's company did fairly well and he purchased a small timeshare about 2 miles from the Disney entrance. It was awesome. Some of my greatest memories were made spending time with my family swimming in the pool, paddle-boating on the lake out back, and playing shuffleboard. Some years it was just the four of us (mom, dad, me and my brother) and some years we had as many as 20 other family members taking the trek with us. My dad will often remind me of those years where he had to physically drag me and my cousin Karen out of the pool to go to the parks.

For years and years we did our "annual" family vacation in Orlando. It was such a strong part of my life growing up that, even now, when my dad talks about selling the timeshare, i put my foot down and tell him he BETTER NOT! I have every intension of taking my children there and making the same memories.

I digress....back to the song.

For years, my brother and my cousins all thought Epcot was "the boring park" ... the "adult park". So we spent most of our younger years exploring and memorizing Magic Kingdom, until of course MGM Studios came into play and then finally Animal Kingdom. We became instant experts on the best way to tackle the parks - what rides to go on first, what rides were worth the wait for a second run etc etc.

But somewhere in the middle of all this exploring, I grew up. My desire for roller coasters and thrill rides relaxed a little and Epcot seemed more appealing with its two separate areas of the park: The World Showcase and Future World. Traveling the world suddenly seemed so cool and what better way to do it then hike around the lagoon and visit a dozen or so countries in the World Showcase with authentic food, people, and faux decor. It gave me a taste of a world (or many worlds) I had not explored yet. At the other end of the park was Future World, a taste of things to come - new computer games, new technologies. It was here that I was inspired, not on a ride or in any of the pavilions, but waiting online for the Michael Jackson 3D movie (now the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" 3D show for you WDW fanatics). Disney doesn't make you wait online without some sort of entertainment. So, there I was, standing in darkness and "True Colors" begins to play as a slide show of photographs begin flashing before my eyes. The show culminated into a story of life, love, living, growing up, capturing moments and spending time with the ones we love. Tears gushed down my face. I was instantly captured and inspired to do the very same. I yearned for a camera and have had one ever since.

Because of this inspiration, I now have hundreds of photos of family, friends, landscapes, people, pets, animals, flowers, trees, the ocean... all interacting with each other. My ultimate goal? To capture people in their element... in their moment... to remind them of that moment... to inspire them to keep that moment alive... remember who, what, when, where, why and how they had that moment. I now have a website, a photoblog. I have had numerous photography jobs. And my inspiration, skills and desire to learn has only increased as time went on. It's a work in progress.

You know how some things just suddenly make sense? Yeah well... I had an epiphany in the bathroom tonight(of all places!). That song has reminded me that there is a reason for my life and photography is definitely one of them.

My class

So, I'm really enjoying my class. We shot on location last night near a dock and I got a few good shots. Take a look at my photoblog when get a chance.

I really think I need more hands-on classes like this. I can't stress enough how much i have learned in the last two weeks.