Nina and Ray’s wedding

TweetA few images from a wedding we shot last month. The couple was great and we really enjoyed being a part of their special day.

Deep Thought

My new lens

TweetWell my new lens finally arrived, it’s the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX. It’s an older lens but I’ve wanted it for some time now.

With the very first few clicks of the shutter with this lens on my D300s, I was extremely impressed. The images appeared very sharp and the bokeh was silky smooth. The speed of the auto focusing system was not the fastest but reasonable. Weighing in at 1.2lbs it balances on the camera body nicely. I was a little hesitant to purchase this lens with so many negative reviews (there were more positive then negative) but I decide I’d have to judge for myself. One of the biggest complaints surrounding this lens is lens creep. I must been one of the lucky few to get a lens that doesn’t suffer from the creep. The zoom tube on my lens is solid and doesn’t show any signs of wanting to creep.

All in all I am very pleased that I decided on this purchase and I plan to go out today and use it heavily, right after I finish up with some post production on shots I took a few weeks ago.

The War of 1812 Reenactment

TweetSpent the day Saturday with a group of photographers at Sully Historic Site in Chantilly, VA. We had a great time photographing the reenactment of the war of 1812. I was the lead for this photo outing so other photographers looked to me to answer questions on camera settings and help with composition rules. I was happy to help, I could talk photography all day if I could. Here are a few of the images I have from the reenactment.

To see more of my images check out my flickr page.

Macro Monday 10/04/2010

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While strolling through my favorite park (Claude Moore Park), I stumbled across this particular little insect. At first glance I thought it was just an ordinary honey bee. Closer inspection proved me incorrect. I shot several pictures of it and it didn’t seem to mind at all being my subject. I’m still not sure what type of insect this is, so if anyone has an idea please let em know.

Janosik Polish Dance Ensemble

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June 26 of this year Ania and I ventured downtown DC to watch the Janosik Polish Dance Ensemble’s annual Wianki on the mall. While there of course we were going to take pictures. As we began photographing every aspect of the performances, I did my usual networking. I talked to everyone. I finally met the Director of the Polish American Arts Association of Washington, DC. We talked for several minutes then she asked if I could send her some of our pictures. I sent the Director the images and they have now been published on their website. The images can be seen here http://www.janosikdancers.org/index.html. Click the “News” link to view.

Worldtravelguide.net describes Wianki as

An ancient festival that dates back to Pagan times, Wianki literally means ‘wreaths’ and it is a traditional midsummer celebration that remembers St John. Polish girls wear wreaths of flowers with a lighted candle in the centre and then throw them into the Visitula River. According to folklore, if the wreath comes back to shore, the girl will never marry, if it sinks, she will die young and if it flows down the river, she will be married and be happy. Thankfully, it is a fast flowing river and most girls go away happy.