OK, maybe the title was misleading, it isn’t a photography award!

I subscribe to several photographers’ blogs because I love to see what other photographers are up to and to get inspiration for my own photography. Sometimes I’ll comment if I see a picture I really like.  It just so happens that on my last visit to the Perez Photography Blog based out of Dallas, Texas, the comment I left was their 1000th comment! I know that when my blog gets to that point I’ll be excited too, and they are thanking me by giving me a free I-tunes gift card! They did mistakenly believe that I was in Canada, but I think their tracking software probably told them that, eh? hehe!

Maybe one day I will win an award for my photography skills, but this is a nice award in the meantime. You can look at the post here.

Well, my last post was about my new lens. Of course, I had to play with this lens and learn some tricks in using it! The Jore’s new dog, Rowdy, seemed a good candidate for some test shots.  We went walking in a local park along the river, and it turned into an impromptu mini-shoot. I did learn some important things about my new lens, and had a lot of fun walking! Here are some shots I got:

I really like this next one. Rowdy is such a young puppy that everything is new for him. I feel like this shot is you watching him discover something for the first time.









These next 2 are probably my favorite shots of the entire evening.




On our way back. It was SO muddy! We couldn’t even believe it, the mud just caked on our shoes.



Poor Rowdy got so muddy he needed a bath in the sink. He looks nice clean, but he really hates getting a bath. While some dogs will growl, poor Rowdy just looks pitiful!

I got a new lens today in preparation for a photo shoot I have coming up on Monday, weather permitting. It is a Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Lens.

I was very excited to get this new lens and play with it, so I called a few friends who have just gotten a new puppy. They were happy to let me snap some shots! What I am loving about this lens is it super wide aperture. Compared to my other lens, the opening is enormous! It is allowing me to take better shots inside even without flash. Also, because it lets in so much light, its depth of field is razor sharp, making what is in focus crystal clear, and offering a nice soft blur effect to what is not in focus. Here are a couple shots I got with my new lens!

What is this, you ask?  Have I been hired by major pharmaceutical companies to photograph their products? I wish! Unfortunately, these 3 drugs have pretty much been what I have been living off of the last few days.  I caught a nasty cold that has really put me down.  This is my 4th day now, and although I’ve gotten out of the house (to buy these meds) I am seriously getting cabin fever! It’s finally nice outside, and I’m too sick and tired to go anywhere!

PS - To fellow photographers: Do you find that you must take a picture of something when you get sick? Camera withdrawal? It’s the first time I’ve felt it, and it is rather strange...I find myself taking pictures of random pill bottles. Maybe I’m going crazy!

Just a quick post today! This last weekend I went into the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) to go see a concert with some friends. I had a great time! Too bad they wouldn’t let me take my camera into the concert, I would have had some great pictures to put up! Oh well! What I have today is a picture of my friend Annie and her sister Heather. Annie doesn’t get to visit her sister as often as she would like, and at one point Annie had to prove to us that she was capable of lifting her big sister up and demanded that I take a picture so we had proof! hehe! So just for you Annie, here is proof that you can indeed lift your big sister.

A few days ago, I spent the whole day outside without a coat! It was in the mid-40s for the first time this year, there was no wind, and the sun was shining. It was a glorious day! Then yesterday was March 20, the first day of spring, and something strange has happened.  Apparently nobody told the weather it is spring now! It snowed all night long! Sorry these aren’t more exciting (I have to work today, so no running out anywhere for me right now), I just shot these outside on the balcony. I suppose a layer of fresh snow might give me some interesting ideas to try to take pictures of, but mostly I am just wishing spring would get here already!!!

I took this shot because it’s like I am back in the “jail” of winter. hehe! Sorry, it’s hard to come up with fresh ideas at work!

In the summer of 2006, I went to a graduation party at Itasca State Park in Minnesota! The party itself was fun, but I also enjoyed the state park as I had never been there before.  Itasca State Park is where the Mississippi Headwaters are located.  The Mississippi, which is over a mile wide when it gets to the Gulf of Mexico, starts out in a little pool so small you can wade right through it! Here are some of the pictures I got while in the park!

And of course we need a picture of the Graduation Boy himself, decked out in a hilarious T-shirt someone gave him for the occasion! hehe!

I don’t know about you, but I personally find Mountain Dew’s advertising to be hilarious and very effective! But then again, I guess I am the target market they’re aiming for, aren’t I?  The other day I was walking into a gas station when I noticed this much older Mountain Dew ad still up in the window, and I just had to take a picture of it.  It makes me laugh!

Anyone who lives in Fargo knows about the rabbits. We have no idea why they are everywhere, but we know they are! It’s very common to see them running around all over the place, even in the middle of the city. One day, I looked out my window, and there happened to be 5 of them running around in the courtyard.  I stepped outside on my balcony and used my zoom lens to get a few shots.

I caught this rabbit red-handed jumping up onto people’s balconies to check out what they had on them! Silly rabbits!

Back in May 2006, I went to graduation party for a couple of friends.  My friend Casey had just gotten himself a fun LED light saber that we were playing around with. We had fun pretending to run each other through! We took a couple shots where we were playing with the light from the light saber, and in the last one I used a several second exposure, using only the light from the light saber itself.