D700 worth every penny so far!

Loving this thing more with every picture I take!!! Prime example...

The new toy has arrived.

I've been lusting after the Full Frame Nikon D3 since late last year when it was released. Earlier this year, to the surprise of everyone, Nikon introduced a semi-pro camera which basically was the D300 body and the D3 sensor and called it the D700.

New camera, new lust.

For the last month I've been contemplating whether I 'need' this camera... and the short answer, of course, is NO!. But then I asked, Do I *want* this camera? DUH!!!

So now that my itch had begun, I need the approval of 'the wife' to get it. Took me a few weeks to convince her, but I finally got the approval on Sunday! and ordered the camera. To my excitement today, it showed up and I've had such a terrible headache, I haven't had the chance to play with it. But I did set it up against the D300 to show the differences in the two cameras to myself and others. Small things, yes... but that sensor. Oh that sensor!!! So sexy and smooth. Here are the comparo shots...

Both bodies are the same, but the eye piece for the D700 is a tad taller, and it has the sexy little 'fx' emblem on the bottom right.


Look at the difference on the two mirrors. Is it worth the extra money? first impressions says "HELL YA!"


And of course the back. Nothing too much, just the viewfinder difference an extra button or two.


All in all, I'm like a kid at a candy store with this thing. I can't wait to take picture after picture with it. I guess its true what they say... the older you get, the more expensive your toys get. But the part they didn't mention is the fact that you feel like that kid inside that just got his red bike on christmas morning, and for me, thats all that matters!!!

Kian's 1 year pictures.

A few weeks back, Laylee asked me to do Kian's 1 year pictures... which is always my pleasure to take pictures for any friends or family, which she's pretty much considered both!!! Sucks that she lives so far away though, because after a few conversations back and forth and a whole bunch of planning, we FINALLY found time today for her and Kian to come over to do some pictures.

Kian, as cute as ever, took a little bit to warm up but when his motor got going... that smile came out!

Amir & Marjorie

Amir and I literally grew up together. I used to go to Dallas all the time for the weekend so we could just hang out when we were younger. Years later... same Amir, but now he's getting married!!! So of course, its was my honor when asked to be their wedding photographer. And this weekend, him and Marjorie came down to H-Town for a little photo session. Here's the result of our romp around Houston yesterday...

Kami's first official studio shoot

This is what happens when addiction takes over...

Studio lighting is finally HERE!!!

So I got my stuff last week and I realized something, since my excitement level was so high ordering the light and the box, I FOR-GOT to order a stand (or better yet) order the stuff as a package so the light has something to sit on. DOH!!! So, to feed the addiction I ran to a local used camera store and bought a cheap stand for the light. As soon as I got home and ripped everything apart like a 5 year old on Christmas day I realized something else... my beautiful and expensive Pocket Wizards don't have a connection for the light. Double DOH!!! Luckily though, I could do it it the old fashoined and ghetto fashion of connecting the light directly into my camera.

So after the glitches in the 'matrix' were figured out, I decided to test some subjects... and what better subject that, you know it, KAMI!!!

First, got his Halloween costume on since I didn't get any decent shots of it... and as soon as he got a bit hot and fussy we took it off and went to plain clothes!

Look who's crawling.

HIDE. EVERYTHING... QUICK!!!

I just can't control myself sometimes.

Its crazy. The more photography equipment I buy, the more I want. These days, its not so much the cameras and lenses as it is lighting and studio stuff. I just can't seem to get enough of this hobby. If its not one thing, its always another. So last night, I ordered an Alien Bees light with a medium Softbox so I can learn about studio photography... and then some. But of course, you can't have the lights and not have triggers to set them off, so I bought some Pocket Wizard radio slaves for the light and my camera too.

Just seems nothing is getting cheaper. Everything is so expensive, I think its a conspiracy. They make it expensive so you have to have it and then you just wait and wait, and save and save to get it. Then when you get it, it just fills that void for a few months until you want more... then the cycle starts all over again!!! Damn these expensive hobbies. Damn them all to hell... its going to make me go broke. But I love every second of it.