Hello Hello…I haven’t disappeared again just yet.

I’m working on another blog, kind of keeping it on the down low. Some people may have already figured it out, but I won’t be announcing it here or on any of my known blogs. It’s sort of another side of me and stuff I like. Definitely kawaii too!! Heehee.

But anyways, back to blogging here. As promised in my last post, I finally got around to uploading some updated photos of my nephew Marquis (2 years) and niece Jahnaya (2 months). Photos taken by me obviously cause I love them to bits.

Aren’t they cute? I sure think so! LOL!

Have you tried HDR (high dynamic range) imaging? I tried it just this past weekend because of an assignment I had for my photography class. It was actually really fun.

What you do is set your camera on your tripod, and take pictures of the same scenery but with different exposures each time. Then you generate a HDR image through programs such as Photomatix Pro 3.0, which is what I use, and then just adjust the image via tone mapping. The results are absolutely breathtaking.

You can see some of my photos below. Just click the image to view it larger.

Also, if you want to see more examples of HDR photographs, just search it on Flickr.com. There are some really amazing stuff there as well!!

I finally got to try painting with light in photos. I did a few test shots just to get the hang of things. Then I finally got around to some really nice shots.

How is it done?
Really simple actually. All you do it set your camera on a tripod. Then set it to a long exposure and click the button. Next you just paint with light using a flashlight, laser pen, or other materials that will give off light. Viola…just review your photos and make adjustments when needed.

Here are some of the shots I was able to get. My favourite is the angel. Then again, it has sentimental value to me as it was a gift from a loving grandmother figure who I worked with at my last job.

Wow…I haven’t blogged here in a week. *smacks self* That’s how busy my little world can get even though it seems like I’m doing nothing all day long. Um…so this post is going to be all over the place since I have little things here and there to update about.

The weather is in the 30s both yesterday and today which is just great. The problem though is the fact I work both days. Like I mentioned before, the weather is always nice on days I tend to work. Ughh….why not nice on a day I’m off? I hope Monday or even tomorrow will be nice as well since I want to get out and go to the park or lake.

So ya…how is my new flash?? BLOODY AWESOME!!! I can’t believe I did without it for such a long time. I have taken some pictures, but those I haven’t put on my Flickr account. Will do so probably tomorrow. I don’t like having the flash directly pointing to my subject. It creates hard shadows. If you have it pointed slightly upwards, then the light bounces of the ceiling/wall and creates a nice soft image. AMAZING results!!

Vacation…Did I mention we’re probably heading to CUBA next month!!!!!!!!! Yippy!!!!! I can’t wait to be basking in the sunlight on the white sandy beach and then swimming in the ocean (my favourite thing ever!!!). So how did it come about? I was on my way to work yesterday and talking to my dad about stuff. He was mentioning how he wanted to see Cuba but wasn’t sure to go this year or not because they are already wasting money for my sister’s wedding which is in August. I think he was just waiting for me to agree on going which I totally did. I told him straight upfront I needed a vacation really bad and to swim in the ocean. He agreed and we starting talking about which dates, places, etc. So when I got to work, I had some time before I started and so I hopped online to check out some places. I found one resort in particular that we are looking at going to. Can’t say what it is yet, but it’s definitely looking good for us to go.

Now I just have to start setting aside some money and convince my dad that he should pay for my trip. LOL! I usually get my way anyways, but I’ll pay him back slowly for it since he already paid for my trip last year and didn’t take any of my money that I tried to give him.

I’m so excited over it!!! CUBA HERE I COME!!!

I went ahead and purchased the $500 flash for my camera along with a Hoya UV Filter and a Hoya Infrared filter. I am so gonna bite the dust come next month. My credit card bill is sky high right now and I don’t even have enough funds to pay it off.

So why did I go ahead and make this purchase? I’ve been needing to get it for awhile now and then even in my photography class today, my teacher mentioned to bring our cameras & flash next week since we were going to do activities with them. Well…I don’t have one. I think I was the only one who didn’t have one. So screw that since I wasn’t going to be left out.

So tonight, I hopped online and bought it with express next day delivery. So I should be getting the flash and UV filter on Thursday. I ordered the infrared filter from another store at regular shipping rate, so it will most likely be here next week which is fine since I don’t really need it asap like I do with the flash.

Um…ya…almost $700 in a mere 10 minutes. Can you believe it? I’m still sitting here dumbfounded that I just spent that much in a short time. Oh well…I’ll be working EXTRA HARD in the next few weeks with online stuff so I can pay it off…not to mention the shit I ALREADY have on my credit card.

I can’t believe how quickly my nephew is growing. Every time I hold him, it feels like he’s so long and his legs just hang off to the side. He’s definitely going to be a tall kid. Have I mentioned that he tries to crawl now. He goes backwards which is hilarious to see. He also flips over really fast too.

The other day I had him on my bed and he kept flipping over and over until he was at the edge of my bed. It was crazy! LOL! He moves around so much now and even tries to follow my dog (which he obviously can’t yet since he can’t crawl forwards). LOL! Anyways, I took some recent photos of him. You can see them below.

Well, there is no surprise that I’m absolutely in love with photography. I’ve been in love with it for as long as I can remember. One of my lifetime goals is to establish a reputable business for myself and do photography full time.

Lately, I’ve been getting more and more requests from old friends and acquaintances asking me if I could take photos of their family and how much it would cost. I haven’t yet decided on price wise, time commitment, and what will be included in the deal, but that’s something I’ll be figuring out sometime this week.

There’s also a few others things I’m trying to get done as soon as possible. Some of them I’ll do this week, and some will have to wait until I get some more cash. One thing is getting my business cards printed out. I designed them awhile back but have yet to print them. Here is what it looks like (and yes, my number is blurred out for privacy reasons).

Some of the other things I was talking about when I mentioned that I need more cash in order to get include a new camera backpack, a few new lenses, some more filters, memory cards, and of course a flash unit. For the backpack, I’m debating between two different ones.

One is the Lowepro CompuTrekker AW and the other is the Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW DSLR Backpack. Both are really great camera backpacks and have their own pros and cons. But I think I’m leaning more so towards the Lowepro CompuTrekker AW (image on left side below) for the main reason that it has a slot where you can store your laptop which I think is essential! Plus, you can fit a whole lot of stuff in there too. Here are both photos of the backpacks below.

So that’s where I’m at now at this point of my photography ventures. I’ll keep you all posted on my progress and what other camera accessories I’ll be getting soon. I think I may make it a regular thing for posting about my photography on this blog. Stay tuned for more!