Thom Hogan Nikon D300 Review Is Out

Thom Hogan is a writer and photographer that runs a website at www.bythom.com.  If you are at all interested in photography and Nikon gear specifically you should check it out.  Thom is a super writer and goes well beneath the superficial layer that you get in most reviews.

Thom's review of my favorite camera is out. You can read his review of the Nikon D300 HERE.

The D300 is an amazing machine and is joy to photography with.  The review is very extensive so go brew a fresh pot of coffee.

My Website Is Live...

Check it out at www.hollandphotostudio.com  I got a ton of input from the forums at DPreview.com.  Thanks to all who posted in that thread.  I owe you a great deal for your valuable time and advice.

New Wedding Website Almost Up

I purchased a template and hosting from Bludomain last week.  I've got the site pretty much completed.  All that's left is for it to go live so I can forward my domain to the site.  It's been tons of fun to set up.  Reorganizing and processing the images has been tedious but I'm happy with the results.  Check it out if you have a chance.

Lens Lust, the Dark Side

As a photographer there is always some new piece of (insert the latest neat gadget) to desire.   One for me is the Lens Baby.  I have been eyeballing one for some time.  I'm trying to stick with the gear I have now and only buy something new if there is something I can sell that is rarely used. 

I have a Voigtlander 75mm F/2.5  Color-Heliar SL lens.  It was one of a small number made.  It is a Nikon AIS mount lens which means that it is a manual focus lens.  Although the quality is superb weddings are so fast paced I rarely use it one jobs.  I had almost convinced myself that I should go ahead and sell it.  The kicker is that it is special to me due to my father being a Voigtlander Vitessa shooter for many many decades.  I bought the lens in large part as a remembrance of him.  A little redundant to some degree due to my photographic work being a tribute to Dad in and of itself.

The Voigt is a great lens and I have decided to keep it.  The lens baby is cool but they are common.  I'm sure I'll get my hands on one soon.  The voigtlander I bought is one of only a few hundred of the 75mm made.  I watched for one on eBay for a few months before buying mine from a gentleman in Japan for a great price.  As they say, "There are many like it, but this one is mine..."

At my next wedding I will be shooting more with this lens.  It is special to me and I believe the few images I've captured with it hold something of that specialness.  

I think for all of us when we buy a new lens we think "Maybe this will be the one I keep forever."  For me, this obscure Voigtlander that reminds me of my Dad's love of photography may be that lens.

Lee's Video of Caprock Canyon

Lee put this video together from our weekend hiking in Caprock Canyon.  Enjoy!

Hiking in Caprock Canyon

Last weekend Lee and I went on an amazing hiking trip to Caprock Canyon State Park.  It's out west in the Texas pan handle. We went with our Friends Tom and Nina and brought Linus along as well.  I cannot believe that it's less than five hours away from our home.  It was really great.  The nights were pretty cold but the weather during the day was perfect.  You can view a gallery of the pictures I brought back.  Just click on this LINK.

Side Lighting and Cake

This is one of my favorite cake shots to date.  This is shot on tripod with the SB-800 strobe attached with a bungee cord on camera right.  

My Wedding Portfolio

I've been working on my PORTFOLIO of wedding images over the last couple of days.  I'd love it if you looked through them and let me know what you think.  They are some of my favorites.

WedFog

I joined Digital Wedding Forum about nine months ago.  Although I rarely post there it has been a tremendous resource for learning about the wedding photography business.  They recently launched a new site called WedFog.  It is a national resource for brides both looking to educate themselves about wedding photography and searching specifically for photographers.  I bit the bullet and joined last night and this morning I was already contact by a bride.  She has reserved my services and I am photographing her wedding in April.  Gotta love the internet!

Fun With Light at Caprock Canyon

This was dinner time at Caprock Canyon.  I shot this on a tripod, 20 seconds.  I walked around Lee and fired my SB-800 manually.  Once from the side and once from the rear above.

Pretty chilly out that night.  Nothing like freeze dried spaghetti to warm you up!