New Camera Body - Canon 70D

I bought my Canon T2i in March 2012. It is still rock solid and I enjoy it but I felt it was time to upgrade for a few reasons. One of the reasons was the autofocus. I was looking at cameras in my range, I was contemplating the 7D because it's reasonably priced when purchased refurbished. A few reasons pointed me to the 70D. The sensor is newer so it'll generally be a better low light performer. The frame rate was close enough. The video on the 70D is amazing. Also, the 7D uses compact flash cards and although considered better than SD, it would add to the investment. More on that later..

Autofocus is much better with 19 points, all being cross-type. My T2i only had 9 points with the center point being the only cross-type. After using the new system a bit, the 9 didn't seem so bad but it's nice to have the higher accuracy cross-types all over the sensor instead of just the middle.

Controls are better laid out to change settings quickly. There is a learning curve but I don't think it'll take too long.

Another reason for upgrading was the frames per second. I don't typically spray and pray but it's nice to have 7 frames per second as opposed to less than 4. The shutter also has a silent mode which isn't really silent but it moves the mirror and shutter differently so it appears to be quieter.

I like shooting low light situations and my T2i works well with good glass but it's not great. At 1600 ISO, it's almost unusable. I chose the 70D over the 7D because of the newer sensor and the higher ISO range. I did a few test shots but just to test it out. They all suck. I did take the following one and was decent enough to share.

This is a photo of my dad taken at 12,800 ISO. It was nearly completely dark. There is a lot of noise and color is not all there but it's 12,800 ISO! No, it's not a D4s, or even some of the Nikon DX's that seem to perform better at higher ISO but it's a major improvement over the T2i.

Getting more paid photo jobs, I also felt the need to have a backup body in case something happens. You never know if the camera body will fail and if it did, I'd be out of luck and probably not get paid or not get future jobs for not delivering.

On the downside, I had to upgrade my Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to version 5.3. While a worthy upgrade, it was an unexpected expense. The process was a headache. My payment wouldn't process so I had to call them. It was a pain.

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase. It was a lot of money but I see it two ways. I've made some photography money in the past year so if I use that, it was significantly lower. The cost after my photo income was about what I spend on myself for my birthday every year or two so it's not bad.

Many more photos and videos to come from the 70D, hopefully. Speaking of videos, now that I have a good auto focus camera, I will be finishing the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 review. I plan A Run in The Park sequel of sorts. Stay tuned.

Joanna's Birthdayday

My friend Joanna had a birthday celebration planned for herself and her friends. I was of course ready with my camera..

Arriving at the park, I started shooting. Here's Holly picking up her hair before lunch while Joanna tried to contain her excitement but cannot.

Jacob smoking his pipe.

Once we were done with lunch, we decided to go for a hike and the beach. I thought this was a funny site of Jacob folding up the blanket/table cloth.

The gang walking toward the beach.

While on the beach, we played frisbee. It was fun but as expected, the frisbee would get lost or stuck somewhere. In this case at the top of the dune. Jacob chose the most difficult path. Luckily Holly and Jake, the dog, chose an easier path to the flying ring.

Joanna decided to give everyone a lecture on something. Not really, but it looks like she's addressing the group.

We continued from the beach to a hike. Joanna was obviously enjoying herself.

I wasn't the only one taking photos.

After the hike, I saw these posts and thought they looked cool. I couldn't seem to get the shot I wanted but this crop seemed best.

After the park, we went bowling. It was fun. I had a very high score, I can't remember it though.

That was a very long day for me. I woke up early, not feeling well, shot a race, and then did the birthday activities. More on the race later. Tiredness aside, it was a fun day and I enjoyed it.

Full set can be found on Flickr, as usual: Joanna's Birthday day

Chariots of Fur

I was asked to shoot the Chariots of Fur race for Speedy Banana a few days before the race when the photographer got sick. I was available so excited. Also, Holly was doing it with Jake so it was going to be fun.

I always check the weather forecast to be prepared. It called for cool temps and probably some rain. Luckily, I had just purchased a camera cover and it came in the day before the event. I had also ordered a Blackrapid Metro strap which is awesome!

As mentioned in a previous post, I don't want to share many photos since they're being sold but a few to help tell the story. This was before the race while getting pre-race photos. I saw a grouping seeking shelter from the drizzle.

As the race progressed, the rain got heavier and the temperature felt colder.

This lady trying to keep her dog warm in her jacket still kind of smiling.

It got really nasty out there. I'm glad my camera cover/plastic bag, worked as intended.

I was dressed in a supposedly waterproof jacket with a hood, and waterproof boots. By the end and when I got home, I was completely saturated and beyond cold. It was tough standing out there, shivering, shooting photos but at the same time fun and an adventure to talk about.

Holly's Graduation

My girlfriend, Holly, received her Master's degree in December. I was there to celebrate and document.

This is Holly at her seat from our view.

Holly and her proud mom. Had some harsh backlight but the place was really crowded so I got what I could get.

Proud dad, Holly, and mom. All looking at a different camera. Everyone wanted pictures.

See what I mean?

At least grandma gave a glance at me.

More cameras. I like these shots. I know they're becoming cliche but I still enjoy them.

Not quite sure what Ellen was describing here but I bet it was about that big.

While Holly was making the rounds with her professors and advisers, I saw the entire group hanging out and thought to get a photo.

After the graduation ceremony, the Biology department had their own informal ceremony. It was a really nice moment. Here is Holly getting hooded by her adviser.

After the ceremony, we took some photos in the courtyard. Very serious group.

Clearly the background was too bright but the photo works for what it is.

Here is a rare photo of me and Holly. See, if I wasn't fixated on that section of the courtyard, and I was because I have a photo of it that I like, I would've seen this angle and background. Lesson, learned.. maybe.

After graduation and lunch at Holly's, we all went to St Augustine to the festival of lights and for dinner.

After dinner, walking back to the cars, I took a shot of one of the cool horse carriages.

And here is a final shot of most of the group almost back to the car ending a great day.

Full set, not many missing from here, can be found at Holly MS Graduation set

Professional Photography

I had been working from home for about two years but in December of 2013, that was going to change as I was asked to work from the office again. This is in part the reason I haven't blogged as much. I was heavy on the job hunt as you'd known by my style post. One of the options I looked into was professional photography. I can't make as much as I do at my current job as a photographer, not at first at least. I found a few photography opportunities but none panned out because they were full time or some other reasons.

I thought about the races I run and bike and thought of Speedy Banana. I couldn't find any photographer opportunities on their website so I wrote them an email. Within a few hours, I get a call from one of the owners, Lori. She questioned me about my experience and gear. She offered a gig a few days later to shoot the Subaru Distance Classic half marathon. As a trial, I'd be paid half the usual photographer rate. I was willing to do it for free as a trial but welcomed the pay.

I don't want to post many photos since they are being sold but I'll show you this one. I like that it's tack sharp and the pain face is my favorite. Yeah, the smiles are great when they happen and probably sell more but as a runner, I appreciate this effort the most.

It was tough, I won't lie. Standing around in the cold and long hours wasn't easy. I shot 4660 images in about 4.5 hours. Most of the photos were in portrait mode and my arms were sore for a few days. I realized the need for a battery grip just for shooting more comfortably. Even though it was tough, I enjoyed being out there enjoying two of my favorite things, running and photography. It felt great to get paid to do something I enjoy given how my day/full time job has grown tired on me.

Obviously, this is from a few months back. I've since done a few more races with Speedy Banana and will post my experiences in those shortly. Including a rain soaked race that tested my will, gear, and skills. Did I succeed?

The Shadow Productions Website

Going over my previous posts, I realized I hadn't blogged about my new website. I built it on squarespace because it was competitively priced, easy to build and maintain, and I think it looks good.

It wasn't easy to choose the photos and even more difficult to categorize them. I still feel I need to move things around but it's mostly presentable. I add a store today unfortunately the basic plan only allows for one item to be sold.

Check out the site. Let me know what you think.

www.theshadowproductions.com

Motorcycle

It's been a while since I've blogged. I am going to catch up on previous entries..

I decided to put my motorcycle for sale, still for sale. I thought it was a great time to practice my product shots. I cleaned the bike then took it out of the garage to the side yard. I parked it in front of the fence and started shooting.

This is the winner for me. It showcases the bike. The background is a little distracting now that I look at it but it's done.

Here is a front angle.

And a head on shot.

I got a few detail shots as well. I like the reflections.

The bike is still for sale. I've had a couple sketchy inquiries so it's still in my posession. Maybe someday I'll get rid of it. As usual, see the full set on Flickr: Motorcycle Set