Light and Love

This lens is EVERYTHING.  

The Nikon 24mm, f/1.4 is by far superior to the 85mm, or at least that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  I prefer it mostly because it's wide and very fast, and probably the sharpest glass I've ever used.  It's the kind of lens I'd put on my camera and leave it there for a long, long time.  Needless to say. it performs excellently in low light conditions, and it works awesomely as an action lens as well as a portrait lens.  All in all, I'm in love.  And since its price is in the $1500 range, I can't afford to buy one (yet) but I am definitely renting it again, and soon.

I took these around the house last night and this morning before my lease ran out.  The photos are very lightly touched up, mainly for color and sharpness.  As usual, I'm using VSCO presets (modified), and editing in Lightroom.

Enjoy, and Happy Monday!

3, 34, 70

This weekend we got together with the relatives up at Tassajara to celebrate three birthdays and the general awesomeness of our family.  I rented a wide angle, large aperture lens (the monster 24mm, f/1.4 by Nikon) and I took pictures of the event, which consisted of kids, babies, ducks, dogs, and more kids running around like crazy and having a jolly good time.  We had cake, we drank wine, we talked a bit, and we watched the kids being kids to the delight of my father-in-law John.  He's turning 70 this summer, and for awhile now I had this idea to get all of his grandchildren in one room for him.  It turned out great, and I am not even going to complain about the long drive there and back, and the fact that Johnny was sick most of the way.  It was worth it, and I am glad.  Family is important.

A couple of notes: There are 5 candles on the cake instead of 3 because this is how Johnny wanted it, and you don't argue with threenager logic.  Also, the photos of my pretty kitty Shelby were test shots and obviously don't belong in the series, but I included them anyway since she's so very cute.

I hope you guys had a great weekend too!  

P.S. Oh, and one more thing - I will be migrating my photo blog to a new domain soon, along with a new design and content.  Stay tuned for updates.

A Day in the Life of Us

I decided to do what I do best - capture the now as it happens, and turn the seemingly mundane everyday routine of life with two kids into something special that we can treasure later on, when the boys are all grown up and out of the nest.  

Here you can find an entire day in pictures (101 pictures, to be exact), from waking up to bedtime, including almost every little ritual in between: naps, meals, games and fun, watching cartoons, chewing on stuff, chasing the cat, rolling on the floor and digging in the dirt, diaper changes and stalking the neighbors, blowing bubbles and generally being our goofy selves.  Incidentally, I didn't capture a single crying face.  I guess I was too busy turning those frowns into smiles to remember to shoot (for there were some tears).  

It's all very unpretentious.  I have included the blurry shots, the badly composed ones, the real us ones.  I hope you enjoy them!

Art is the science of the human soul.  And there's nothing more tiring and nerve-wracking...but also more pure and full of hope than the soul of a child.  Two, in our case.

Oh, and by the way, the trick to getting a good shot of your husband is to say "Make that face I hate!".

 

Pacific Grove on iPhone 6

Yesterday was hot, and I have a sunburned back to prove it.  We drove down to the Monterey Bay and spent the morning and the early afternoon on the beach of Pacific Grove's Lover's Point Park.  Save two dead sea lions rotting in the sand and seagulls stealing whole bags of Cheetos, it was an amazing Saturday.  The ocean was calm and clear, the sky was a deep warm blue, and the light was brilliant, promising the arrival of summer soon.  The kids slept through the entire ride there, and only whined a little bit on the way back, nothing a song or two couldn't take care of.  Also, Grandpa John stopped by and hung out with us, making the family fun complete.

I didn't bring my camera as I already had a ton of stuff to carry (traveling with kids is like a perpetual move across the country, even if it's just a day trip), but I had my phone charged and my eyes peeled for the good sights.  I am very happy with the snapshots I took home - my new year's resolution was to return to shooting for my own pleasure, and it's definitely working out great.

I hope you are having a spectacular weekend, too!