The Rest Of The Wedding

The girl in yellow was robbed by the lady in the wild print dress, who came out of nowhere to snatch the bouquet from her hands.

I have a thing for skylights and pretty ceilings.

The family that dances together...

...stays together.

Daisy the horse...

...took the bride and groom on a carraige ride into their future.

We had a wonderful time, and wish Daniel and Denise all the happiness in the world.


Please keep in mind that I'm not a wedding or event photographer--just a guest who brings his camera wherever he goes, and I wanted to try a few things to see how my new gear would perform in this situation. The light levels were pretty typical for a wedding & reception, and by trying it out for myself I learned a few things.

Denise & Daniel King Wedding

Our dear friends Denise and Daniel got married today. In a stroke of good/bad luck the club I was supposed to thump tonight cancelled all bands so I was able to stay for the reception and take pictures and drink free beer--tipping heavily, of course!

I wasn't surprised at all to bump into ace event photographer Chris Pichado. This young fellow really knows his flash, both on-camera and Strobist style, and is a hoot to party with. He's a member of my camera club and is someone I respect and enjoy knowing.



The happy couple's daughter Amber. She's cute and sweet and completely ignores everyone who tries to get her attention.

The critical 1st dance as dude and wife.

Amber, the legendary Mike Gallegos, and the bride's mom are twisting the night away.

Jeremy the bartender was situationally-aware enough to realize that when I set my camera on his bar and pressed the shutter button followed by holding my hands over my Alpha like it might explode meant that I was taking a long exposure digital photograph and that walking into the frame might be a bad thing.
He's smarter than most people and a good 'tender.

6 more photos in a few days

More Chalk It Up!

I love events where I have a wide choice of subjects, from art and food to people and pets. I'm surprised that my long lens never got mounted for shooting candids...


I just noticed that Views Of Texas has passed 30,000 hits. Thanks for visiting.

Chalk It Up!

It's that time of year again--I don't think we have missed a single Chalk It Up!.









Having a lens that will go wider than my old camera's is a big help for stuff like this.

More from Chalk It Up! 2008, coming soon.

2005
2006 Pt.1
2006 Pt.2
2007 Pt.1
2007 Pt.2

I'm Slacking?

Well--maybe I am.

I'm still taking lots of pictures, just nothing that belongs here.
Maybe this weekend? I doubt it...

Sorry

Sweet Relief

I have been trying without success to get back into night photography using the new camera.
Something would ruin my plans every time over the past month, and I was almost impossible to live with due to the resulting crankiness.
Until tonight.

I figured Hemisfair Park would be a good place to get my night skills back--it's familiar, target-rich and pretty.

Learned a critical bit of operational knowledge--my Alpha won't focus unless I'm looking through the viewfinder (there's a tiny proximity sensor there), or I can turn "Eye-Start AF" off in the menus.
Or put my hand against the eyepiece.

The Alpha is almost as easy to use at night as my F717 was. I think the results are better.
Prints should be better, too. (Still haven't shot anything I would put in a gallery show, so nothing has been printed yet.)

Seriously, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
I only made 22 exposures tonight, with these four being my favorites.
Now I have the confidence I needed in my new system, and can relax and shoot with no worries next time.
Too bad the damned hurricane cancelled this weekend's trip to Corpus Christi and lost me a bunch of money.
Sea Monkeys @ Oasis Saturday Night! 60% of the Hitmen for your listening pleasure.