05-16-2012

New York City with Dave

I couldn’t even begin to realize the limited amount of time I would get to spend with my friends after finishing college.  It’s a tough thing to swallow when you take a job far away from everyone that you grew up and went to school with.  I miss being able to head down the street to hang out with with a buddy of mine, while still making it back at home in time for dinner.  As of late.. I’m lucky to spend time with them twice a month. However, those couple of visits really mean so much to me.

I recently was able to meet up with one of my best buds.. Dave Ducane.  To say he was my best friend at college would be an understatement.  The two of us did everything together.. mainly time spent riding our bikes, as well as cooking crazy meals in my kitchen. The nights usually ended with one more quick bike ride, and then Dave passing out on my living room couch.

I’m excited to say that the two of us will be teaching a photography class at our college next week.. and I couldn’t think of a better dude to share that experience with.  I’m thankful for his amazing friendship, and his constant source of positivity.

Here are a few photographs from our recent meet up in New York City.. most of which was shot on my new Hasselblad 501cm!

The Shake Shack might be the best thing in the entire world..

 

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05-09-2012

The Montague Bookmill

Finding a place that feels like home has always been a struggle for me.  I am forever on the move.. constantly repacking my belongings for my next adventure.  However, there is always that one place you are reminded of.. that place where comfort is not hard to come by.

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05-02-2012

Missing Germany

I recently went back to visit Germany after not having been there since my birth.  I came over to the states at a young age, while was dad was still stationed in the Army.  I had been dying to head back over for such a long time now, and I finally made the trip out!  While I was out there, I stayed with a wonderful family that I had grown up with (they were like my second parents).  During my visit, I was shown some of the most amazing countrysides and villages that I had ever seen.  I can’t even remember how many times I caught myself saying, “I’m moving out here tomorrow.”

I really did fall in love with everything that I saw and experienced while I was there.. and I’m in the process right now of trying to apply for a dual citizenship.  I’m crossing my fingers that by some act of God it works out.. hoping that I can one day move back!

I was in heaven when it came to German cuisine!  I grew up eating Bratwurst, Schwenkbraten, Schnitzel, etc.. so I made sure that my stomach was filled up at all times during this trip!

Also during my trip, we decided to visit Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Weimar, Germany.  I have always been fascinated with everything having to do with WWII, and it was both exciting and chilling for me to experience.  As soon as you enter into the camp, you’re overtaken by these feelings of heartache and sorrow.  The entire camp was completely quiet.. and all you could do was hear yourself think.. think about how horribly frightening it must have been for those prisoners and their families.  I constantly found myself getting overwhelmed with emotion, but I’m unbelievably thankful that I was able to experience something like that.

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03-29-2012

Adventure.

May all your days be filled with adventure and excitement.

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03-27-2012

My First X-Pro 1 Engagement!

Yesterday was my first attempt at taking the new Fujifilm X-Pro 1 on an engagement shoot.. and I loved it!  I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about taking the camera into the wedding and engagement world.. especially since I switched to shooting only film quite a few months ago.  I met up with a wonderful couple in New York City.. and shot this camera anywhere and everywhere I could.

I really tried to test it in dramatically different lighting conditions.. and was excited to see that the camera held its own!  I really did what I wanted it to do in the field.. and that’s what is important to me.  I want to know that regardless of the situation.. I am able to perform my job at the highest level possible.

Although I did feel very highly about the X-Pro 1 during my engagement shoot.. that doesn’t mean I didn’t have any problems with it.  I must stress again that the focusing still needs some work.  I found myself struggling in some backlit situations.. where the camera would either just refuse to focus.. or back focus.  I know we’ve all had this struggle with digital camera’s at one time or another.. so it’s nothing new in the world of photography.  And being so used to manual focusing all of my film cameras.. I can’t yet say that I am completely comfortable using the manual focus of the X-Pro 1 during quick moments at an engagement session or a wedding.

Overall, however, I fell in love with the end product of the day.  My shots were crazy sharp and the image quality was unbelievable.  As of right now.. I wouldn’t think twice about tossing this camera in my bag during a wedding day.  I’m looking forward to shooting more and more engagements with the X-Pro 1.. and I’m beyond excited to see it perform at one of my upcoming weddings!

Here are some selects from yesterdays shoot with David and Chelsea!  I have known these two for a while now.. and it always makes me beyond happy to see how in love they really are!

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