I’ve been waiting for it seems like forever to go to a camera show, but it’s not like none have come around these parts; they have.  I saw that this past September, there was a show in Grapevine.  I just always seem to hear about the shows AFTER they’re over.  It’s been years since I’ve been to a show, they’re always a good place to pick up little odds and ends that you might have a hard time finding in your local camera shop, and you didn’t want to pay full price from like B&H or Calumet Photo.  Plus if you want to get some old film or early digital gear, there’s no better place  to get it.  I was excited because my favorite place to buy my gear KEH, was going to be in the house – buying gear on the spot and paying you in cash, then and there.  So I unloaded a couple of D1-series bodies that I stopped shooting regularly with when I bought my D300, and I said goodbye to my Tokina 12-24.  A great lens, I just wasn’t using it enough to justify keeping it.  Now that KEH put some cash in my pocket, I’m torn about what I should buy…I know that I’m getting a lens, something in a focal length that I’ll use.  I’ve narrowed it down to either the 85 1.8D, or the 20 2.8D….choices, choices.

I came across this one dealer’s table…well he wasn’t really a dealer.  He was a collector who was trying to sell off some of the cameras that he had collected throughout the years.  He was worried what would have happened to his collection if he passed away, that his kids would sell it at a garage sale, not knowing the value of the items.  He had a lot of great stuff, he let me shoot some photos of his items:

He had a lot of old Nikon manuals for lenses and for some of the motor drive models, and I wish I had bought that old Bolex!  Everything that he had was in immaculate condition…

He had 3 of those Speed Graphics, 3 of them, all in excellent condition.  Check out the box of KodaChrome II movie film by the old Bolexes!  And he was telling me how cool I would look with that Nikon 300 2.8 attached to one of my Nikons….I don’t really have any use for glass that long, but I couldn’t disagree with the coolness  factor!

Other than the cold hard cash that KEH put in my pocket, the only other thing that I left with was something else that is easy to find at camera shows: old film.  I saw a vendor selling rolls of film for $1 a roll, so I bought four rolls of Ektachrome 160T:

***Yeah, you’re seeing that right Expiration date: August 1984.  I’m curious to see what kind of results I can get from 26 year old film, see how much color shift I get!  Even though those eighties Kodak boxes are awesome as well, I hate the thought of cracking them open to get at that film inside.

I’ve been applying myself into shooting things that I don’t normally shoot, you have to mix it up a little bit.  I’ve been interested in getting into music photography, so I replied to a couple of postings on Craigslist, and I got one response.  This is Cambrie Briggs; she has an powerful voice and incredible stage presence.   She only sung three songs, all covers, in a short 15min set.  I didn’t get a chance to shoot this as I wanted to, I was all ready to setup some off camera lighting, but the stage area was really small.  I really hope that I’m able to see her do some of her originals sometime soon!

Last month I had an opportunity to help out by second shooting a wedding for Miranda Smith Photography in Fort Worth.  This is my first time really second shooting with someone.  I’ve partnered to shoot weddings before, but second shooting is different, and fun!  You shoot and turn over your files to the primary, Miranda was nice enough to give me copyright of my images for usage in my portfolio.  Thanks Miranda!  I’d like to share a couple of images from the day.

Venue: Adorable Weddings

I’d like to thank Miranda again for taking a chance on an unknown kid!

I know that it’s been a while since I posted anything – and I don’t want to let this blog just sit here with nothing for the new year posted.  I’m prematurely excited for 2010; I’ve had this feeling for the last couple of months that I’m sitting at a crossroads.  Both personally and professionally.  I have this feeling that something is going to happen for me this year, this is going to be the year for me.  I have a couple of posts in the works right now:

• I had a wedding December 26th(yes the day after Christmas), that I shot as a second shooter!

• I’m going to post my new year’s resolutions.

I know, I know (about the resolutions) everybody is making them and posting them on Facebook, Tweeting them, blogging them.  But that’s not why I’m doing it.  In the past I’ve made resolutions and then not followed through, because there didn’t seem to be accountability.  They didn’t seem concrete.  They were just words in the January air, they left my mouth and then kept going and going, until they were out of sight and out of mind.

Blogging, just adds a permanence to my thoughts, so that I or anyone can go back to that post and say “See, you said that you were going to do this and you didn’t” You broke your resolutions. I think that because in the past, I just like everyone else, seemed to make resolutions that we all knew in our heart of hearts that we weren’t going to follow through with, we were stretching too far.  You know the “I’m going to stop smoking” resolutions – when you’ve been a 3 pack a day smoker for the last 10 years.  Or I’m going to run 5 miles everyday, but you really haven’t been exercising on a regular basis.  The goal is too big – therefore too easy for you to give up on.  I’m going to make some smaller goals that I actually will follow through with, and there by giving me momentum to accomplish something bigger!

Now I know the rule with photographer’s blogs is that we can be serious with our words, but there usually has to be a photo accompanying the words, so here’s a self portrait of me looking serious…or looking toward the near future:

While at work today, I got a text message from my friend Josh saying that he had left a present for me on my porch.  It. Was. Awesome:

I always love Josh’s birds and other assorted animals that he draws, and I’ve been waiting for this limited edition framed print of Bela!

Thanks!

**I do love Field Notes’ motto: “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now” – something that I’m making a resolution to do next year, with a lot of other things (in an upcoming post)**

Sorry!  Don’t think that I didn’t remember to post the last port of call of the cruise!  Cozumel, Mexico – a land of beautiful blue water (it was really that blue!)

Stephanie loved her fan that she bought, both for the way that she looked when fanning herself, and for the cooling effect.  It was hot, not Cayman Islands hot, but still pretty hot!

After the little shopping that we did, we took in lunch at Pancho’s Backyard, a nice little place right close to the port.  If you’re ever in Cozumel, I recommend it.  We even got a free appetizer coupon from our cruise shopping director (that’s that tiny dish in the upper right corner…small, but can’t complain too much, it was free after all!)

Collecting some sand – taking in the view…

Oh Yeah, can’t forget the towel animal that we got that night!

We enjoyed this experience of traveling on a ship, can’t wait until we are able to do it again!

Got a chance to shoot a wedding in October; my brother in law Michael and his lovely new wife Jennifer.  They had a very intimate and beautiful ceremony at the Chapel Dulcinea in Austin, Tx.  Congratulations you guys, and thank you for allowing me to document your special day!

After the last minute addition of earrings; Jennifer’s transformation into bride is complete!

Procession to the alter; Jennifer’s son Ethan escorted his mother and gave her away!

Cake Reception!

See More of my wedding images on my wedding page; Steven Sow Loves Weddings!

Saturday night, my good friend Sai sent me this text message:  “I got three tickets to the game with your name on one of them!”  It took me about .5 secs to respond back that I was in.  This is the second Cowboys game I’ve been to, both of them against the hated Redskins.  Jerryworld or Jerryland (which ever you prefer) is a massive structure, truly a work of modern engineering art.  The game could have been a little better, but we all were happy with the outcome.  As Coach Phillips would say “A W is a W”

The massive JerryTron (bow down to its massiveness…), the new hole in the roof, and my collector’s ticket stub, gonna frame that baby!

The View!

Jon, $10 Nachos, Jeff and Sai…

Patrick “Fair Catch” Crayton with the game-tying TD catch.

And some final parting shots…

Leaving out of Jamaica, the next day in the Cayman Islands.  They said the temperature was only 90, being from Texas, we could take that right?  Wrong!  Walking in the hot sun beat us down, when we got back to the ship; we slept for about 3 hours.

B.B.D. was everywhere…

That night, in honor of our visit to the Cayman Islands….what towel animal were we surprised with??

Next up; last port of call – Cozumel!

We arrived in Jamaica on Wednesday.  We had a guided tour arranged for us through our travel agent.  We got to do a little shopping, went up into the mountains to dine on some coconut, pear, and some type of bread I can’t remember the name of.  Then we had some jerk pork at the Pork Pit(great place with some great atmosphere)

Cubans are Legal in Jamaica!

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee….that big bag of Jablum would have cost over a hundred dollars over here, only cost us twenty dollars.  So we took a bag home along with some cigars…

The Jerk Pork from the Pork Pit…

Rum Cakes!

Okay, we couldn’t figure out what this towel animal was.  Even after we bought our towel animal book, we looked all through it and still couldn’t figure out what this was.  Any guesses?

Next stop, Land of Pirates and Stingrays!