Sunday Randoms & Photography Stuff

• The Big Purge.

Today was the day to rid my closet of all the clothes that no longer fit. I’m down from a size 14 to an 8 (ok, maybe a 10 after our Thanksgiving Weekend Day gluttony, but it’ll be 8 again in a week)…A size XL to a Medium, so there was a lot of stuff to be rid of. 7 or 8 years’ worth. I will admit I tried quite a few things on, just for kicks.

For posterity, I took a picture of the ‘to go’ pile:

I filled three garbage bags to donate, and two to trash. Definitely a good thing.

• And with this I have officially turned into my grandmother.

I recently noticed they changed the label on my beloved Original Fat-Free Coffeemate. I do love that velvety chemical addition to my morning and evening coffee, along with my artificial sweeteners. Ahhh…natural be damned!

However, along with the label change, I noticed my coffee tasted like dirt. Gritty and ick. Hmmm….SURELY they didn’t change the mixture as well?

Alas, after a bit of internet research (oh yes, I did) I found out they DID change it! GAH! And then, along with all of the other folks out there bearing a strong resemblence to my Nana Frear (and my mom, who also bears a resemblence – love you, mom!), I wrote the company to complain.

Go ahead and laugh, I deserve it. But if you agree…www.coffee-mate.com.

• Why every household needs a bulldog.

They sleep like this:

Of course, they also fart and snore – and result in absolutely ridculous vet bills – but it’s nearly impossible to be mad or stressed out when you have this to look at every day.

As an aside – my mom has complained that I don’t have enough pictures of Annie, a/k/a my lap dog. Unfortunately, when she’s not cuddling in my lap, she’s running. We’ve rather unofficially decided she’s a border collie. So she’s hard to get shots of. I’ll try tomorrow, I promise. That is, if she doesn’t escape from the backyard for the 1,452nd time.

• Two more days until the Georgia runoff election.

Seriously, I’ve had so many celebrities calling my house, I’m starting to let it go to my head.

• What’s in my bag.

Since I posted and sold my Canon 24-70 lens last week, a few folks have e-mailed asking what’s in my bag. Here’s my current list:

Canon 5D + Grip – My main camera. I have the recently announced 5D Mark II on pre-order.

50 1.2L – I use this primarily for my newborn ‘full’ and overhead shots. Indoor stuff when there isn’t enough light for the 24-70 (the lens I sold).

100mm 2.8 macro – Newborns only. This is how I get those super-detailed closeups of eyelashes, noses, lips, feet…all the good stuff.

135 2.0L – This is my favorite lens by far, and the only lens I use outside. If you see an outdoor shot on my website or blog, there is a 99.9% chance it was taken with this lens.

Arriving tomorrow:

35 1.4L – This is the prime that’s replacing my 24-70. I bought it from my lovely friend Traci (www.realphotography.com) who has recently decided to go with Nikon equipment. I’ve been in search of a wide prime that would work as well as my 135, and rumor has it this might just be the one. I will use it for indoor wide/family shots and (if it performs as well as I suspect), it may replace my 50 for newborn shots (my 50 has trouble grabbing focus at times in low light – which is when I would grab the 24-70 from my bag).

And next on the ‘wish’ list:

200mm 2.8L – I’d like something a bit longer than my 135 for sports and kiddo candids. Reviews indicate this might fit the bill.

You’ll note that all of my lenses are primes (or ‘fixed focal length’) with no zoom lenses. I don’t think one is better or worse than the other, it’s entirely personal preference. I just like moving my body (which is why I make all of my clients dizzy moving around them – sorry!) rather than zooming a lens. Totally just a preference.

• What’s in my Car.

A lot of my clients ask for a recommendation on a point-and-shoot camera. I’m honestly kindof clueless when it comes to these, but I have the Canon SD890 IS. It’s ok…I used it at Disney and it sits in my car in case I need it. I really think you can’t go wrong with *any* digital camera nowadays, and my recommendation is to stay with the brand you’re familiar with. IS is great to have, to help offset the camera shake.

My only advice? Figure out how to disable the flash as soon as you take it out of the box. On-camera flash is evil.

• All I want for Christmas is…

I told Vic I wasn’t going to make a list…but I guess I lied.

I want a silver/platinum/white gold wedding band to match the platinum past/present/future ring he got me last year for Christmas. My gold band clashes. Maybe some small hoop earrings to match. (my birthday is in February – how conveeennniiient!).

I really want a Kindle. But they’re crazy to get ahold of lately so I know it’s not possible.

Front-loaders. Oh WAIT!! I have those! <insert happy dance>

Ummm…That’s really it.

Happy Sunday!