The 7 Sisters–Moscow’s Stalinist Skyscrapers

Back during my Moscow Trip in September 2009, one of the most interesting things we saw were the Stalinist  Skyscrapers known as the 7 sisters.  
The first one we saw, was the near the Kievsky Train Station…  on the morning of Arrival

We later found out this was the Ukrainya Hotel.  

Other Pictures we took while on the river trip later in the day Follow...

Flowers in the Field

Just a few flowers in fields for today…
Taken with ...Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
First picture Zoomed in at 300mm f/5.6, with 1/800s



More pictures Follow...

In Memory of a trip to Moscow

Moscow, the ancient and current seat of the Russian people.  A City full of history, culture, and art.  The people, the food, and even the Metro are full of interesting things… When I was there in September 2009, I took many pictures with my Nikon Coolpix P80.  Here are a few
One of the most amazing sights in my life, Turning a corner, and as we are about to cross the bridge, I see this.  about 7am Moscow time:

Yes, that’s St. Basil.. and here it is clearer shot that afternoon from the river.


More pictures Follow...

12 Years of Nikon DSLRs

June 15th Marked the 12th anniversary of Nikon's first DSLR, the D1.

Andy E.'s Photo Blog did a very nice tribute, to the Nikon D Family After 12 years, here the whole collection of Nikon D Series Cameras...
from top to bottom, from left to right:
1. row: D1, D1H, D1X, D100, D2H, D70, D2X
2. row: D2Hs, D50, D70s, D200, D2Xs, D80, D40
3. row: D40x, D3, D300, D60, D700, D90, D3X
4. row: D5000, D300s, D3000, D3s, D3100, D7000, D5100

And to give you all a good Idea of when each were released:

Those above the “Date” line are full frame (FX), and those below are APS-C (DX) format.  Missing from the list is the D5100, released recently.
And here’s my baby… the D7000.  An amazing picture of it…

The blog post is amazing, and very full of historical information, so please have a look. at Nikon D Family on Andy E.'s Photo Blog.

A Dog Named Puma

I was visiting a friend a week or so back, finding that there was a a cute little dog she and her daughter were caring for.
Here are some pictures of Puma.
with Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, zoomed at 105mm, f/5.6, 1/15s

Puma just after a bath…

More pictures follow...

My Photography Toolbox

I’ve been asked a number of times, to post a little about my cameras, and lenses.  I’ve finally gotten around to posting a little bit about what I shoot with. 
In November 2010, I finally made the decision move to a DSLR, and was thinking of the Nikon D3100. I had read about both the Nikon D3100 and the Nikon D7000 on many sites, especially www.dpreview.com and www.kenrockwell.com, with the goal of using my Dad’s old Lenses, especially the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AI-S.   It wasn’t until I actually shared the idea with my mom, and we had a chance to check out both of the cameras, that the decision was made to purchase the Nikon D7000


As you can see, I was easily able to mount the Lens, and it’s the best for my getting those special shots.  (This picture was incidentally taken with my old , Nikon Coolpix P80 that’s still very usable.

At the time, of purchase, I bought the Kit, which along with the body, included the , Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR.  This gave me a Good wide angle zoom, but having been used to the P80 I was spoiled, and eventually had to add the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR to my collection.  I quickly also purchased an eye-cup, as I found using the viewfinder was definitely better than the LCD (especially for saving battery life).

My next important addition was to get an external Flash. Having rented an SB-900 for a practice shoot, it became clear that I needed a real flash. The Nikon Flashes Compared article on KenRockwell.com helped as well as his review of Nikon SB-700 Flash. What I love best about it is the fact it comes with a diffuser, and it works well for as a remote flash, and that it doesn’t overheat the way the SB-900 does.

I also found I wanted a more solid feeling from camera, and preferred the look and feel with a proper grip.  So I added the MB-D11 battery grip to my collection adding the option of either a second Li-Ion battery or 6-AA batteries.  It also provided Portrait mode set of controls, to ease taking portrait shots.

Eventually, I purchased the Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D for the days when manual focus is just too difficult. I then found I wanted something to get closer to the subject, thus purchasing the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G.

 

In my next post about my equipment, I’ll have some of the Sample shots I took different levels of Zoom and the use of tele-extenders.

Blog Redesign, and updates this week

Just a quick note this morning.

I've redesigned the blog layout after some feedback.  I hope you like it.
The background pic for now is a stock photo from blogger itself, but I will be changing it from time to time to my own photos.
During the week I will be scarce, so updates will be slow.

Some entries I plan over the next few weeks:

• A history of my camera's. - the Point & shoots
• What I shoot with today (My DSLR equipment)
• What I want to add to my equipment 
• some Older photos taken with my previous cameras.
• the above will be inter-woven with regular "recent" shots and posts.

As always, feedback is welcome.

3-way Street

Browsing around on the internet this past weekend, I came across thus very interesting video.

Ron Concocacola (his vimeo) basically put together the video to point out the issues New York City faced once bike lanes were put in, and the fact that people’s bad habits didn’t change.   The 3-way street refers to the fact the the street is shared by 3 entities.  Cyclists, Pedestrians, and Motorists.
Take the time to look at his blog, as well as this video below.


3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.
I’ve also continued viewing his blog, and there is a follow up also posted on there.

Photographing Kids up close again

Here’s a few more pictures of young kids & babies up close and Personal.   These 3 pictures are taken of the kids of friends.  and their beauty.  I specifically love taking pictures with as large an aperture as I can, minimizing my depth of field.   A great example is my picture of Emily from Thursday’s Post where I took the picture at f/1.2, yielding the great dreamy effects it provides.
Here’s Nevaeh again, Taken with Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G at f/1.8 with 1/80s

I had bought the 35mm specifically to take pictures of Nevaeh only a few hours earlier, and these pictures proved for me I had made the right decisions.


More pictures of kids follow...

Where Pines and Needles Grow -- Back in Toronto, June 3rd

To finish off the Pines & Needles set, here are some much closer to home...


These final pictures were taken  in North York around Sheppard and Leslie

Here’s a rough part of the location on Google Maps

These first ones are taken using Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Zoom 70mm,  f/5.3  1/250s


More pictures follow...

Photographing Kids Up Close

One thing I always love to do, is to photograph kids up close, these 2 pictures were taken at a baby shower back in January.    The second is one of my favorite pictures taken ever, especially considering it was an accidental shot.  On the camera it looked like garbage.. but when I saw it on my monitor,  I saw a story within.

Both pictures were taken with Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AI-S

 

f/1.2 at 1/60s  I love how her curiosity shows through!,

also f/1.2 at 1/60s  This little one looks like she’s making a wish… ,

Where Pines and Needles Grow – Ottawa–Part 2

Thes pictures were taken on the Victoria Day weekend, On May 22nd, just 4 days after the last set.

You have got to love the speed at which mother nature moves in the spring...

These were taken on a different day with… Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Zoom 220mm, f/5.3 1/250


More pictures follow...

Get Fuzzy .. or was that Orion

My friend is a computer wiz/geek/nerd and proud of it.
Form months now, She has been wanting to get a cat harness, so she can carry her cat, while she walks her dog, just like in the comic: Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley


Get Fuzzy,  March 26, 2005. 



A few weeks back, she we found something perfect.  A baby pouch, that was perfect for little Orion, and here are the results… Taken using  Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
at 55mm f/4.5 1/125s  Orion may have seen a squirrel


More pictures follow...

Where Pines and Needles Grow–Ottawa–Part 1

With the coming of spring, and the new season, pines go through their annual rejuvenation.  One thing I’ve always found interesting was to have them shot up close.
Here are some pictures I’ve recently taken of Pines and others in the family…  on May 18th

Taken with Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
at 66mm f/5.3, 1/100s


More pictures follow...

Dock Luna, Dock!

My friend has a Dog named Luna,
One of the Key words are "DOCK".. here's what happens when one yells "Luna, Dock"

I absolutely love how she just dart's to the end of the dock, and jumps in.

All these pics were taken with my Nikon D7000, and the lens in use is: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR  I had it focused at about 240mm  (360 equivalent on a full frame 35mm) with f/5.3, ISO 400 and 1/1000th shutter speed.





More Pictures follow:

Fun and Education at the Henry's Photo show

A few weeks back, I was at The Photographic, Video & Digital Imaging Show which is Hosted by Henry's School of Imaging, and the Toronto Star.

Being fairly new to DSLR Photography, it was amazing to see all that was out there, and to talk and network with people of all backgrounds and experience levels.There were many seminars / classes, and lots of stuff for sale.There was alos lots of exotic things to play with.

One lens I did consider was the Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM

These first two pictures are with that lens on ISO400,

at 10mm f/4.0  (35mm15mm)  shutter=1/20

at 20mm f/5.6  (35mm=30) shutter=1/10

More Pictures follow:

Follow-up to Yesterday's Post

Just a follow-up to Yesterday's Post, 

Here's a Picture of Paul when he was just hours old, with his dad.

This picture was taken using my Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

SUSHI! Tasty Tasty SUSHI!

Sushi is one of my Favorite foods…
and for just over a year now, our community has been lucky to have gotten a high quality sushi place next to us.

I’ve gone to many Sushi places, some wonderful, others awful,
some pricey, other cheap, some all-you-can-eat, others very restrictive.
I have come to learn that eating good sushi, in the GTA at least, is an experience.
If you get to know the owners staff, the level of quality and service increases, just like any other restaurant.
But even more true with Sushi, as freshness very important.

A good friend of mine always says… Your Fish is Unfresh and with Sushi, that’s bad!
So here’s where I go to.


Located at 107 Parkway Forest Drive, North York, ON

Every time I’ve been there, the staff greeted us warmly, and the service was great.
They’re not perfect, but whenever an error occurs, they are quick to fix it, and then some.
The food is always fresh, and delicious. Kudos to all the Staff!
Pictures of what I had I had Tonight, follow:

Seaweed Salad	Gyoza
Spicy Scallop Roll	Sushi and Sashimi

Started off with Seaweed salad, and Gyoza (Dumplings)
Followed by delicious Spicy Scallop Rolls, Sushi, and Sashimi.
Finished it off with a seafood fried rice dish,
Unfortunately no pictures this time, I will have some next trip.

Of baby hands and feet

One of my favorite passions is photographing  hands and feet of babies...

Its amazing how something so small  melts the hearts of many,
Precious and fragile as they are... a fraction of what they will become in weeks months, years.

Here are some of my favorites, that I've taken.

This are Paul, as he was 3 days old at the time.
Pictures were taken with my Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D at f/1.4

A Newborn's Hands

A Newborn's Feet

More Baby hands & feet  follow: