Test Drive

So yesterday I finally took the plunge and upgraded my photography gear to include a Nikon D5100 with a few accessories.

I'm going to be working hard to pay it off but man....what a beaut.

Obviously I had to take it out for a test drive immediately. And then blog about it (duh).

But just to warn you, I don't have Photoshop yet so none of these pictures would make it on Instagram. 

oh the sky....everytime I look up, I fall in love with the universe all over again.

(cheesy? maybe. but you'll get over it.)

This patch of alyssum (white flowers in the foreground) is kind of amazing. Why? Because I planted the seeds LAST SPRING (like, of 2011) when I went through a gardening phase and they never bloomed. Not a single sprout. Until this summer. You cheeky flowers!

Artsy-fartsy shot of the evening sun peering through a bush and I regret nothing.

But since I'm solo-shooting my very first wedding in FIVE DAYS (panicking just a bit here), I thought I should probably take some people shots to practice. Unfortunately, I don't have a bride and groom just hanging out in my living room so I bribed my little brother with chocolate so he would model for me.

 Obviously he's very cooperative.

And photogenic. I don't know why this kid wasn't a Gerber baby.

But he can give me that runway model stare when he needs to.

Here he's demonstrating the importance of keeping those facial muscles limber.

But we were losing light so I told him to get serious. This is him thinking about war and pestilence in foreign nations.

 FINALLY a decent smile.

 ...and then he knocked me to the ground and laughed like a loon so I knew we were probably done for the day.

Oh well, thanks for being a good sport for 10 minutes, Sp.