Canon 15mm Fisheye vs. Sigma 10mm Fisheye

Well, the Fisheye Lens simply got it's name from it's obvious
appearance. The way that these lenses protrude mimics
an actual fish eye thus giving spherical dimension to an image.

Here's a couple of samples from my Canon 15mm 2.8






**Keep in mind that the closer you are to your subject
with a fisheye lens, the stronger the distortion.
It's really a fun lens to have in your bag!

Now here's a few from the Sigma 10mm 2.8







Oh, and the bottom 3 (of Boo) I had placed the Sigma
lens on my 10D so you can see a dark vignette around
the images. That's because unlike my Mark 3, the 10D
does not have a full frame sensor therefore you get that
lovely (yuck) black vignette around your images. Not nice.

Well, they both run between $650 and $700 so be sure
that you get what you want/need. B&H was happy to allow
me the time to order the Sigma, test them side by side
and then return one. I chose to return the Sigma...for now!

Enjoy.

New Pro Site 4 Viewing/Purchasing!

WOW! It's JUNE!!! WHAT?

Yay! I'm so excited to share with you my newest toy.
Well, first there was the fisheye lens a couple of weeks
ago but NOW I have a new site in which you can view &
purchase my stuff. I'm still playing around with it a
little but here it is ~ SmugMug.
I'd love to know what you think. I mean about things like
the functionality of it and all (well the images too, go
ahead and comment on them as well!).

I had the most FABulous time yesterday morning with
Jenn & Andy. I had them meet me in St. Paul Sunday morning
and we traipsed around for awhile and even ended up at
the Farmer's Market. Jenn and Andy were so awesome!
They were willing participants and were open to suggestion.
We hit this grungy alley way and had some fun. LOVE St. Paul!
Well, I plan to work on their images this week so check back
in a few days I'm certain to put up some teasers for you.

About Face(book).

This will be the last time I talk about Facebook.
Having been in the news a lot, recently, regarding
their "privacy policies" just seemed to tip the scale
for me. That said, I made the decision, on Wednseday night,
to yank my account for the last time. I mean, really,
I can get across everything I need to right here on my blog,
you know, the old fashioned way! ;) So, freedom once more!
If you need to know what projects I'm up to or planning,
just c'mon back here to my blog as I will attempt to
make a move in the direction of keeping this more about
my work than my life. With the wedding season just around
the corner, that should be easy!

I've also decided to give mobile me a go. It's totally
awesome! I've kind of been lurking around it for a year
or so but decided, Wednesday, to take it for a spin.
This will simplify everything for me as it magically
connects my laptop, my iPhone and my desktop computers
without docking my phone!
I enter a meeting in my phone and it goes to both of
my other computers and vise~versa. TOtally cool!
I mean, I rarely pulled up my iCal on my laptop because
it wouldn't be current...problem solved.
This is really a no brainer, I'll be signing up in 60 days.
Thanks Apple!

More Snow.

More of the white stuff on the way.
Gary will drive right into it on his way
home from South Dakota. YIKES.

I'm officially done Christmas shopping as
of today. YAY! Well, that doesn't necessarily
mean that I won't shop more, I'm just done with
all the required gift buying! ;)
Now it's onto the fun stuff..ME!

Let's see, I already got myself the flip video
camera which I am aDORing! But I think that's
what everyone should do, just go out and get
themsELVES a little somthin' somthin' and call
it a day...I think that's why the word "elves"
is in "themselves"..hmmmmmmmmm~ good one!

I'm posting a video that I shot with my flip.
It's Boo and his first Christmas tree experience.

Kindle

Do you own a Kindle?
I am a self proclaimed non-book reader.
I don't know what happened to me but at
an early age I decided that books were for
school. Now, please don't confuse not wanting
to read with not being able to read.
Rest assured I can read. ;)

That said, I have to remark that I have
indeed read many books but
I also must add that they are never in the
"novel" category...I am most likely to read
a biography or a "how-to" or even a, oh, I
don't know....a DIET book or 4 (who's counting).
So I think that I'm not really convinced, at
this stage in the game, to shell out the $400
to just "look cool". For now, I'd rather get 7
tanks of gas! ;)

Moving on.

Today I am going to meet with an old friend
for lunch. His name is Dan Butter. Our families
grew up near one another and we attended then,
and do now, the same church. Dan has an interest
in photography and wants to discuss career moves
with me. I was flattered when I got the call.
I look forward to seeing him later today and I'll
share more on that tomorrow.

How about Twitter? I love that application.
Do you twitter? Staja Studios just started!

So, here's a shot I took of Pat Benatar at the Starkey Gala last Saturday.



My friend, Cheryl MacLennan, made mention that
one or more of my images would get published.
How cool is that (at the risk of tooting my
own horn!)??

Have a great day...we need the rain that's coming
but Iowa doesn't....Pray.

SQUARESPACE

My Pro Blog is up @ SQUARESPACE.

Ready, set, more!
More images, more ideas, more blogging, more me!
I'm really excited about this cool new tool.
I know that it will be another thing to do
but I love the idea of sharing information that
relates to what I do.

People ask all the time....
"what kind of camera should I get?"
"where do you buy your stuff?"
"why are my images fuzzy?"
"how do I get the background to blur?"
"I set it on auto focus, why is it not in focus?"
"who do you use for your developing?"
"what's a good all purpose lens?"

I get jazzed and all fired up when I get to talk
shop with clients, neighbors and friends..
even family. I love all of it!
This will be a place for me to share all that.

If you ever feel that you want to ask, you can
always go there and ask.

Hey, I'm going to run out real quick and see
my sister's kittens!

Have a great day.

Peace.

whose better than me today???

check this out...i grabbed this off my
Quitnet page~

My Stats:
Your Quit Date is: 5/5/2003 12:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free: 1705 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes and 39 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 34119
Lifetime Saved: 8 months, 20 days, 15 hours
Money Saved: $6,824.00

I quit smoking nearly 5 years ago!
Pretty amazing...Yay me! :)
On the anniversary day each month QuitNet
sends out a notice of accomplishment that
starts out..."Whose better than YOU today?!"
I like that....I like it ahlat (dumb & dumber)

Well, if you didn't notice, I posted a blog
late last night so check the one that's
just below when your done reading this one.

Today, I get to relax.
Gary and I have no plans. Feels so good.
Except that I almost feel like i must
be forgetting something....I MUST have to
be somewhere, right?
Nope, I triple checked. wheeeew!

I may dive into a new book that I got as
a gift from my friend Jacquie (notice that I
am beginning to capitalize for 2008!)
Anyway, it's called Chazown (pronounced
khaw-ZONE), from the Hebrew, meaning a dream,
revelation or vision...I'm intrigued!



Heck, I may save it for the plane...

My amaryllis bulb that I received from
Gary's mom on Thanksgiving had opened~
I think about a bloom a day this past week.
I missed the opening of each of them but
now it sure looks lovely... Thanks Bonnie!
I hate it when I'm too busy to even SEE
the flowers, let alone smell them!



Here's some fun from New Year's Eve at the
Airport Hilton in Bloomington, MN....

Check out the gorgeous ballroom at the Hilton!





Don Shelby was our Emcee for the night.



This is Kyle...he joined us this year.



Here's Kyle a couple years back at one of
the MiracleKids Triathlon in Chanhassen.
He was going through treatment at the time
and was attending the event as a VIP!!
I'm so glad you were there on New Year's Eve!



This is the gal that won the "birthday raffle" bike!



And the balloon drop at midnight!!

last minute shopping...

anne & nicki are going to pick me up
around 10 today to head out and throw
ourselves to the wolves!
ordinarily i would say "let's just
slit our wrists and get it over with!"
but today i think it will be more fun
than work.

ya see, i'm done shopping and just
simply want to bop around the southdale
area and the galaria. it'll be festive
and alive and i could use that right
about now. i'be been in the house working
for too long and need to get out!

alright...i just got off the phone with
anne and she is up to her double d's in
wrapping gifts. it's the only time
she can haul the hidden treasures out
and get 'em under the tree so the kids
don't get a glimpse. i told her to relax
and get it done..no worries.
guess i'd better call nicki and change
the plan for the day.

here' ben (anne's oldest) giving me a
bed jump when i stopped over the other night.



baby eva...sheena's niece's daughter



frost from the other day...so beautiful!



momf board member gift boxes that i put
together the other day. inside each one
is a gift card for a portrait session.
thanks karen!



have i mentioned lately how much i absolutely
LOVE my iphone!???

gotta run...

blog not?

i nearly didn't get this opportunity but
i'm so glad i did. it's really become a
part of my daily routine and i apologize
for posting so late on a saturday but
here goes...

after getting up and running out to get coffee
and cream and then cleaning, gary's brother
came over to, among other things, install my
new leopard program on my G5, my G4 powerbook
and my imac. i know you are asking yourself~
"why does sue need so many darn computers?"
my answer is...i like them. happy? ;)

well, soon after, i experienced a bit of
sickness and had to just lay down...3 & 1/2
hours later? a million bucks! i like napping
anyway so i got to, you know...kill 2 birds.

well, this operating system is quite amazing
and so far everything they said it would be.
and for me, lately, that's a relief!
it's very futuristic looking and the interface
is as well...so cool! i mean, it's not a baby
like ian or anything but nonetheless, i love it!
i'm pretty certain that i will mention it again
so watch for a more in depth review from
yours truly!

okay, moving on...
i met two amazing families yesterday at the
airport hilton (the hotel with a heart!).
first a 15 year old young man afflicted with
cancer that can't wait to turn 18 so that he can
marry his sweetheart (who was also in attendance)





then a bit later the other family arrived.
this little guy is quite the inspiration.
he's 7 and a boatload of energy! he and his
11 year old brother were a little concerned
that we weren't staying (that was totally aDORable!)
but before we left i had little "m" give me
one of his best "bed~jumps" for me...not bad
for a kid battling cancer!



megan flew to town from chicago and i told
her to pop by the hilton so we met in the
lobby and i had her follow me home where
gary was preparing a nice dinner.
we sat up late and talked and looked a photos
until she needed to head out (she is shooting
a wedding at the st. paul historic museum today).
she's worried that i will take over all the
bella weddings in minneapolis now that i am
certified with them. :)
thanks megan, for making the time to get
together. i know you had a busy schedule.
we will be down to see you very soon.
(NWA has like $50 one way tickets to chicago).

well, now it's about 8pm and gary and i just
got back from a lite dinner at the green mill
and we are going to venture outside for a
little bon fire. ron and cindy are going
to join us....good night.

meet mark...

well, i never thought i would see the
day the i could love 2 men at the same time.
here's my new camera! (shot, of course,
with my incredibly reliable 10D that
will NOT be put to pasture just yet).

it nearly killed me to wait the 2 hours to
charge the battery. OMG!!!
i used that time to read my manual
and locate everything. this capture
device is CRAZY cool, unlike anything
i have seen and everything they said
it would be!

upon heading out the door to dinner
with this camera in hand gary says...
"could you just leave it for once!"
and i'm like, "ahh...new camera...
9th anniversary??"
gary won this one.

we went to campiello in eden prairie.
wow! why don't we go there more often?!

this place, albeit in a strip mall,
is so fabulous! seriously!
first, they tried to seat us across
the table from one another and i
insisted, in that it was our anniversary,
that we sit next to each other.
soon everyone knew that it was our
9th anniversary and we were treated
like celebs!
our waitress, nicki, was incredible.
everything she recommended we ordered.
even the desert which to me tasted like
Christmas! sooo delicious.

thanks nicki for all the perfect
suggestions and making our anniversary
dinner a night we won't soon forget!

oh, a shredded green apple/crushed walnut
and fetta salad with a balsamic/dijon dressing,
short ribs...pork tederloin in a fig
reduction, and this scrummy blueberry/almond
cakey~cookie thing with vanilla gelato!
holy hanna!! you gotta go.....NOW!!!

sorry, no photos cuz "herr gary" wouldn't
allow me to bring it along...turd.
no, seriously...love you, mean it!

gotta run....again!

jacquie, call me the instant you are
on the ground tomorrow!!!!!! :)

some great people...

pressing some fare trade java this
morning (from dunn bros.)..yum, and
checking out bob and dawn davis' blog.
i subscribe, so i get update information
sent to me automatically, it's nice.
i love to see what they are up to.
they are my "bar". these are real
people with a real passion and those
are folks i care to align myself with.

my next bella pictures wedding is
september 8th and i am working with
a bella coach to review my 8/11 wedding.
this is becoming a really terrific experience.
i won't ever be one to say that i know
it all or that i've done it all cuz
i don't and i haven't. i never want to
stop pursuing more in the field of
photography. and besides, it changes everyday!


next, i wanted to share some of the fun
from the "after party" for the triathlon.
greg and mary sumner hosted a fabulous
bash! here they are in the kitchen...




here's jennifer mixin' up the smoothies..



here's joe and jennifer cox, owners of
cornerstone grill~divine grilling & catering.
this meal was outstanding! i recognized them
from church...westwood community church.
if you have an event coming up PLEASE call them.
(612) 618-5653...this will be the best call you
ever made for catering your next party!!!



here' the sumners other girls...
bella & tess. aren't they gorgeous?!



tony schiller (race director), becky chepokas,
mitch's mom, mary and another guest (?)...



i brought along my laptop to run a slide show
of the day, it was nice to have the rainy afternoon
to put that together and share it at the party!

it's getting steamy here again. time to shut
the windows and turn on the air!

jacquie, i put you down at 5pm on thursday.

oh, i forgot to mention that my shootsac arrived
saturday. i'm looking forward to putting it
to use soon! yes, it's kinda spendy but you
should see what i bought that cost nearly
the same. i returned that one and will now be
sporting my new, stylish shootsac by jessica claire.

this humidity is KILLING me!!!!!

miraclekids triathlon...

this'll be short.
i'm heading out at 6:00am today
to lake ann in chanhassen to cover
the miraclekids triathlon.

this is the 3rd year that i will
be involved with this fabulous event!
wait...is it the 4th???
well, i've been there since the
beginning anyway. i lose track.

over 800 kids expected to participate
in this year's event!! soooo cool!
anyway, the forecast is for rain and
i just won't have it!
(altho' i'm packing my golf~rain gear
just in case).

i'll post more tomorrow (sunday).
but here's some shots from last year...







the minnesota miracle families were
awesome and soooo grateful!
kudos to the hilton for another great job!
i actually toured the kitchen this time.
paul the souse chef gave me and julie
(one of the mom's) a grand tour and it
was pretty incredible! (eric is off
visiting his family and was not in for
this weekend's event).

my lens is completely and utterly every-
thing i expected and more!
i'll post images tomorrow so check back.

after the hilton visit i met gary at
ciao bella for dinner...jimbo, as many
of you know is gary's best friend, was
there for a couple of beers and then left
us alone to enjoy our "date night"....

gary and i had another bon fire last night
and just soaked up the silence!
a lovely evening...

LOVE my new lens...
check back sunday for triathlon images and
hilton family shots as well.

i LOVE my job!! :)

weather or not...

um, yea...that would be weather.
we got hit, yet again, with another
doozy of a storm. that makes for
3 in 3 days! we didn't lose power or
anything like that (many more folks
did, however) and this time it came
through at a "reasonable" hour!
we turned all the lights off and
lit candles in the living room and
sat on the sofa and watched it come in.
(a bottle of cabernet would have been nice!)
SO electric! the sky was lit like
daylight through most of the storm.
all is well. however, gary was shouting
"c'mon storm, daddy needs new siding!"

jessica strickland. what can i say?
wow! she said that she doesn't like it
when people say that she talks a lot.
so let me just say that jessica had
a lot of information to share. and respectfully
i must add that the room was hot (the air
was out in that end of the building) and
what she had prepared to share...seriously,
i wanted to hear....so i was thankful that
she was there to speak, had much to share and
in a warm room where it would have been
too easy to doze off in the back row,
i sat front and center and she held my
attention the entire day/evening!
thanks again jessica for taking the time
to come and speak to our group.
this was her very first speaking engagement~
you'd have never known had she not
divulged that information!

she spoke about a gadget that she uses
to tote around her lenses (designed by
jessica claire) called the shootsac.
something that i decided i needed to have.
i'm sick and tired of trying to locate a
safe place to lay my big bag with my lenses
in it. i'll tell you more about it when
it arrives...i also purchased a new lens.
so i'm excited for fedex to get here this week!!
i feel a little like a junkie at my computer.

hilton families on friday and the big
miraclekids triathlon in chanhassen is saturday!

gotta run....

canon 580ex II...

i checked with ups this morning and my
new flash is out for delivery! i'll have
it later today, then i can send my 580ex
in for repairs. yay!

i should also have baby elizabeth's
portraits back from white house custom
colour today too. they "rush" for us
(nilmdts) at no charge. they are so wonderful!
if you are not currently working with
the folks at white house custom colour
and you are a professional shopping for
a lab, look NO further!! call them today!

i'll be putting a dvd slideshow together
this morning when i get off the blog.

it's a gorgeous day, as was yesterday.
cool (low 70's) sunny~breezy!
enjoy it while it lasts...it's supposed
to get steamy again real soon!

quiet day today. nice, actually.

tomorrow i'll be at the Hilton to
photograph a 2 year old leukemia patient
as the family checks in for a relaxing,
worry free weekend there put on by the
Minnesota Miracle and the Airport Hilton.

after which, i will be heading to
megnan & randy's rehearsal for their
saturday wedding..weather is looking
fabulous for saturday...not so hot and dry!
hoping to get some really terrific
fire house shots on the way to the
reception!! i hope they have a pole
for megnan to slide down!! :)

today is a gift, that's why they
call it the present! :)