Birds of Prey!

I made it out to the Raptor Centre this past weekend!  *Insert happy dance here*  I love it there, so many beautiful birds!  Every time I go they have more, they even had two Kookaburras there!  The shots I got, however, I was less than impressed with.  (No fault of the camera, it was all operator error.)  I got quite a few good Eagle images, but the Hawks and Owls were hit and miss.  I guess I still need more quality time with my new camera.

Here are the Bald Eagle shots.  He had a feather stuck to his beak which I found distracting, so I edited it out of most of the pictures.  But, I did leave a few "au natural" for those that might prefer that :)

Peregrine Falcon:

Spectacled Owl (isn't he the cutest thang?):

Turkey Vulture:

I also tried taking a video for the first time too.  (I keep forgetting my camera does that!)  I came across this Hawk having a bath, so I thought that deserved to be seen in video.  Note to self: use a tripod when shooting vid and leave excitable toddler at home haha!

Guess Who...

got a new camera?  That's right, I did!!  I got the Nikon D7000 and I LOVE it!!  A nice step up from the D80 that's for sure.  I haven't had the chance to take it through its paces yet, but what stands out so far is how sharp the images look at a high ISO.  I can't get over it!  With my old camera I was hesitant to shoot above 400, but with the D7000 I've shot over 1000 indoors and been happy with the results.

Here's an example of ISO 1600:

It's been easy to switch between bodies.  The majority of the buttons are in the same places and the menu is very user friendly.  There are a ton more settings on this camera though, and it will probably take me a while to get everything how I'd like it.  I'm itching to get out to the Raptor Centre so hopefully I will get out there this weekend and give the D700 a good test run.
 
In the mean time, here are some images from my Mom's garden :)  I only did very minor adjustments on them, they are pretty much as shot.  Have I mentioned how much I love this camera?!

(This image was cropped only.)

(Only cropped, no other edits.)

(Contrast bumped up slightly.)

Oh, and I have to share a shot of my sweetie-pie! 

Arab Show

I went to the VIAHA show on the weekend.  It was warm and dusty but I had a great time and saw some beautiful horses!  I took lots of pictures, so if you were in the show and would like copies of any images just send me an email.  (I also have many more that I won't be posting here, so just send me a message with a description of your horse:)  I'm hoping to make it to the next show in August and I can't wait!

Paula and Carlos are Engaged!

My friends Paula and Carlos are getting married this summer, so I just had to do their engagement shoot!  We went out to Fort Rodd Hill and had so much fun.  I dragged them all over the place and they were such good sports!  Great models too, I had a blast taking their photos! 

Congrats you two!  You make the cutest couple ever and I can't wait to shoot your wedding!!