But I’m not just taking on weight here, this ‘rethinking’ goes both ways. And so I sold my 70-200 f/2.8.  It freed up some space in my bag (and dollars in my pocket!). And since I bought the 135mm f/2, I really had no more use for the 70-200.

I recently had a few chances to try it out, and I really like it!  A technical complaints are that wide open it suffers from some chromatic aberration when looking at the image 1:1.  But by the time you stop down to f/2 it already is getting pretty close to the newer current version.  And since I’m all about this stuff paying for itself, be it via clients or selling un-used gear, it was well worth the sacrifice.  Not to mention, I only expect to use it completely wide open in very low light, and in these cases CA isn’t such a big deal.

Here are a few snaps with the 24mm while walking through the quarter with a couple friends last week. They were going for a last walk before leaving town, and I was looking to try out my lens in an outside setting, so it worked out well.

5D2 • 24/1.4

Every year, we (even Brent) go out to take pictures on their anniversary.  As you can see, the hardest part of all this is keeping a straight face.  I have so much fun it’s not even funny.

wait.

Nevermind, here are my favs:

You can see the pictures from last year here.

TECH STUFF: au natural. Yesterday evening between six and seven. Shot on the 5DII with a 24-105/f4 (spent most of the time around 24mm) @ ISO 400. Location: French Quarter, New Orleans.

Turns out it’s pretty sharp. I was pleasantly impressed.

Also, being an old lens, it exhibits some “features” that new lenses don’t. I played around with a little of that, too.  Here’s what I got:

P.S. I’ll do a proper ‘product’ shoot and put a picture of this lens up soon (along with the DIY).

Here the girls were preparing gift bags to deliver to the women they meet.

And this is where I left them. Them going into the strip clubs. Me getting back in the car. :)

Saturday morning, I met with my good friend Sal who was showing Nathan, an old friend of his, around the city. We started at Cafe du Monde and migrated from there.

But as I was walking to meet them, it occurred to me how long it had been since I walked around downtown early in the morning; I had forgotten how peaceful and calming it can be with all the shops closed and only a select few people walking around.

Upon arrival, Cafe du Monde was full, but not quite line-down-the-block-full as it would be in a few hours.  We chatted over some beignets, and soon after we went to the Clover Grill Cafe for full, artery-clogging breakfast (and for the record, I’m very grateful for full, artery-clogging breakfasts, absolutely nothing wrong with that).

From there we walked more and talked more. A little bit later Katie met up with us, and we hit up the French Market.

James:

Neal. I asked if I could take his picture. He assumed I meant with Nathan. I went with it.

If you’re not familiar, I’m doing an ongoing project in the city of portraiting baristas (and now diner-ers).

This is a guy, who’s name, I think could start with an S.  He works at the Clover Grill Cafe on the corner of Bourbon and Dumaine in the French Quarter.  Nice guy.  Brought us food.

While we were there, I ask Blossom, the barista, if she would be a part of my ongoing project about coffee baristas around the city, and she did.  Plus, she was really pretty.Blossom:

Okay, my evening was already clear, but whatever.

Anyway.

We had lots of fun because there is so many places to shoot there: on the roof, in the courtyard, down the alleyway, on the garbage cans… Right, the last part was visionary. But what most people tend not to recall is that visionaries always keep their day job. Don’t hold me to any of this stuff.

Oh, and I almost forgot, about six months ago I posted a poem she wrote called Cacophony. It’s awesome, and I love it–check it out!

Here’s Hannah.

I think this was a ‘super hero.’  Super Hannah.
graduation pose.I found my camera kept involuntarily honing in on the shoes. This was, hands down, my favorite shot!  It’s actually now in my portfolio.This shot, like the one above, made me very happy. I smiled. Sometimes I feel so lucky to be pointing the camera in the right direction at the right time, because I’m pretty sure that is the determining factor in getting shots like these. All random chance, really. There. My secret. Oh, and a beautiful Hannah. Both of those.