No better way to wake up this morning than to read an article by "professional" photographer, David duChemin about the confessions of a photographer. I encourage anyone who uses a camera to read this article! Click here!. Kudos to ^kkart for sharing this link. The following is a comment I posted on David's blog:

"Great article! A refreshing reminder that none of us are “perfect,” even those who may be considered “pro’s”

I, too, have noticed myself shooting with high ISO’s more often than I should. More often now that I use a Nikon D300S where it’s so easy to change the ISO, I often forget I did. That, in contrast to my previous D40 where I had to press half a dozen buttons in the menu to do so, it was a little easier to remember to change back.

As far as shooting wide open too often, I feel the opposite. As a scapes photographer, I probably close the aperture more than I need to. In recent months, I have tried hard not to stop down past f/16 to avoid diffraction, but somehow I always seem to slip down to f/22 when I feel I could use the longer stop in shutter speed.

While I have only been shooting for a couple years, I have definitely seen an improvement in my work, yet at the same time realize I have a very long way to go. For me, photography is an ever-lasting learning experience. However, I feel that getting caught up the moment is often more of a reward than actually getting some good shots at the end of the day. I love nature and everything it has to offer, so even when I come home with nothing but scraps, I’m more than happy to do it all over again.

Thanks for sharing your confessions. I bookmarked this page for later reference."

What are your confessions? Please comment here!

After two weeks with my new Nikon D300s, I must say how happy I am with it. This camera is amazing! I still haven't had a chance to give it a proper test in the field, but hopefully soon I will. Last weekend, I gave it a low-light/high-ISO test at a local rock show. I was amazed at the results. ISO 3200 at f/1.8 made shooting in the dark atmosphere easier than I could imagine, and the noise was still relatively low! As funny as it sounds, another feature I fell in love with is the auto-focus motor for older lenses. Up until now, I had to always use manual focus with my 50mm prime (limitation of the D40). But now that I can auto-focus any AF lens, I got the idea to look at more older glass. Nikon is known for the build quality of it's lenses in the 70's and 80's, so I ventured out to find myself a deal. I ended up picking up a Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF AI-S that dates back to 1988. This lens is one of the sharpest telephotos Nikon has ever produced before the new millennium. While it may not be as fast or sharp as the current 70-200's, the glass here is still phenomenal! For $120, it was a steal!! Definitely something to play around with in the coming months.

A bit of a disappointment however is the dAPRO camera bag. Don't get me wrong, while I do like it, I personally find the sling to be quite uncomfortable with the bag full of heavy equipment. Camera body with a lens attached, 2 additional lenses, and a flash were all I could fit inside, so it's not the most spacious either. As long as I don't plan to carry a lot with me, I won't be using this bag too often. I've shopped around, and have decided to pick up a LowePro Flipside 400 AW as my main bag instead. It should have more room to grow and be more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Not to mention, the benefit of security helped in my decision too.

All this new equipment makes me so hyped for shooting this year!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my journal. It's been a long winter, and winter is one of those seasons I just can't stand. I have been very busy too, so there hasn't been a lot of time to shoot, nor has there been a lot of time to be active on deviantART. I want to express my most sincere apologies for not responding to comments and favourites, but I am very thankful for all the support. With that aside, I'd like to share some good news!

I am the proud new owner of a Nikon D300s, a body I have been extremely impatiently waiting for. This is a big step forward from the Nikon D40, which I only had for the last year. I feel like I have been quickly advancing in my knowledge and skills as a photographer, and it's only fitting that I have equipment to match that. Coming soon is a new tripod (considering the Manfrotto 190XPROB with 804RC2 head. Other suggestions?), a new standard zoom lens (haven't decided for sure, but the Sigma 17-70mm looks like my best option), and currently en route is the dAPRO Camera Bag. A slew of new gear to get me started for another shooting season. I am so excited for this year!

Looking back over the past 2 years, I can definitely see I have come a long way, and I also realize I have a long way to go. I guess what I enjoy most about photography is the learning experience. Every shoot, every subject, every lighting condition, every experience is something I learn from, and something I have to try harder to surpass. 2009 was quite the learning experience, to say the least. I had my ups (my first Daily Deviation) and some downs (dropping my D40 and Sigma 10-20 in a creek) but overall, I have to say I am proud of my achievements and what I have learned. I have no doubt 2010 will be an even greater learning experience. Let's do this!!

First of all, I want to express my apologies for not thanking anyone for their favourites over the last week. I have been terribly busy, and just haven't had the time. I am very very grateful though, so THANK YOU ALL!!! I also want to say sorry for taking a while to respond to messages too, but I'm doing my best to keep up. I'll try to make a better effort to keep up from now on.

There's not a whole lot else to say, really, but here's a quick rundown of the past month. Since I've been busy with other matters, I've only done a couple shoots. Both were places I felt like revisiting - the Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park (thanks to my friend =Andrea-Reyes for inspiring me to go), and Point Atkinson (thank you Mother Nature for being on my side). A few shots from each are already in my gallery, but if you'd like to see more, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'll be seeing The Fury again on Saturday. I recently picked up a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight, so hopefully it helps at the show. I'm saving up for a Nikon D300 or D300S to replace my doomed D40, and I'm hoping I get a chance to pick up a Sigma 17-70mm as soon as I can. Last but not least, an opportunity has arisen for me to improve my photography overall. Not releasing details yet until everything is finalized, but I will say that this shall be the best thing to have ever happened to me from a professional point of view. Trust me, it's a big step!