Little Red

Another wonderful 109 degree day here in always hot and sunny Phoenix. Today I decided to get up early and head on over to The Desert Botanical Gardens to put the new lens to the test a little more.

I am a big fan of The Gardens and shoot a lot there in spring when the cactus are in bloom and also twice a year when they have the butterfly exhibits. I also try and use it for some of the photography workshops I teach.

Well today the blooms for the most part had long gone and the next butterfly exhibit is still a ways away. So when all else fails shoot little old lady's on scooters with bright red umbrellas.

In any case I like the shot.

The Rings

The rings are a very important part of the wedding ceremony. When I was a pastor for three years I use to say when marrying couples "The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond. It unites two hearts in love. The ring by its shape is a symbol of the undying love that exists between this man and woman."

Today I received my new Tamron 70-200 2.8 lens and thought I would snap a couple of photos with it and this was one of them. So far I like the lens. I like that it shoots at a minimum closeness of about 3ft and I like the cool way it switches from auto to manual focus by just pulling back on the focus ring.

I can't wait to put it through more testing in order to get more familiar with it and see how it fairs in the long run.

Kelly & Khon

Here is Kelly and Khon at Tempe Beach Park this past Friday as I photographed them for there engagement photo to display at their wedding on September 5th.

We were lucky that day because the temperature dropped a few degrees and it was only about 104 but there was also a nice little breeze and it didn't seem all that hot.

You know you live in a very hot climate when 104 doesn't seem so hot anymore.

I will be shooting their wedding at a new location called The Hidden Palace in north Phoenix. Now I just need to find a nice setting around there for pictures such as a park or resort.