“Snowy Bridalveil Falls” Canon 60D, 18-135mm lens, f/11, ISO 400 AV mode

It’s been a very cold, dry winter here in the Sierra Nevada Mountains this year. Last weekend, we had a small winter storm that briefly blanket the Flying Aardvark Ranch with a lovely layer of snow. Even if it just rains here in the Winter, there will be snow in the mountains of Yosemite. So for my Valentine’s treat, Corey and I drove up to Yosemite National Park.

It was lovely at the park, even though it had only a few feet of snow on the rocky cliffs. The sky was mostly overcast, so I had to hope the clouds would break up before sunset. The trick to getting the best photo of Yosemite is having the right light at the right time. Even though the park has been photographed by many of the finest photographers in the world, there is always a chance of photographing something unique.

The clouds behaved nicely for me and there was blue sky and fluffy clouds late in the afternoon.I took the photo of Bridalveil Falls as much for the light on the falls as for the lovely pattern of snow on the hillside beside it.

How romantic can it be than sharing the beauty of Yosemite with the one you love?

“Pirate Wayne” Canon 60D, 18-135mm lens, f/10, ISO 640 AV mode

The photo of this week comes from the Yosemite Western Artists Friday art at Gertrude School. This Friday’s model was my friend, Wayne Boring, in his guise as a Pirate. Wayne is my all time favorite Father Christmas, and I have taken photos of him many, many times. Who can resist that smile?

I’ve posted my Valentine’s Day photos on my gallery. Hope you all have a fun time on the day of Hearts and Flowers.

“Camellia” Canon Rebel T1i, 50mm lens, f/2.8, ISO 200 AV mode

“Threnody for Kyra” Canon 60D, 50mm lens, f/10, 400 ISO AV mode

I have been using the Canon Rebel T1i for nearly three years. It took good photos and I was happy with it. I knew that eventually I was going to replace the Rebel camera. It’s classed as a hobbyist camera and I am a professional photographer. Nevertheless, I don’t think of myself as much as a photographer as a photographic artist. The magic comes from the post-processing. So the Rebel suited me fine.

Until it died last week…

So on Monday, as much as I hated losing the Rebel camera, I drove down to Horn Photo in Fresno in order to buy a new one. I picked out the the next level up of Canon cameras – the 60D. It offered better resolution, faster processing, and was better rated in low light situations. It could use the same lenses and memory cards that I had for the Rebel.

It was more expensive than the Rebel line and I needed to buy expensive batteries for it, but I hoped the advantages would justify the extra cost.

All I can say now is that the Canon 60D was worth the extra money I paid for it.

The images the 60d takes are sharper than any photo I took with the Rebel Camera. I did a lot of Still Life photography this week with low light situations, and it came through beautifully for me.

So I am actually glad that the Rebel died on me – it pushed me to the next level of photography.

“Kori Good” Canon 60D, 18-135mm lens, f/10, 320 ISO AV mode

I’m starting this year out with a new look for FAR Studio and a new set of commitments to carry me through the year.

In 2011, I resolved to learn how to truly use the features of the Canon Rebel T1i that I use for my photography. I wanted to expand my photography skills as well as my business.

I accomplished most of the goals I set out to last year. I took a great one-day class from professional photographer Peter Carey West that weened me away from the comfort zone of the automatic settings into taking full control of my camera. I joined Yosemite Western Artist group and went to their photography meetings. YWA has a Friday meeting with a live model that gave me a chance to really expand my portrait skills. I displayed in several art shows last year and sold some photos. I even won a photography contest for my dog photo.

My Website business also made money last year as I customized WordPress Themes and created new designs from scratch.

Welcome to 2012, the year of the Dragon. This should be an auspicious sign for a person who has spent most of her life involved with Dungeons & Dragons in one form or another.

My commitments for this year are to totally revise my website and really push the marketing aspects of my business. I will post a new photo of the week and a weekly blog in order to keep my photography skills honed and to keep you up to date with what goes on at the Studio.

I want to expand my photography skills with off-camera flashes and lighting. This week’s photo is an example of creative lighting.

I’m going to enter more art and photography shows this year. I’m also going to enter more photography contests.

Unfortunately, my photography career has already faced a major setback – my Rebel camera’s shutter mechanism is malfunctioning. So much for auspicious signs…

Here’s one of the last photos I took with my Rebel.

I love my Rebel and I’m sorry to see it go. But we’ll see where I can go from here.