First "Guys Night"

My Mom was planning a trip to the beach for a few days, staying with very good friends of our family, the Plourdes. Their place wasn't too far from my Mom and Dad in law's condo in York. I decided it might be nice if Morgan and I tagged along and spent a few days with Mom (Levesque). This was going to be a great time for a "Guys Night" with my buddy Morgan.

The only problem was getting the commanding officer (Christin) to sign off on this. Luckily it was granted with little fuss and we were on out way!

It rained on our way up and the rest of the evening, but we still took a quick walk to the beach to play in the sand. That evening we had take out from Billy's Chowder House in Wells. Clams for me, grill cheese and fries for Morgan. Back to House Maine, as Morgan calls it, for dinner and evening of palling around.

I don't normally get to be on the other side of the camera, but tonight I made an extra effort to get some pics of my buddy and I.
Right after dinner we had bath time and then on to Thomas the Train, cars and trucks...and some wrestle mania, he normally wins.















Here I wasn't playing right and Morgan had to lay down the law with some instructional push ups.











He felt bad after...

A few diapers into the evening (don't worry, no pics) and I realized something wasn't agreeing with his digestive system. Other than the runs, he was his normal self.

We ended up going to sleep around 12:30 after reading a few books.

Other than a few more diaper changes, he actually did great for his first time sleeping in a bed vs a crib. Even though he was in normal spirits the next morning, I didn't think it wise to venture down to the beach with his problem, so back home we went. We'll be back up there for a week mid July, I'll make it up to him then.

All in all, Guys Night was still a hit in my book and one of my favorite memories.

Great evening for the playground

Monday turned out to be a great day for going to the playground...twice! Morgan and I met my sister Angela and her son Kolby at Greeley Park in Nashua.

The rain finally gave way and the Sun came out for most of the day, warm with a cool breeze. It's been a mild Summer so far...just the way I like them.




Later that day, Morgan and I met Uncle Alex, Aunt Sarah and Anderson at a near by park here in Chelsmford. Last year, Morgan struggled to climb most of the more difficult playground equipment, this year however...he's all over the place! He prefers the sand box, but those high twisting/winding slides constantly call to him.

New CAMERA and New Blog!!!

This is my first post on my first blog. I figured quite a few of my other photography buds have one, why not me? Funny thing though, I'm not much of a talker, so don't be surprised if future posts are just mumbled grunts.

So, I finally snagged myself a Nikon D700!


I just can't put this camera down. I've already read the manual, it was so helpful (eyes rolling) that I ran out and bought the Magic Lantern Guide Book for it. I highly recommend all of their books, they go far deeper into the details than the manufacturer's manual.

Coming from the D200, the D700 has a solid camera body that fits nicely in my small hands (yes, small hands, ha ha). The 3" LCD is large, crystal clear and sharp.

Though the button layout is the same as most of Nikon's cameras, the image review buttons have a friendlier setup, particularly with the zoom. The menu is extensive and you can easily get lost, however, a welcoming feature is the "My Menu" option where you can setup your very own quick menu tab of all your favorite menu items/options.

The AF system, in my opinion, is simpler compared to previous Nikon cameras I've owned. And it goes without saying, fast and deadly accurate. Tracking moving subjects is a breeze compared to what I'm use to with the D200.

The WB is a little finicky and is taking sometime getting use to, same with the Picture Control. Like Goldilocks though, I'm close to getting it "just right" so as I have very little to no post processing.

At first I thought the Live View feature was a bit of a gimmick, however, it's actually a great feature adopted from today's P&S cameras. I can see this being very handy for use with landscapes and portraits while setup on a tripod. Hand held Live View isn't very handy (pun intended) in my opinion.

Some of the smaller bells and whistles I like are the;

Viewfinder Blackout Shutter










Virtual Horizon








Info Display (Viewed on the rear 3" LCD screen, with quick menu options)







Front connectors (no more screw caps to lose!)









Finally, the image quality, has to be the best I've seen and the high ISO IQ is remarkable. Telling the difference between ISO 200-800 is an exercise in splitting hairs. At ISO 1250 and 1600 I can virtually see no loss are perfectly usable.

(ISO 800)























(ISO 1250)























(ISO 3200)























It's a great relief to be a two camera body photographer again...now if I could only pry my D200 from my brother's hands!