My Photo Equipment

Did I mention that I'm just getting started in photography?

I've had my Canon Rebel XT for about a year or so. When I first got it I was extremely excited and wanted to learn everything I could about photography, but I did'nt have a lot of spare time on my hands because of school and work (I work 40 hours a week and I'm working on a dual masters in Human Resources and an MBA).

While I'm still in school and still working 40 hours, I've had a lot of time on my hands lately and have been able to work on my photography a lot more. Mainly I've just been reading and studying up on photography equipment and techniques. I've been reading a couple of blogs and websites that have been pretty helpful. Check out the Digital Photography School Blog for great photography tips.


So far, I still only have my trusty kit lens (Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6). Other than that I have a circular polarizer filter, a remote switch, lens cleaning supplies, a crappy tripod thats falling apart, a small camera bag, and two or three memory cards.

The next lens I'm going to buy is the "Nifty Fifty." This is the $80 Canon 50mm f/1.8. As you can see its really fast and apparently very sharp. I've heard nothing but good things about this lens despite its cheap price.

I mainly want to get this lens to work on my portrait photography. Allie asked me to take graduation pictures of her in her cap and gown, so she's given me an awesome project to test this lens out. My good friend Kristina is going to help me with this. She's also into photography and has access to her school's light kits. So she's gonna bring over some lights and umbrellas so we can shoot Allie.

Stay tuned for the results!

The Big Schloss

Shot Details: Canon Rebel XT with a Canon EF-S18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 at 18mm, f14, ISO 100

A few of weeks ago I went on a two day camping trip with some friends. We went to the George Washington National Forest in Columbia Furnace, Virginia. In just a few hours into our 12 mile hike, we made it to Big Schloss Peak, which is where I took this picture.

This was my first camping trip of the year and I wanted to work on my landscape photography. For this picture I used a circular polarizer filter to eliminate some of the haze in the atmosphere and give the sky a deep blue color. Later, in post production, I made some curve adjustments and cropped the image a bit to to get the composition I wanted. View the rest of my camping trip pictures here.

This was a great hike and it gave me a lot of time to think about where my life is going. In just a couple of months I'll be moving out of the D.C. area for the first time. My girlfriend Allie (the girl in the picture) decided to go to CU Boulder for her masters program.

While I'm really excited to move to Colorado, I'm also really nervous. I'm leaving my job, friends, and family to live in a place that I've never even visited. What makes this move even scarier is the fact that I won't have a job when I get out there. At the moment, I work in the human resources department at Georgetown University Hospital and I'm basically saving as much as I can so that I have money to live on while I'm unemployed in Colorado.

Despite all that, I'm actually starting to get really excited about moving. On the plus side, my best friend Ian lives out in Boulder. I'm really looking forward to rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and camping with him. Also, Allie's parents own a house near Boulder that we're actually going to live in while Allie is in school. This will DEFINITELY make the move a lot less stressful. I also hear nothing but good things about Boulder, which also helps. Finally, (and most importantly) moving out to Colorado means that I get to stay close to Allie. I've been with Allie for four years and she is absolutely amazing and nothing would suck more than to be thousands of miles away from her.

My name is Juan. I decided to create a photo blog to document my move and to keep me motivated to learn photography and get better at it. So please, let me know what you think of my pictures and tell me how I can make them better!