Hi all, Cody from Utah here. ; I've been lurking and meaning to start posting here for a while. ; I know quite a few of you already from the DIS or flickr, but certainly not everyone. ; So it's either nice to meet you, or feel free to skip this post ; :
For me, WDW and photography go hand in hand. ; I've been very interested since high school photo classes, but could never afford more than a basic P&S until my wife and I's first adult trip to WDW prompted me to finally buy a DSLR (Gdad/Jeff F's photos he was sharing at the time definitely influenced me too). ; It lit a fire in me and started a frenzy of learning that has been going ever since, both at WDW and in real life.
My wife and I were at WDW in Sept '07 and thought it was going to be "just one trip" before we started our family. ; Well that turned into "just one more trip" (Jan '08) and then "last one, we swear" (Sept '08). ; We were serious about that last one, though, because (as planned) my wife came home pregnant. ; Four months later at her first ultrasound, we got the shock of a lifetime... triplets! ; Our boys were born in April, and it has been a crazy/amazing/busy ride since. ; When they were a few months old, we found out by DNA testing that they are all identical (we only knew 2 were before). ; Disney magic is strong! ; 8)
We plan on taking them to Disneyland in the fall, and WDW next year, but I've been having a serious itch to get back to WDW now. ; Going with the whole family isn't an option right now for quite a few reasons, so I started toying with the idea of a solo trip. ; My wife gave her blessing a few months back, but I waffled back and forth on if I should do it for months due to the cost. ; Well, a week ago I was tempted by the $300 gift card offer and I decided to just go for it.. I'll be there in just 9 days - Jan 30 - Feb 4 - and I'm really looking forward to fun and lots of photo time ; (anyone else overlap these dates?)
My first DSLR was an Olympus E-510 w/ kit lenses + Sigma 30/1.4, and (later on) an Olympus 11-22/2.8-3.5 (LOVED this lens). ; It was a great camera, but about a year into it, I found myself frustrated by the limitations of entry-level gear. ; I decided for various reasons that the E-3 wasn't for me, so I ended up selling it all and switching systems to a Sony A700. ; I stayed in the body-stabilization camp because I think it offers fantastic value with third party lenses for those willing to make a few sacrifices vs OEM glass to save lots of money -- and I am!
I went "all in" when I switched systems, and bought almost everything (within reason) that I wanted. ; Here's my current lineup:
Sony A700, Sigma 10-20, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Tamron 70-200/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sony 50/1.4, Sigma 105/2.8 macro, Sigma EF-500 Super flash
I have far more gear than skill, but I'm making progress ; I'm a very technical person (programmer by trade) and have gotten very involved in the technical side of photography and post-processing, but my photographic "eye" is still catching up. ; Right now I'm using what hobby time I get to prepare to start a portraiture business on the side - my garage is currently a makeshift studio. ; Maybe someday I will get some studio lights, but for now I'm doing all my lighting strobist-style with flashes (old Vivitars).
Anyway, thanks for reading. ; My flickr is linked in my sig.. I thought I'd share some of my favorite WDW shots in the next post.
Cheers!
For me, WDW and photography go hand in hand. ; I've been very interested since high school photo classes, but could never afford more than a basic P&S until my wife and I's first adult trip to WDW prompted me to finally buy a DSLR (Gdad/Jeff F's photos he was sharing at the time definitely influenced me too). ; It lit a fire in me and started a frenzy of learning that has been going ever since, both at WDW and in real life.
My wife and I were at WDW in Sept '07 and thought it was going to be "just one trip" before we started our family. ; Well that turned into "just one more trip" (Jan '08) and then "last one, we swear" (Sept '08). ; We were serious about that last one, though, because (as planned) my wife came home pregnant. ; Four months later at her first ultrasound, we got the shock of a lifetime... triplets! ; Our boys were born in April, and it has been a crazy/amazing/busy ride since. ; When they were a few months old, we found out by DNA testing that they are all identical (we only knew 2 were before). ; Disney magic is strong! ; 8)
We plan on taking them to Disneyland in the fall, and WDW next year, but I've been having a serious itch to get back to WDW now. ; Going with the whole family isn't an option right now for quite a few reasons, so I started toying with the idea of a solo trip. ; My wife gave her blessing a few months back, but I waffled back and forth on if I should do it for months due to the cost. ; Well, a week ago I was tempted by the $300 gift card offer and I decided to just go for it.. I'll be there in just 9 days - Jan 30 - Feb 4 - and I'm really looking forward to fun and lots of photo time
; (anyone else overlap these dates?)My first DSLR was an Olympus E-510 w/ kit lenses + Sigma 30/1.4, and (later on) an Olympus 11-22/2.8-3.5 (LOVED this lens). ; It was a great camera, but about a year into it, I found myself frustrated by the limitations of entry-level gear. ; I decided for various reasons that the E-3 wasn't for me, so I ended up selling it all and switching systems to a Sony A700. ; I stayed in the body-stabilization camp because I think it offers fantastic value with third party lenses for those willing to make a few sacrifices vs OEM glass to save lots of money -- and I am!
I went "all in" when I switched systems, and bought almost everything (within reason) that I wanted. ; Here's my current lineup:
Sony A700, Sigma 10-20, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Tamron 70-200/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sony 50/1.4, Sigma 105/2.8 macro, Sigma EF-500 Super flash
I have far more gear than skill, but I'm making progress
; I'm a very technical person (programmer by trade) and have gotten very involved in the technical side of photography and post-processing, but my photographic "eye" is still catching up. ; Right now I'm using what hobby time I get to prepare to start a portraiture business on the side - my garage is currently a makeshift studio. ; Maybe someday I will get some studio lights, but for now I'm doing all my lighting strobist-style with flashes (old Vivitars).Anyway, thanks for reading. ; My flickr is linked in my sig.. I thought I'd share some of my favorite WDW shots in the next post.
Cheers!
; It's a really wonderful thing.
