My new lens is a really great portrait lens, so I decided last night to do a little self portrait session to see what the lens could do and how it worked in different light. And I wanted to try my hand at butterfly lighting, having just recently learned about this lighting technique. 

Up until now, I have chosen to do most of my photography in natural light, but when doing portraits indoors, lighting is VERY important, so I feel I should get some practice.

Anyway, I set up my tripod in my living room facing one of our walls that is fairly bare and used a floor lamp we have that can adjust height. It worked surprisingly well. I also improvised a lighting reflector using some silvery wrapping paper I had and a piece of card board. The photos are cropped a little close because the cord on my remote shutter is not very long (must get a longer one!).

So, here are the fruits of all my labor. And yes, I did go put on some make up after the first couple!

I grew up in an idyllic town in southeastern Pennsylvania (or as anyone who lives here would say, PA), with actual picket fences and town parades.  Doylestown is just about an hour north of Philadelphia, and is on the border of suburbia and true country living. A little south and you have all the creature comforts of the city, and 15 minutes north and you are immersed in farmland and antique stores as far as the eye can see. 

Doylestown has been around as a town for over 200 years and many of the buildings standing today date back to the 1700 and 1800s. The Doylestown Historical Society has done an excellent job at preserving the old buildings that have now been turned into shops, restaurants, and yes a Starbucks! The County Theatre, which opened in 1938, has not only been preserved, but is still in use today, showing mostly art house films, with the occasional big budget thrown in. 

Henry Mercer was also a long time resident, and he not only built his Tileworks and home in Doylestown, but he also built the Mercer Museum, which is an imposing castle-like building made entirely of cement! 

Here are some photos I took this past March while walking around town on the first warm day we had after the worst winter ever! Enjoy! 

My new lens came today!! So excited, I just had to share! It's an EF85mm f1/8 and I LOVE it! I had a pretty long day at my day job and then the husband called to tell me it had been delivered and it just made my day! 

Needless to say, I got home as fast as I could so I could play! Here is a pic of the lens on my camera (taken with my iPhone) and some fun shots I took to get the feel of the lens. Can't wait to really get out and see what I can do with it!

I live and work here in the Lehigh Valley region of Southeastern Pennsylvania. We're just about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia and about the same east of New York City. This central location was home for many, many years to Bethlehem Steel. They were the main employer in the Lehigh Valley for over 140 years before closing in 2001. Steel supplied by Bethlehem Steel helped build the George Washington Bridge, The Golden Gate Bridge, Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, and the Hoover Dam. 

The site of the old steelworks has been revitalized and repurposed to an Arts and Entertainment Center. The SteelStacks is home to The Sands Casino Bethlehem, ArtsQuest (a community arts program), The Levitt Pavilion (and outdoor concert venue) and for two awesome weeks every summer, Musikfest's Americaplatz and the Sands Steel Stage on PNC Plaza, with features some of the biggest names in music today. 

Standing watch over all this activity is the old blast furnace, left intact and providing a unique backdrop. Beautiful rusting steal during the day and lit up at night for a dramatic effect. There are still crumbling buildings and broken out factory windows, as there is much more planned for the site, but it all lends to some very interesting photography. Here are some photos I took of the campus and the rails that run behind the site. Enjoy! 

I've decided to give this blog thing a try for a couple of reasons. Mostly because I want a place that I can share my photography, other than Facebook, but also I want a place where I can detail my journey as I grow and learn. Because, even the most experienced of photographers (of which I have no claim to be), are always learning and growing. 

So, not only will I be posting photos that I have taken, and that I hope you the reader will enjoy, but also my thoughts and hopes as time goes on as it pertains to photography and my passion.