The Ceremony: Part 1

My sister's Ceremony in Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA.

Getting Ready

If you've been following me on Facebook, you know that my sister has sadly passed away two weeks ago. I had the privilege of shooting her wedding a year and a half ago and so I am going to post more of her wedding. I had done a blog post after the wedding of a few photos, but I'm sure her friends and family would like to see more from that day. I'll post these in sections, first Getting Ready...

 

Samantha + Ron's Wedding, Quakertown, PA

What a Special Day for Sam and Ron, and it was a special day for me as well! I got to celebrate my own Anniversary, March 8, by capturing the love of a new couple! It was clear to me by the end of the day that Sam and Ron had spent their day surrounded by friends and family who loved them and loved celebrating their beautiful day with them.

My First Attempt at Bird Photography

 

This little guy (or gal) is the Tufted Titmouse. I only know this because my husband loves birds and likes to call out their names when he sees them. Since we had a lovely day yesterday in Northeast Pennsylvania, my mom took the opportunity to hang all of her bird feeders.  At first it seemed to just attract the Turtledove population, but then some others came, a mockingbird, a squirrel, a finch and then the Titmouse. I like their little hair-do, and the way that they eat the seed was very interesting. They would grab a seed, fly to the top to perch, stick the seed in between their toes and eat from it that way. Here's what that looks like:

The photo I really wanted though was that transition between the seed grab and the perching, the mid-flight. Of course, this is a lightening fast process and so it took me quite a while. There were missed shots and many camera adjustments to be made. By the way I was using and old and busted 70-210mm Canon Zoom lens, and a cat window perch to steady my arm. So here is the outcome: 

Attempt #1:

 

Yeah... I kinda missed him (her). 

Attempt #2:

 Camera adjustment needed!

Final Attempt (and capture!):

 

Is it technically perfect? No. I'm not headed for National Geographic any time soon. But I was pleased with the results. And there will be plenty of more opportunities. And I feel like I got to know  this little bird a little better.