Big Changes in 2012!

I thought I would start with a nice bold title for this post… the first post of the year.  Hopefully it will help keep the positive energy rolling as week 2 of the new year is nearing a close.  So far this year I have already accomplished quite a few things on my to do list,  PTL for motivation. I won’t bore you with the mundane things on my list, or with resolutions just yet… let’s start with a big change..

Here you have most what I have been shooting with for the past 4+ years minus an upgrade or two, a camera bag, tripod, and some additional cards… why was that not pictured here too?  Because I was not selling that stuff.  Yep you heard me right I sold all of  it.

I said goodbye to my wonderful Canon 7D, in front of a Target Superstore with Luna as backup,  several days before Christmas.  So there will be no wonderful Christmas shots from me this year (has there ever been?) because I was DSLR-less.  You never know how much you will miss your DSLR until all you are left with is a seriously outdated P&S and your outdated phone.  But in anycase it was all for a good reason…

This arrived on the porch shortly before new years.  Now before you Canon lovers make me walk the plank hear me out.  I had been debating about switching to Nikon for several years, and upon the brink of investing my bonus money into a much coveted prime lens, I decided if I was going to do it I better do it now before I invest more into Canon.  I have 2 main reasons for switching…

#1 my shooting partner/best friend shoots with Nikon so in essence if we are kind enough we can share equipment as well as provide backups for each other during weddings etc (she actually has the exact same Nikon body).

#2 my brother up in Canada is a professional photographer of many many years and has all kinds of know-how and gear within the Nikon brand… so he would be a huge asset as well as a virtual stockroom for me.  He was the one who came up with the package you see above, he was not going to let me make this switch without having backups for just about everything.  As he says “you can’t be a pro if you’re shooting with one body,”  I know that won’t sit well with some but we won’t go there.   What you can’t see beyond the 2 bodies are the lenses in those boxes… and the 2 flashes that are on the way.   I can’t say enough about how wonderful he is for getting this together for me and making it affordable.  It’s kinda something he loves to do…create the perfect setup/gear bag for people based on what they shoot.

So in the end I could not pass this chance up, and I am so thankful I was able to even do this.  I have nothing against Canon, and my heart still lies with them as it has not been as easy a switch as I thought. I figured once you know one DSLR (and have gone through 2-3 different bodies) you can pretty much figure out any.  Boy was I wrong.  Switching brands has changed the entire game, they have different menus, buttons, dials, and different abbreviations for things.  And physical things are backwards like which way to turn the lens to mount it as well as focus it.  It will take some time for my muscles to create new memories so I don’t have to think so much while shooting.  But I am up for the challenge, it’s like I have started all over again with basics, let’s hope it does not take me as long to learn them this time around.

Any big changes for you in 2012??

Here is a parting shot from a little session with Luna and my new 50mm prime lens, more to come of these photos on her blog soon.

Hope everyone has had a great start to 2012

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