101 in 1001: #19 Upgrade my camera.

I just have one thing to say: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! :)

I've upgraded my camera to the Canon 5D Mark II! I've been thinking about this for awhile and the time has officially come.

Allow me to be a camera dork for a minute ... the biggest difference between the Canon 30D (my "old" [now back-up] camera) and the 5D Mark II is the ISO capabilities, or the camera's light sensitivity. On my old camera, ISO 640 was just about as high as I could get (meaning I need more light sensitivity because I'm shooting in low light) without the grain getting really bad. On the new camera, I can shoot at ISO 1600 (SO high!) with hardly any grain. So crazy.

Can you see the difference? These are straight out of the camera and were both shot at the same settings (ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/30).

And, here's the zoom so you can see the grain.

OK, dorkiness over! :) Can't wait to use the new camera this upcoming wedding season!

101 in 1001: #9 Join the [b]School.

I've been thinking a lot lately about 2012 business goals. It's exciting and overwhelming at the same time. But mostly exciting. :) There's so many things swimming around in my head, it's going to be hard to narrow the ideas down to a manageable number. But I'm gonna do it, and I'm gonna share them with you all so I will be held accountable. Get ready! Before that though, I have some other end-of-the-year posts to get out there ... starting with another 101 in 1001 check mark! I wanted to join the [b]School to help with my networking. The [b]School is a social network for professional photographers, and so far I've only been on like ... two ... times. So, I've technically joined; now I just have to learn to utilize it. Stay tuned for my 2012 goals for that one!

And in case you're in need of a little inspiration as we near year's end, check out this awesome photography blog, Ground Glass, that's actually great for non-photographers too. My friend Leah sent me this post about how to love what you do. I am absolutely amazed by people who can take a complex, overwhelming concept and break it down into beautiful, relatable, encouraging writing.

My Logo by SaraINKS

I think in another life I could have been a graphic designer. I love the creativity and art that goes into magazine, web, and logo design. But alas, I have way too many interests and that one's going to have to go on the back burner. When I needed a logo designed for Lane Baldwin Photography I had absolutely no idea where to start, but I knew someone who did: Sara of SaraINKS. This girl is insanely talented. She studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Yeah. She's totally gonna be famous one day. (And little known fact: I coached Sara in gymnastics way back when. :))

Check out Sara's portfolio at www.sarainks.com

I basically gave Sara five words that I think (or want to) describe my photography. From that she made this:

It's perfect. When people look at my logo, I want them to see that my style is DIY/handmade/vintage and I think the logo depicts that 100%. Hopefully you think so, too! :)

Sara's first love is obviously fashion, but she is interested in taking on other graphic design projects. Here's another plug for this talented girl: She designed our wedding invitations and programs.

Photo credit goes to Amanda Donaho Photography

"My favorite projects to work on are hardly ever assignments," Sara said. "I like to sit down with a pen and paper when an idea comes to mind after seeing something inspirational, like a movie or editorial spread. If I try and force out a project, it doesn't feel the same."