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So while I was at the grocery store, I happened to notice that strawberries were on sale.  So I got them.

I walked a little further and noticed those little shortbread cakes that actually taste like Twinkies were on sale.  So I got them too.

It was fate that vanilla ice cream was discounted as well. 

So what do you get when you add it all together?

I put my face in it. 

And hoovered it. 

The End.

I’ve always been content with the brand of camera and lenses I own [which are all Canon].  And I’ve always been content with my Rebel XT with 8 mega-pixels – I’ve never felt compelled to look at another dSLR because my camera packs enough punch for me.  And as tempting as owning different types of lenses can be, I tell myself to look at the price tag before I play with any (and remind myself how frustrated I was with the 50mm at first).  That usually does the trick of not looking at the lenses any more.  But the one thing I can’t stop looking at are the accessories; more specifically, camera bags.  I’m such a girl.

I have three camera bags.  One the hubs picked out when he got me my awesome present – but ladies, let’s be honest here, how many of you would let your husband pick out your handbag?  Precisely.  It serves it’s function but it’s uncomfortable and is too “camera baggish” for me.  I can’t blame the hubs – he’s a guy and never really carries a bag.  But I’m a gal and I carry one everyday and I like the idea of being able to squeeze my wallet in my camera bag so that I don’t have to worry about a purse too.  The Pod-Mate and I have this discussion all of the time.

So when we were heading to Germany to visit eMohn and sheMohn (haha!), I got myself a Tamrac Adventure 6 backpack.  I didn’t know where we’d be visiting so I wanted all of my camera stuffs with me and the backpack was comfortable to wear all day.  And the top of it was perfect for my wallet, passport and sunglasses.  It’s perfect.  But then again it’s not.

Because it holds everything and gets rather heavy, the idea of taking it on short day trips (like the Zoo and the Fair) where I know I’ll need only my kit and 50mm and a few other [small] things, the backpack becomes cumbersome and a chore to carry.  But I don’t like carrying the camera by itself; it needs some protection if I’m taking a break because I’d be the one to knock it into something or spill soda on it.

My pal, Mrs. Rev, was kind enough to let me borrow her camera bag for my day at the Fair.  I’d been pricing out this brand and tried to view them at our local camera shop, but no one carried the one I wanted.  So I got to try it on for size for the day.  And after two hours of wearing it, I realized I wanted one super bad.  The next day, I took a hammer to my piggy bank to gather up my allowance and purchased myself a new camera bag.  A Crumpler 4 Million Dollar Home, to be exact.

My bag is a little different from Mrs. Rev’s but it’s the perfect size.  It holds my camera with either the kit or 50mm attached and the other lens.  And there’s a velcro-ed pocket in the front to slip in my wallet stuffs.  And there’s a nice little netted top that I can slip more stuff into like my eye drops, chapstick, floss and my Tide To Go stain stick – never leave home without it!

My favorite thing about the Crumpler bag is that it doesn’t look like a camera bag.  It looks like a little messenger bag which is quite useful because as Mrs. Rev says “…it’s about the size of a purse and doesn’t scream come steal my expensive ass camera!… you know.”  Yeah, I know.  And I really like it.

Which has made me decide that camera bags are like purses.  When I tote the kahuna, I don’t carry a purse.  And when I carry a purse, I don’t tote the kahuna.  Usually.  Unless I’m going to work and only need the camera for an hour during my walk.  Yeah.  Even so, why not have a few bags to choose from?  The Crumpler will likely be my “go to” bag.  I’ll definitely still use the backpack for trips when I don’t know what all I’ll need until I’m there (plan to do so this weekend, actually).  And my little black retangular camera bag the hubs picked out houses my extra camera stuffs like cleaners and those padded velcro-thingys that fit inside the bags.  See, they’re all being used.  Which says a lot more than the purses I own.

Side note: For those of you who also enjoy accessories like me and are looking for a comfortable yet stylish neckstrap, check out Trendy Camera Straps – they all have neoprene padding at the back of the neck which makes wearing your camera much more comfortable.  I have the tan scroll – it’s very cute and very comfy.

*UPDATE* I did some homework and found a list of websites that sell camera bags that look more like purses.  To check it out, click on What Women Want: Camera Purses.

*UPDATE*  If you’re truly looking for a camera bag that looks like a purse, check out Courtney Reece’s post on her new Kelly Moore bag.  It’s very cute and very functional.

The hubs is down for the count this morning – apparently absinthe wasn’t as good as an idea as he thought.  I think he really just wanted to relive the trip to Germany we took last fall.  And now he is dreaming about said trip.  And Chase is his body guard.  That dog will spend all day in bed with him.  So it’s just me and Chevy.

The weather is absolutely wonderful today; sunny with a crisp in the air.  Chevy is dying to be outside but it’s Sunday… and I spend most of my Sundays in my PJs.  That’s how I roll.  And I don’t think my neighbors like seeing me in my PJs.  But Chevy doesn’t stop taking advantage of that sunshine as she’s found a tiny little bit of light shining through the window. 

Chevy is the BDD (big deaf dog) and even though she can’t hear, she can still talk.  Well, I talk for her in a deep voice.  And she says stuff like “Food Lady, what you be doin’?”

Actually, she could care less what I was doing.  That is unless I was opening the door or had food in my hand.  Chevy’s my cooking buddy – always has her head propped up between me and the counter just in case anything slips her way.  She’s my shadow.

Which is why she’s with me and not with the hubs who is sleeping like the dead.  So we were in the kitchen drinking our morning coffee, she was sunbathing, I was carrying on a conversation with her and decided to grab the camera. 

Getting on the floor with her threw her for a loop.  “Food Lady, you playin’ wit me?”  Nope.  Just admiring your spotted feet.  I love her spots.  And the funny thing is that they keep changing.  Especially on her feet.  I have no idea why or how, I just live here.

One thing my big brother (Happy Birthday to you!) is good for is finding stuff of the internet that I wouldn’t even think of searching for.  Well, he’s good for other things like making fun of DAd, telling funny stories about his kids and correcting me when I misuse/misspell a word.

But a week or so ago he sent me several links that discuss a photographer’s rights.  I perused the documents and just reading them freaked me out.  I hadn’t even thought of being detained for taking a picture.  But I’m sure it happens.  To people who aren’t me.  Because I’m a wuss and would cry “Just take the damn camera!”  And then I’d be sad because I’d be camera-free.  And then I’d be hella mad at myself and would probably sob until my face swelled to twice its normal size.  That would suck.  But this isn’t going to happen because I’m aware of my rights as a photographer.

Anyway, the brother found this photographer’s rights document that I found to be the most convenient for me – it’s precise, to the point and small enough to print out and fold into my camera bag.  Which the brother also suggested I do.  I guess as you do get older, you get wiser.  Whodathunk.

I included all of the docs the brother sent over at the bottom.  Check them out, read them over, they’ll be helpful if you’re ever approached by a tyrant parent whose pissed at you for taking pictures of their kid because he was super cute, not because you’re a pedophile.  You can just pull out your handy little “rights” paper and politely point out you’re in a public place and it’s legal.  Suck it.

The Photographer’s Rights

Misinformation About Your Photography Rights

Legal Handbook for Photographers

Big Brother, here’s to you -

May you have the happiest of happies today.

May you have a relaxing day full of good news and treats.

May you have children that are perfect little angels for at least 24 hours.

May you get lucky on your birthday – sister in law, this falls in your jurisdiction.

And may your head start shrinking because it’s becoming abnormally large – just look at that melon!

(I’m his favorite sister.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG BROTHER.  I LUZ YOU!

I toted my kahuna camera around all day at the State Fair for one reason and one reason only: The Midway.  Or for you folks that don’t call it that back home: the carnival rides.

I don’t experiment with long exposures very often – I find it challenging, hate carrying the tripod and I’m often disappointed with the outcome.  Instead of showing movement or having a beautiful glowing effect from still objects, I usually end with something that just isn’t.  I prefer manipulating the depth of field to “tell the story” instead of the shutter.  And I love the bokeh effect.  But the State Fair was a chance to go outside my creative boundaries and try something new.

The trick was I had to have a shutter speed that was slow enough to capture the movement of the rides but fast enough to not capture the movement of this unbalanced gal.  Like I said, I don’t like to carry tripods.  Besides, do you know how frickin goofy I’d had looked carrying a tripod all day?  Right.  Abby probably would have walked 10 paces in front me.  And I couldn’t have left it in the car because we didn’t have one – Officer David gave us a ride into the Fairgrounds.  It pays to be friends with Abby.  Anywho, I think I had success.

The composition suffered – it didn’t help that I left that 50mm slapped on there, had to zig and zag around bystanders and didn’t really take my time setting up shots – but I was more concerned with movement.  And movement I got.  Mission: Not Impossible.

The midway offers more than just carnival rides though – tons of carnival games.  And creepy carnival workers that talk you even though you ignore them.  I would hate to have that job.

Sadly, we did not spend our dimes on games as we had already spent it on cerveza.  So sorry.  I got priorities, you know.

Lynn’s Paradise Cafe- one of the best local eateries that takes pride in it’s quirkiness – sponsors The Ugly Lamp Contest at the Kentucky State Fair.  Abs and I missed it on Friday.  We both managed to see it Tuesday night… though we weren’t together… coincidence?  I think not.  I made it back to the Fairgrounds for some good times to be had with our friends, The Hillmans.  And I had my trusty little Canon PowerShot to do my dirty work.  I counted twice I mentioned these damn lamps with no proof they exist.  But they do. 

Two categories: born ugly and made ugly.  You decide which is which because I get confused.

I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to. 

And we’re off!

I’ve had mixed emotions about the photo challenge.  I tell myself it shouldn’t be hard whatsoever, this is crap we see everyday.  But then I have a hard time getting a photo that I’m pleased with.  Therein lies the “challenging” part.  I’m hoping the ideas pick up for the following weeks otherwise I might get stale faster than I anticipated.

Here is my chair:

After taking several “chair” pictures at the Fair and around the house, I settled on the one I took at work.  I like the bright colors.  If I had put more thought into, I probably could have had something much more interesting but what you see is what you get.

I’ve started a “Challenger Roll” on the blogorama that can link to participants’ flickr sets.  If you’d like to be added, send me a comment and I’ll take care of business.  I’m really excited to see how others did so I hope you drop a note!

Next week’s subject is “cocktail”.  And if you haven’t seen the list, check out my Page with the 52 subjects.  Please join if the mood strikes, anyone and everyone is welcome. 

Note: I noticed over the weekend that I had green listed twice.  Oops.  So week #34 is now orange instead.  Enjoy!

By now, you’re aware of my love for the Kentucky State Fair.  Everything about it gets me in high spirits.  The exhibits, the farm animals, the people, the smells, the carnival food, the music, the people…  I usually attend with my best pals from high school: Abby, Kelly & Natalie.  These girlies make it worth while.  But then, so does the people watching.

Abby was my partner-in-crime all day and we did everything we set out to do (except for the ugly lamp exhibit – still kicking myself for that one).

Nat had to work but stopped by frequently as her work is at the Fairgrounds.

Kelly had to work as well but joined in on the fun after dark.

And Heather came along for the ride this year.

We ate.  We drank.  We danced.  We made fun of each other.  We met some people Abby knew (because she knows everyone in this city).  We met some people we didn’t know (but Abby can probably call them a friend now).  And we took lots of pictures.  Now I’m fully aware that many of these aren’t great or even good for that matter but you know what, I don’t care.  I had a good time with my girlfriends and just kept on trying new things with the kahuna.

And instead of telling you all about all of our fun, I’ll just show you.  Forgive me if my photos seem grainy – we stayed out past my bed time and I refused to use the flash.

Me dancing – nothing new here.  Photographed by Heather with the kahuna.

Miss Kelly strutting her stuff on the Midway.

Abby, this is what you look like when you say “Really?!”  I really mean that.

We had no idea they still did these!  This was HOT at the roller rink back in the day.

Always meeting new people – these guys were funny.

And last but not least, the most surprising thing we saw all night. I told you you wouldn’t believe what was on his shirt. Abby, thanks for taking one for the team!

I can’t wait to go back!  So I’m going tonight, but not with my besties.  The Hillmans are a good time too – if the Mrs. doesn’t get embarrassed by my awesome dance moves, that is.

Since the Kentucky State Fair has been sans “awesome pig race” the past couple years, they have a new show that includes agility and retrieving dogs.  This makes me happy.  And all of the people that packed in the bleachers – talk about a hot show.  It was packed.  I’m talking people were sitting on hot concrete to watch these dogs.

I’ve thought about signing Chase up for agility training because she is a frisbee fanatic but then I remember I’m lazy.  So we’ve stuck to backyard training and even have the Chevster retrieving discs.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  But these dogs were so good!  Chase can do a few of the tricks but for the most part, she’s small time compared to these pros.

The trainer, Lou Mack, introduced all of the performers, most of which were blue heelers. Not surprised as they are a very smart breed and usually work with cattle. These dogs love to be out there. And how do I know this? Because there are frisbees everywhere and if they are anything like Chase they can’t wait to get that flimsy plastic in their mouths.

Look at the air this dog got! Amazing!

He has dogs that can do hand stands.  Or rather, front leg stands.

He has dogs that jump rope.

This one is my favorite though.  That doggin wants that frisbee in it’s mouth.  I can hear her saying “I’m coming to get ya!”

There were dock jumping dogs.  But none of those photos looked too good.  Not because I did a horrible job photographing it but because the background they jumped against.  The trainer had a huge white trailer next to the pool so the audience could see the dog that was jumping.  But in the pictures, you can’t make it out because there’s also a picture of a dog jumping on the side of the trailer.  It’s an optical illusion.  And confusing.  So I’m not posting those. Sorry.

We liked the dog show, it was cool, but it just doesn’t compare to the racing pigs. Racing pigs scream State Fair. Dog show… not so much. There’s no little colored silks. There’s no crowd with pompoms to match. And there’s not a prize Oreo at the end of the track.  I miss those oinkers.  But as long as the agility dogs return to the fair, I’ll be sitting on those bleachers.