I want...part two.

Although I'm perfectly happy with my current Nikon, I know if I want to take this whole photography shindig to the next level I need to have not one, but two sweet camera bodies. This is in case one decides to be a douche bag and stop working in the middle of a shoot. Never a good thing.

After doing some research (and mentally rejecting anything over $2,000 because I'm a bit cash-poor at the moment), I found the wonder that is the Nikon D7000. Like any good online shopper, I based my decision on the overwhelming amount of positive reviews the device received.

Here's some specs for fellow camera geeks:

• 16.2 Megapixels
• EXPEED 2 Processing Engine
• ISO up to 6400 (awesome for low-light situations!)
• Active D-Lighting
• 39-point AF
• Twin SD slots (this feature is awesome)

Photo courtesy of Nikon

You're probably thinking: "Wow Laura, you've found the perfect second camera body! Cue the Hallelujah chorus!"

Alas, there is one teeny, tiny problem....like everything else I like/want, everyone else seems to jump on the bandwagon, as displayed by this recent article on Yahoo!

Le poop. :(

Oh well...where there's a will, there's a way. I'm sure I'll find some nice old dude somewhere who owns one that may be willing to trade it for my first-born kid.

Road Trip!

Earlier this month, I went on a road trip with my family to South Carolina to see my step-cousin graduate from boot camp with the U.S. Army. We drove through the hills of Kentucky, the double-d cups of DollyWood and the majesty of Appalachia to reach Columbia, SC. It was quite a long journey (about 11-12 hours one way), and after that trip I'll no longer think that my commute to work is all that lengthy.

*WARNING*: Half of these pictures are me totally nerding out with my new camera. Consider yourselves duly warned.









It would not stop raining the entire way to South Carolina. We figured after three to four states, it would at least let up a bit.

Nope.

It actually got worse.



Fortunately for us, the next day was a sunny and warm 60 degrees for the graduation ceremony (a far cry from the 30 degrees we left behind in Ohio). There were literally thousands of people in the stands cheering on their respective soldier(s). It was definitely an experience, to say the least.












The base itself was designed much like a town. There was everything from a mall (pictured below) to a movie theatre to a bank. I didn't expect it to be so...not rustic.



For my step-cousin's sake, I left out an incriminating photo of him desperately shoving french fries into his mouth. Apparently the soldiers aren't allowed to have any junk food during boot, so after weeks on end of being deprived of fried goodness, he was a teensy bit excited to have a burger and fries.



My dad (who is a military equipment aficionado) really wanted to visit the museum at Fort Jackson. The indoor section of it was closed, but the outdoor portion wasn't. I took that opportunity to geek out with my Nikon.



I can just hear my dad's joke now:

My dad: Tanks! *nudge, nudge, wink*

Me: *sigh, eyeroll, slightly amused smile* You're welcome.







It was so much greener down in South Carolina! Why do I live where it snows again?!





All in all, it was a fantastic trip, with lots of family fun and other shenanigans. Plus, I added three new states to my repertoire (Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina).

Until next time blogosphere!

P.S. - I just realized the other day that I've been living in Ohio for about six months. Wow, time really flies!