As a kid growing up in the 90’s, I was a metalhead. My wife on the other hand, was most certainly not and enjoyed all of the hip-hop and R&B stuff. So when she saw a cruise dedicated to to 90’s hip-hop, she started packing.
It was actually quite an amusing cruise. The shows were pretty much constant from 2pm until after midnight and they had many other activities set up as well. The whole thing went off great and everybody on board seemed to love it. The artists were fantastic and it was entertaining walking around the boat and bumping into Vanilla Ice, Vin Rock and the others. We even were hanging out at the bar one night with Tone Loc after his set.
For the past few weeks, like much of the United States, my area has had temperatures hovering between 5 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything is frozen, local lakes, ponds, streams and even the rivers.
The ball dropped late last night and we somehow made it through 2017. Before all of that took place, I went out in the frigid cold with a backpack full of camera gear and did some light hiking. With a fresh snow fallen, the trails were beautiful and the sights were snow covered.
Looking back through the year of photography is always a good experience in both remembering the fun times and trying to think about the things that I got better at this year. In the early part of the year, I splurged and bought an open box Fuji X-Pro2. I had my eye on this camera since it was announced and was not disappointed once it was in my hands. The optical viewfinder with primes lenses works extremely well and made me want to slow down and just watch for specific moments to capture. Toward the end of the year, I picked up a Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 manual focus lens and since I first put it on the camera, it has barely come off. The optical viewfinder combined with a lens like this just makes shooting such a joy. I am very excited to see what 2018 brings and what else I can get in front of my camera.
