Brrrrrr

Brrrrrr, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Winter has arrived and for the second consecutive December, we seem to be getting snow storm after snow storm. Another is on it's way as we speak. This means it's cold outside which translates to ice along Lake Michigan.

So, I visited North Point (again) this past Sunday to find the old pier covered with ice. The four pillars resemble four gnomes marking into the icy waters of Lake Michigan. It was a frigid morning for sure with temperatures in the single digits but I had to continue to play with my Canon 5D Mark II. The detail this camera captures continues to amaze me.

Chicago

Chicago, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Well, I have had my new Canon 5D Mark II for about a week now. The more is shoot with it the more I'm amazed at the level of detail this camera can show. I was in Chicago this week at a conference and brought the gear with me. It was cold and windy but I couldn't pass up the chance to photograph Chicago at night. I ventured to Navy Pier and on the way back caught this scene looking back up the Chicago River.

North Point Sunrise 2

North Point Sunrise 2, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Now that I'm itchy to play with my new Canon 5D Mark II, what better place to put it to the test than sunrise at North Point on Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. It's a favorite spot for many local photographers and I often see the same friends also checking out the sunrise. If it's a nice sunrise that morning, the chatter is minimal while we all set up and compose our images. If the sunrise is so, so, we spend the time talking about photography, the weather or whatever strikes us at the moment.

Canon 5D Mark II

IMG_0030nr, originally uploaded by RJIPhotography.

Well, the wait and anticipation was long. I sold a lens or two and still have to sell my Canon 5D Mark I. But I am now the proud owner of a Canon 5D Mark II. All I can say is that the hype on this camera is for real. The image shown here was shot at ISO 6400. That's right, there's no missing decimal point here. I am simply, amazed.

The file sizes are also amazing. Raw images are between 25 and 30MB. I haven't even tried a layered photoshop file yet. The camera has so many features that I'm actually reading the manual cover to cover.

Then there's video! The camera can shoot in live mode and capture HD video. I had to try this out to so I shot my son playing a quick guitar riff in low light to see how it would do. Again, amazing

Check out some images and the video at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjiphotography.