Deep Cut Orchid Society’s 18th Annual Orchid Show:

It has been ridiculously cold out in New York City.  On Thursday, I went to meet a friend for a photo walk downtown, and even with gloves on, we couldn’t feel our hands.  We went to a tea place to get warm, and she actually spilled some tea on her hands by accident, and she told me she didn’t even feel it because her hands were so cold.  I love the winter but even I’m getting a little tired of this!  So, on Friday I decided to go somewhere a little less cold…a place with a nice, warm greenhouse :).  I went to the Deep Cut Orchid Society’s 18th Annual Orchid Show in New Jersey.  It is hosted by the Dearborn Market.  Besides photography, my other love is orchids.  I went to college in Upstate New York and during the winters, it was kind of gloomy at times.  My mom has been growing these beautiful flowers for years, and she gave me a few to liven up my dorm room.  It turned out that I was better at growing these plants than I thought because after a few months, my dorm room looked like an Amazon rainforest.  Ever since then, I’ve been hooked. [continue reading…]

Note from Admin: Hey everyone!  Here’s the third guest post by Justin Watkins.  His previous parts, one and two, are of his visits to Spain and the Maldives.  This one is about his visit to Dubai.  I hope you all enjoy!

Last Stop in Dubai:

 As some of you may know from my last two guest posts (part one and two), I went with my wife on a recent vacation that included stops in Spain, the Maldives, and Dubai.  This last guest post are my pictures from my last stop, Dubai.

Gear wise, I brought along an OM-D E-M1, an E-M5, the Panasonic 25mm F1.4, the Oly 12mm F2.0, and the kit lens that came from the E-M5.  I’ve been a real fan of the Olympus system since my purchase of the E-M5.  I did previously own a Leica X1 but the autofocus system was getting old for me.  It was dreadfully slow for my needs even though the image quality was excellent.  Also, when I bought my X1, I didn’t really need interchangeable lenses.  But as my photography progressed, I felt limited by the fixed lens, 23mm Elmarit.  I still miss my X1’s image quality but I’m perfectly happy with what the Oly system delivers. [continue reading…]

Note from Admin: Are the winter blues getting you down?  Then you should check out this guest post by Justin Watkins where he shares with us his trip to the beautiful Maldives.  You can also check out his part one where he visits Spain if you haven’t yet.  Enjoy!

Visiting the Maldives:

I’m back again for a second guest post, and this time I have pics from my trip to the Maldives.  In my last post (which can be seen here) I visited Spain with my wife.  After our short visit, we flew to the Maldives for some much needed sun, especially after the winter we’ve had here in New York City. [continue reading…]

Note from Admin: Here’s the first part of a guest post written by Justin Watkins (my brother in-law) that’s going to be broken down into three separate parts because there are a lot of pictures, and he went to three different places: Spain, the Maldives, and Dubai.  There are plenty of beautiful shots taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 and E-M5.  I hope you all enjoy!

Short Stop in Madrid With The Olympus OM-D E-M1:

Let me give you a little background on myself: I work with computers, and photography is my hobby.  I often go out shooting with Patrick, who is also my brother in-law, and I’ve been shooting with the Olympus system for quite some time.  I bought the E-M5 when it first came out and I absolutely love it.  Now, I’ve been recently trying out the new OM-D E-M1, and it has completely exceeded my expectations. [continue reading…]