I realize that this is the second journal entry in a row to brag about new toys, but I simply can't help myself!

While my 5Duece may still be the pride and joy of my camera collection, I never frown upon new-comers to my camera bag and today has seen the arrival of 2 new additions to the Côté arsenal.

First of all, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Canon 430EX II flash unit. Up until now, I've owned off-brand speedlights and have been a little disappointed at the quality and longevity of the flashes. When my Metz 58 broke for the second time last month, I began to truly doubt the wisdom of relying on other manufacturers to supply lighting for my Canons. I still want to get it fixed, but I figured that owning a Canon flash with a reliable warranty would be much wiser. I have two weddings this weekend and that should give me a good idea of how wise my last purchase has been.

Almost equally exciting has been the receipt of another camera body. As an early x-mas gift, my parents bought me a used Canon EOS 30D body that happened to come with a 8GB Ridata CF card. Ever since I started working with Edward Fox Photography, my supervisors have been encouraging me to stop using my Digital Rebel XT and implement more professional bodies into my shooting. The first step was getting the Canon 5D Mark II this past Spring, but that was only part of the process. Every wedding photographer should have at least 2 camera bodies and I couldn't put the Digi Reb completely aside. The arrival of this piece of equipment opens up new possibilities for me. In addition to having a more solid 2nd body, this means that I am free to have some fun with the Rebel. Many of the top photographers with Edward Fox own a camera body that has been converted for infrared photography and I think that this may be the future for my oldest digital camera. Rebel, you may be destined for greater things.

Keep an eye out for plenty of images to come. Some may be IR pictures. Some may be wedding pictures. Same may be IR wedding pictures. Just wait and see!