Two months ago… has it really been that long?… I blogged my entry into an online contest to win a place among an amazing group of photographers vying for a spot in Justin & Mary Marantz’s WPPI Shoot-out Extravaganza.  And I WON!! It appears great things can come out of sharing the chaotic and less than organized aspects of one’s life!

Three cheers to turning chaos into opportunity!

Bright and early one morning in Vegas – I believe it was Tuesday – a comedy of errors unfolded as I made my way to the shoot-out location.  In the haze that is my brain, absent coffee, in the early morning hours, a taxi ride was required to make it from my hotel to the location on time.  By some chance of fate, or perhaps magic, I made it to the shoot-out 5 minutes early even with a highly unmotivated cab driver, traffic and being dropped off at the WRONG location!!

After finally arriving, I was content to call the day a complete success.  Then I started meeting all the wonderful photographers I had been chatting with since the contest winners were announced.  And the day, amazingly, started getting better!  We met Ashley and Jeremy, our adorable models, grabbed our gear and the shutters started clicking.  I fell into the rhythm but found myself slightly distracted.

The day only got better.

As those of you who I have been priviledged to photograph have almost certainly noticed, I am a gadget freak and absolute photo geek!  There is little that I love more than being around fellow photographers who share my love and passion for all things photo gear related.  And so, I found myself engaged in a conversation with Justin that evolved from a technical question into a discussion and comparison of our Think Tank gear bags!  The day just couldn’t get better at that point!

Or could it?

There finally came a moment when my breath caught in my chest, my heart skipped a beat and the sun started to shine just a touch brighter.  It was almost as if I were living in a dream.  Mike Duval of LensPro was standing nearby and graciously introduced me to my newest obsession and love, the Nikon 200 f/2 lens.

It was love at first sight with its big shiny glass and soft, buttery bokeh!  sigh

Oh, I’m so sorry! Sometimes I forget that not everyone understands photo language!

Bokeh refers to the quality of the out-of-focus areas of an image provided by a lens.  In this case, the bokeh rocked my world!

It felt heaven sent.  An answer to a prayer.  Perfect!

Thank you, again, to Justin & Mary for putting this shoot together and to Mike & Kate from LensPro for introducing me to my newest love!

I have been dreaming of that lens since the shoot!

It’s a lens affair and it’s all your fault!