Dylan and I took this quiz on the back of a bus while studying abroad in Greece.  While neither of us cared of the other’s answers at the time, we now know exactly which language(s) the other one speaks.  My top two are quality time and words of affirmation.  Maybe he planned out Monday with that in mind, as he just always has this charming way about him.  On Monday afternoon, Dylan took me to a Sushi bar neither of us have eaten at before.  It was a nice dinner made up of half price rolls and laughter.  Laughing with each other and at our server.  She seemed super friendly, but when our appetizer (the ahi tower) came out, she MASSACRED the beautiful piece of art by smashing it together with our forks.  Dylan and I both tried as hard as we could to not laugh at the destruction of food art and just knew at any moment some guy holding a “You’re on Candid Camera” camera would jump out to gauge our reactions.  What is the saying about eating with your eyes before you ever take a bite?  Our once beautifully sculpted tower now looked like already-been-chewed fish mixture with salsa thrown in there, but we wrapped it up in seaweed and enjoyed it, anyway.

After surviving (and really enjoying) our dinner, Dylan suggested we go to Wal-Mart to buy some SD cards for my upcoming marathon weekend, where I’ll be shooting 5 full sessions in one weekend.  I’m trying to upgrade my cards to professional grade, so I can catch all the moments and movements, without having to wait on the write speed of the card.  Having been disappointed in not being able to capture the groom pick up his bride at the end of their first kiss or multiple shots of a senior jumping due to write speed, upgrading the cards will carry through to all of the types of photography.   Dylan also suggested that I use two cards for every session, so there is always a back up and I LOVE this idea.  We bought the cards and headed home.  Dylan asked me something that made me go into our office, at which point I yelled: “YOU’RE IN TROUBLE!”  How could such an enjoyable afternoon turn into yelling across our home?  I walked into the office and found this:

This is the camera that was the goal purchase for this year.  I don’t believe equipment will get you far in photography.  Yes, you need a nice lens and a decent camera body, but other than that, the photographer is in full control of the photograph, not the equipment.  This camera was on my goal list for the following reasons: 1) having a dual SD card slot was important to me (having lost all the photos from a family event, I’ll always have that fear in the back of my mind, even though I know it was the connector from the card to the computer, which never worked again).  This camera will put all RAW images on one card and a duplicate JPEG image on a second card, so I’ll automatically have a backup of every image I shoot.  2) I’m getting into larger prints and this camera has 6 more MegaPixels than my D40x.  3) It shoots movies and I believe, one day, a photographer will have to be able to do both.  I’ve never shot a movie, but would like to be able to.  4) It has an ISO (this is how sensitive the shot is to light, so you can shoot in poorly lit environments) expansion up to 25600, compared to 1600 of the D40x.  5) It has 39 focus points, which is 13 times more than what I’ve been able to use previously.  6) It has a built-in flash commander, so I will no longer need a cord to have my off camera flash go off.  While the upgrade list goes on and on and on, those are the main reasons I was wanting to upgrade my camera.  While I haven’t finished reading the comprehensive user guide, I am ecstatic about all the new features of this camera and cannot wait to learn them!

Dylan wasn’t really in trouble for buying this camera, but I just wasn’t expecting it.  At all.  I even specified that he was not to purchase this camera for my birthday, which is still over a month out.  He is so sweet and always makes the tiniest gestures that can make a girl feel incredibly loved.  When I finally opened the box, after showering Dylan with kisses, I found the following note sitting on top of the camera:

“This is NOT for your birthday.  It is a just because I can kind of gift.  I’m so very proud of you and what you are doing.  I think you are a fantastic photographer and want you to succeed!  This is me trying to say I love you.”

I think I’ll go hug my husband, again, because I have the Best Husband in the World (or, at least, the Best Husband in the World for me).

– Mylah

www.Eureka-Photography.com