Last week, I shot with Soren Young one afternoon and one morning. Check out the shots we got in the gallery: http://gallery.pbmedia.us/p908785898

Two posts back, I said was going to shoot some surfing after class with my new 70-200 f/2.8. I went to the beach and the conditions weren't so good. By the time I went to one spot, the only person was done surfing. I walked to the end of Ledbetter beach and the waves were pretty small (surprise), with just a few people surfing and the light fading... I didn't get anything worth mentioning. A few days later I was at the skatepark and had my camera with me. I shot some people riding the park. Here's some better shots with my new lens: http://gallery.pbmedia.us/p272837734

I recently saw this post by Laura Austin: http://radcollector.com/columns/lauraaustin/2010/05/07/how-to-origami-hat/ Somehow, I got the random idea to take self portraits with a common object in each for the viewer to find. After seeing that, I decided to go with it. When I eventually got a newspaper, I opened that page again to try making it. I ran into 'issues' halfway through the steps and got confused... But I eventually succeeded. Here's the gallery of self portraits: http://gallery.pbmedia.us/p1006284164 Can you find the origami hat in each photo?

A few weeks ago, Seven by Five, an online magazine / blog followed me on twitter. I followed back. David from Seven by Five asked if i'd write a Photo Profile about how I got into photography, what I shoot and my challenges as a photographer. It's done and up on the site.

Check it out here: http://www.sevenbyfive.net/photos/photo-profile-patrick-branch/

A few days ago, I got a new lens! ...a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS. Yes, not the new II version... but it's a huge upgrade over my what I called a 'telephoto' (my Canon 50 f/1.8) since my only other lens is a Sigma 10-20. I almost went with the non IS (image stabilization) version, but after renting the IS so many times last year, i've found it really helpful in low light, so I can keep ISO's lower. I'm stoked to finally have this lens! Now, i'll only have to rent lenses I don't need all the time, like fisheyes or fast primes.

A few days after I finished shooting for Golden State (about two months ago), my monitor was starting to go... This was such a convenient time for it to stop working as it should, considering I wanted the whole slideshow done in the next few days. It was a 21" Sony Trinitron CRT (big, heavy, old, non flat screen monitor). It was a great monitor back in the day. Professional designers and photographers used them because the colors gamuts are really wide and they calibrate well. It was $30 on craigslist. The only problem I had with it was that it was really soft. I'd have to zoom in to be able to read text sometimes on the web. The info pallet in photoshop and indesign, with measurement numbers was a bit of a guessing game. I'd been considering getting a HP LP-2475w after reading a thread on ridemonkey.com. I was finally able to get it and I needed a new monitor so I ordered one. After calibrating it, it looks really good. It's so nice to actually see my shots sharp and be able to read text.

Months before I got a new monitor, I got a new backpack, a F-stop Satori. It's their biggest backpack. I had been borrowing a Tilopa (the next size down) from them until their newer Satori came out. I needed a bigger bag to carry all my stuff and ended up waiting for the new and improved Satori. The most important improvement for me was rounder top. It's less square, so it makes using the zipper that gives access to the laptop compartment, under the internal camera unit much easier while having umbrellas and tripods strapped to the sides. Without this backpack, I would have had a hard time carrying everything I needed to shoot Golden State on my trip up north. Even with an extra 20lb bag strapped to the back of it, it carried surprisingly well because of the internal frame. I really don't want to know the total weight of it with that extra bag... The Satoris come in cranberry / grey and black / grey. I went with the red because it matches my logo and I like red (I think that's more than a little obvious). I think it's the best looking backpack ever i've seen. I recommend their backpacks to photographers that have to ride boards or bikes to locations.

Now, i'm off to get lunch somewhere and (yes, it's 5...) shoot some surfing below SBCC with my new lens before my next class!