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It was a busy weekend so I didn't get out as much as I would have liked to. I did manage to take a few interesting photos though. Enjoy!

On my way back from a quick wedding I shot today I decided to take my new Fuji 18mm 2.0 lens out for a test run. Prior to this lens I only had the 35mm 1.4 which is a fantastic lens but I wanted something a bit wider as well. I actually used this lens for some wedding shots earlier in the day and I will be sure to post those at a later date. It actually worked quite well.

I arrived at the overpass a couple hours before sunset so the sun was a bit low. It was an overcast day with a few shadows coming out just as I was about to leave. You can see them in the last shot of the overpass floor. It was too cold to stay out long so I snapped a few quick shots and these are the ones that turned out. All photos were shot with the Fuji XE-1 and 18mm 2.0. I used the basic colour mode in camera and then converted to BW in Lightroom 4. As I mentioned before, I am really liking the VSCO Film Pack. For these photos I used the 3rd pack to give it more grainy feel.

Oh, and I couldn't help but take a photo of these huge icicles hanging from the building beside me. I was starting to get dirty looks from some old guy so I figured it was a good time to leave.

Below are a couple first attempts at using the built in panoramic feature for the Fuji XE-1. More, better examples to come.

I had about 30 minutes to kill before lunch today so I figured I would take a quick walk in the brisk cold. Not too many photo opportunities but I did come away with a few interesting shots. All files below are processed with the VSCO film pack. I have been playing around more and more with the filters and I am actually quite liking it. I just bought the new Polaroid pack which definitely has some interesting filters. I don't like to go overboard so I usually find myself applying a subtle effect and then tweaking it to my liking using the handy toolkit. I'm still trying to figure out if I will end up using it for my wedding and portrait photography... time will tell I guess. As always, all photos are taken with the Fuji XE-1 and 35mm 1.4. My favourite photo was definitely the birds on a tree. It was a bright sunny day and I was kind of going for a silhouette effect. I didn't quite turn out as planned but the lens flare really helped give it a completely different feel. I also rotated the photo a bit and cropped it in. Very minimal post processing as well. Just some colour enhancement and contrast using the VSCO pack.

Some random images taken at the Hoito in Thunder Bay. It's one of the most popular spots
in the city to grab breakfast. They are famous for their fin pancakes.

We decided to take a drive out to Kakabeka Falls for a walk along the trails. The weather was perfect and there was a light snowfall as well. Willow, our 6 year old husky joined us, and spent most of the time running through the bush.

We then headed back home but decided to stop at a little cafe in Kakabeka. It was a great little place and the food was fantastic (and cheap). I captured one of my favourite photos of the day while we were sitting at our table. The sun was shining in from the window and I got a nice silhouette photo of a salt and pepper shaker. There were also a lot of great vintage and old decor outside the cafe. We will definitely be heading back there in the summer.

On the way back home I finally found the time to capture a couple photos of this old barn along the highway. Overall I was a great day for photos.