Oddities of the internet

I say oddities, but I'm not sure if that's really the best word.  Anyways, one of my most favorited photos on flickr happens to also be one of my favorite photos of my girlfriend.  But the reason this photo has garnered so much attention is not due to my masterful use of lighting or some deep understanding of the relationship between how a viewer sees a photo and the placement of important objects within the composition.  Nope, it comes down simple fetishism, of a sort I never realized existed.  The photo in question can be seen below, but my girlfriend and I had just arrived at Camelback Mountain for some snowtubing and I snapped a photo of her when we got out of the car.  She was freezing, so she had her scarf on and the hood of her jacket up.  Apparently, there are those out there that are really into that sort of thing.  Go figure!  Anyways, if any of you happen to stop by, thanks for the Fav and also for teaching me something new!

Gear and a photo

Thought I'd add another gear item and a photo to go with it.  My first "real" lens (that is to say, something designed within the last 5 years) is the SMC Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4.

This lens has wonderful color rendition and great resolving power.  It's relatively cheap compared to other newer lenses at about $250 used.  Fantastic low-light performance due to it's wide aperture and quick autofocus that I've not had any problems with.  I've used this lens for portraits and general walk-around shooting, doing well in both.  See below for a portrait I took with the lens and see a previous post for my shot of the No. 92 train at Strassburg PA.