I ordered new cards this past weekend through MOO.com. The last time I ordered cards was before MOO.com existed. The cards I ordered were pretty run of the mill – standard weight cardstock with a small picture on left and my info on the right.  

I spent some time going through images that I’d taken over the past year or so, picked out my 10 favorite, then loaded the images to MOO using their Lightroom plugin. MOO’s Printfinity technology lets you use more than one image or design in a pack of cards. This feature makes it perfect for displaying a set of product images related to your business.

My new business cards from MOO

I’ve spent a good chunk of this evening holding my new business cards. They’re beautiful to look at and wonderful to touch and hold. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out.

When I handed Bob a set so he could check them out, the first things he noticed were the heft and the feel of the paper the cards are made from. He said, “You notice you’ve been handed something different — something substantial.” I agree.

MOO.com has the best business cards out there I think and I’m looking forward to trying some of their other products. And I can’t wait until the next time I order.

We started the day off in with a brunch at Newman’s Bakery in downtown Bellville. Newman’s is a bakery similar to those that I remember as a child. The bread, the donuts, and the cookies are all fresh and made daily. And they’re pretty tasty too!

Once brunch was over it was off to wander the streets of Bellville. So many interesting things to take in.

One of many indian paintbrush plants I saw near the railroad tracks.

an old Gulf Products sign

Farm to Market Produce Company.  They specialize in local produce and Texas based products. 

Bluebonnet season is upon us.

Painted metal scrolls on a bench outside of Coco and Duckies. 

Pink Buds in the patio area of the Bistro

A little cherub in the patio are of the bistro.

More lovely buds.

Lantana out in front of The Bistro

I’ve been doing a little post processing on the Dallas Trip tonight – the Chinese Lantern Exhibit at the State fair to be exact. Favorite image so far – the Blessings of Qilin. Shot at ISO 4000, 60 MM, F3.2 1/500 of a second. I thought about compositing the image, but the ball in the middle spins so there’s no guarantee that I’d get everything lined up right. And there’s a ton people around because it’s the middle of the state fair. The lantern shoot was an exercise in patience.

Here a detail shot of some of the thousands of little bottles of colored liquid the lions and the globe are made up of. ISO 100 60MM F4.5 1/8.

I may go back up to Dallas next month to reshoot them and the Chihuly Exhibit since they’ve extended both exhibits through January.

I tested out the Nikon 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro-Nikkor Lens
I bought used from Camera Co-op Friday night to take a picture of the Autocord.

I love the sharpness of the lens and the depth of field. I’m going to be experimenting with this lens a lot over the next few weeks I think.

Yesterday was spent checking out the Autocord which I found at Texas Art Asylum. The autocord is a 1950/1960s vintage Minolta with a solid little body. I really didn’t know what I was going to get but I was very happy with the results (too bad my developing chemicals were on the old side). Still the pictures aren’t terribly bad and the extra grain make them interesting to me.

This afternoon’s test of was of the other lens I got – Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens. I love this lens too again for the sharpness and depth of field it brings to the table.

I love fall. Fall is the time that the humidity drops in Houston. The air is clearer and crisper. And the light is absolutely lovely. I made this image around 7 this morning. There was enough light higher up that I got a decent reflection of the skyscrapers to the west of where I was. But there was less light at street level so I caught the headlights nicely.

Nikkor 50mm/1.8, ISO 800, F6.3 1/30.

On October 13th at 9 AM, I’d like to invite you to the Armand Bayou Photowalk – part of the 5th Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk.

Founded in 1974, Armand Bayou Nature Center is a 2500 Acre Urban Nature Preserve that has a wide variety of habitats, displays, and trails for you to explore. They even have a working farm on property and a green house. The walk is a great way to explore the Bayou and the habitat that surrounds it. It’s also a great way to meet other photographers in the Houston area.

The walk will be followed by lunch at one of the local eating establishments in the area.

If you’d like to participate in the photowalk, please register at the link below. But hurry, the photowalk is limited to 50 Participants!

Armand Bayou Photowalk

If you aren’t in the Houston area, and you would like to participate in a Photowalk, go to the Find a Walk Page and enter your location in the search box. The photowalks in your area will be displayed on the map.

137 shells. Some are broken to remind me that not everything will go perfectly. Some are whole to remind me that there are days when things will go as they should. And the jar is overflowing to remind me that my life is bountiful.

To learn more about Project 137, please visit Patti Digh’s site at Project 137