It's Photo Time.

This morning I got the best belated birthday present: my new lens!

It arrived on Friday via UPS but the housing office at my school (which receives our packages) didn't call me, so I got a nice surprise this weekend when the online status of my lens read: Delivered.

Sa-weeeet! (Only took a month.)

Meet new pal, Mr. 35mm:

It is a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 (a fantastic prime lens.) It doesn't have any zoom on it, which I will have to get used to, but it does great produce awesome bokeah. (Photographer term, no big deal.)

Like this:

See how only part of the image is in focus, and there is blurriness everywhere else? Thats bokeah. It is a really visually appealing technique and it is used a lot when photographing weddings and...(drumroll) FOOD!

My specialty!

Look foreword to good quality photos (consistently) from now on:)

P.S. This isn't a plug, but if you are interested in getting into photography (or you already are), this is a great lens to look into!

First you will need a camera (of course), and I recommend the Nikon D40. It is the cheapest and simplest camera for those who want great pictures, but don't want all the bells and whistles. It is really a superb camera despite being the entry level Nikon digital SLR.

Now second to getting a great camera, you need some lenses. (Or in my case, just one lens for now, thank you.) And to get this look...

...you need to have a nice prime lens that has a f-stop of at least 2. (This one is f/1.8)

Am I confusing you yet?

Other lenses offered by Nikon and Canon (like the very popular 50mm f/1.4) are GREAT, but will not auto focus on my D40 camera. (Annoying. I know.) That is why this is such a great lens. It is like specially designed for the D40, 60, and I think 90. (Not sure about that one.)

Plus...a nice price tag.

So if you are looking into getting serious with your photography, I would recommend the Nikon D40, and one of these lenses in your collection.