Russell MacDonald Photography

Nathan Proposes to Katie

2011-06-04T11:38:00.000-04:00

Nathan Proposes to Katie

Elsa's Quinceañera

2010-09-30T20:02:00.002-04:00

Kenny and Dee are married

2010-09-29T18:24:00.001-04:00

Tootie's Birthday Bash

2010-09-29T18:21:00.001-04:00

4-3 BSTB Military Ball Ceremonies

2009-12-23T13:23:00.014-05:00

First in the celebration is to honor the MIAs (those who are still missing in action):

The table is round -- to show our everlasting concern for the missing men.

The tablecloth is white -- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and the[ir] loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith, awaiting answers.

The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing.

A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who seek answers.

The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.

The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share this evening's [morning’s/day’s] toast.

The chair is empty -- they are missing.

Let us now raise our water glasses in a toast to honor America's POW/MIAs and to the success of our efforts to account for them.

Then, for those who have never had the pleasure of watching a Grog (or "Punch Bowl") Ceremony, you have missed a major event in military life!

The history of the "Punch Bowl" ceremony has become obscured with time. Legend has it that during the years of the Westward expansion, Cavalry Troopers would share their spirits with one another thereby insuring that all fellow troopers had something to drink.

The alcoholic spirits usually consisted of whatever an individual trooper’s taste was, and that when mixed with other alcohol created a powerful drink known as "GROG".

The camaraderie developed over the decades, and the various wars and campaigns provided the rare opportunity to share "liberated" spirits with each other. Today’s "GROG" or punch bowl ceremony is a symbolic reflection of this age-old tradition, and ingredients like 'axel grease' and 'dirt' are added to symbolize or honor members of the organization or a particular aspect of a particular group's type of work.

Here are a few shots of the Grog Ceremony:

With smoke rising from the concoction, a little song and it will be ready:

Once the Grog is mixed, someone must test it. This LT decided it might be emitting lethal gass, so he donned a gas mask! The General right behind him is enjoying it!

And he survives, so let the drinking begin!

The first to try it after the 'test' is the commanding LT Colonel.

Next it is the Command SGT MAJ's turn:

Here all three of the commanding officers, the General, the Colonel, and the LT. Colonel all take a taste.

When the Grog Ceremony concluded, the Color Guard retrieved the colors and the dancing was ready to begin.

Even the General got into the dancing:

This PFC really got into the swing of things, as well.

Weddings for Warriors, 11 NOV 2009

2009-11-13T09:17:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday, 11/11/09, I had the honor of being one of the photographers at the 'Weddings for Warriors' project. I was a great event, and 38 couples either got married or renewed their vows. Here are just a few of my pictures.

My Review of Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4 IF AF-D Nikkor Wide - Telephoto Zoom Lens with Hood - Gray Market

2009-10-09T10:32:00.001-04:00

Originally submitted at Adorama

Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4 IF AF-D Nikkor Wide - Telephoto Zoom Lens with Hood - Gray Market

Excellent All-Purpose Lens

By Russ from Savannah, GA on 10/9/2009

Pros: Durable, Lightweight, Rugged, Quick Focus, Sharp Focus, Easily Interchangeable, Consistent Output, Strong Construction

Best Uses: General Use, ReceptionsParties

Describe Yourself: Professional

For the money, this is one of the best lenses you can buy for a full frame Nikon DSLR (I use it on my D3).

I use this lens professionally for wedding receptions, parties, and even one of my engagement sessions. It is very sharp at f/4 and smaller and only slightly soft at f/2.8. The colors are rich and contrast is high. It uses the older screw-driver focus system, so it doesn't focus quite as fast as the newer AFS lenses, but it is plenty fast for party photography. It does have some minor vignetting in the corners at some f/ stops, but that is easily fixed in Photoshop if needed. Most of the time I crop my images, so any vignetting is not included.

This lens is also excellent for travel walk-around photography. It has pretty good bokeh (blur characteristics of the background) and it has an excellent macro mode.

I do not recommend this lens for DX cameras for most situations. The 1.5x crop factor makes the 24mm end not wide enough for many people shots, especially at parties or receptions.

I also own the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and it is a better lens, but it costs three times as much and weighs a ton. I use it mostly for paid work where I need f/2.8 at all focal lengths. It is overkill for most family or travel photography.

The 24-85mm is much lighter and makes images that are mostly indistinguishable from the 24-70. Try it - you'll like it!

High contrast, good saturation, excelle skin tones

Tags: Made with Product

Excellent Macro capability

Tags: Made with Product

(legalese)

Aerobatic Ride in a Super Decathelon

2009-10-03T19:31:00.000-04:00

I went out to the open house at Midcoast Regional Airport (Fort Stewart) today and found a Flight Instructor giving an aerobatic lesson to a student. They both look pretty happy afterwards.

Mandy and Colby Rehearsal/Dinner

2009-09-30T09:36:00.001-04:00

On 9/25/09 I had the pleasure of photographing Mandy and Colby's Wedding Rehearsal in Johnson Square, Savannah, GA, followed by a wonderful dinner at Churchill's Pub.

Business Portraits

2009-09-14T14:47:00.000-04:00

Had a fun time shooting business portraits for Russ. He is running for City Council and will use these images in his campagne:

CPT Matthew Freeman, USMC, KIA 8/7/09

2009-08-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

On Sat, August 12, 2009 I photographed the funeral procession for one of our own. Matthew Freeman, graduate of Richmond Hill High School in 1999, was killed in combat in Afghanistan on Aug 7, 2009. I watched as sadness, patriotism, and tears filled the faces of the hundreds (thousands?) of people who lined both sides of the streets. His remains were slowly carried by hearse through the main street of Richmond Hill as he came back home to his friends and family. One banner read "Freedom isn't Free!", and never before has that been more true. Here are a few
of my pictures:

My Review of AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

2009-07-23T21:41:00.001-04:00

Abes of Maine

Nikon's 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Lens features a fast, wide-angle to medium telephoto AF-S zoom lens optimized for edge-to-edge sharpness on both the Nikon FX (23.9 x 36mm) and DX-format image sensors.

Truly a Professional Lens!

Russ Savannah, GA 7/23/2009

Pros: Rugged, Consistent Output, Quick Focus, Easily Interchangeable, Strong Construction, Sharp Focus, Durable

Cons: Heavy

Best Uses: Weddings and Events

Describe Yourself: Professional

I use this lens for weddings, portraits, and events on my Nikon D3 DSLR. It is tack sharp at all apertures and focal lengths, lightning fast and accurate focus, great color and contrast, waterproof, solid as a rock, and heavy.

I would recommend this to anyone using an FX camera, but I don't think the zoom range is right for DX. It won't go wide enough on DX for reception/party shots, and it's not really long enough outdoors. In my opinion, the 17-55mm f/2.8 DX lens is better for DX cameras than this lens, and the image quality is superb with both.

In fact, the image quality of this lens seems equal to my Nikon primes.

The only negative is the weight. After shooting all day with this lens, it takes a week for your arm muscles to stop hurting. It is hard for me to 'one-hand' shots of dancing couples with this lens due to the weight.

But this lens is exactly what you need if you are a pro or aspiring to become one. It will never be the limiting factor in delivering brilliant pro quality results.

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2009-07-13T23:38:00.001-04:00

Ron and Mitzi's Wedding

2009-07-13T23:17:00.000-04:00

Ron and Mitzi got married last Saturday, and I had the pleasure of photographing it. It was a small, intimate affair with about 35 friends and family. Love was definitely in the air! Here are a few of my pictures:

Catherine and Chris are Engaged

2009-05-25T22:39:00.001-04:00

Catherine and Chris Engagement, 5-24-2009

2009-05-25T22:12:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Catherine and Chris as they celebrated their engagement. Here are a few of the shots:

Dirk's headshots, 5-24-2009

2009-05-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

We had a very nice time shooting a few business headshots for Dirk yesterday.

Crystal and Brian Video Slide Show

2009-05-23T08:56:00.001-04:00

Sarah and Brian Wedding

2009-05-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Sarah and Brian were married last Sunday and I had the pleasure of shooting some of the parts of their day. I used my Nikon D3 with the Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 lens for most shots. It was pouring rain, so the ceremony was moved indoors. I was shooting second camera and didn't get to do all the different events, but it was a beautiful wedding, and here are a few of the shots I captured:

Crystal and Brian Wedding

2009-05-20T09:31:00.000-04:00

Crystal and Brian were married last Saturday and I had the pleasure of shooting their photos. Here are just a few of my pictures:

My Review of 8GB 133X High Speed Compact Flash Card

2009-05-11T08:29:00.001-04:00

Abes of Maine

The impressive 8GB 133X CompactFlash memory card has extreme transfer rate and superior quality to meet the need of high-end devices.

Transcend Compact Flash are Great!

Arkayem Savannah, GA 5/11/2009

Pros: Reliable, Fast Transfer

Best Uses: Digital Photography

Describe Yourself: Professional

I always buy Transcend Flash Cards. The price is great and they have never let me down.

Most digital photographers don't understand that higher speed cards don't allow any faster shooting until your camera buffer is full. They they will store the images in the buffer to the card faster. In normal shooting, I never even come close to filling the buffer, so I don't need the super fast cards.

Sports photographers who use the burst mode on their camera a lot may need the fastest cards they can get, and then the card speed is critical.

The other place that a faster card helps is downloading your images to your computer. However, once you get to 133x like this Transcend card, the USB port can't handle the transfer much quicker anyway, so it doesn't make much difference. You can buy special card readers that will speed up this transfer when used with their own higher cost brand of card.

All in all, I have complete trust that Transcend flash cards are the best you can buy, regardless of the cost.

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Children's Grief Camp

2009-05-04T21:09:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of shooting a 'Grief' camp run by Savannah Hospice. All of these kids have recently lost a close family member. Many of these children have been severely traumatized by their loss, and this may have been the first fun they've had in months.

I put together this video slide show with a small selection of the 1000 images I took.

My Review of 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom

2009-04-29T11:05:00.001-04:00

Abes of Maine

The world's first constant f/2.8 3.2x zoom lens developed exclusively for use with Nikon DX Format. 3.2x zoom covers from a wide angle of 79° to a narrow angle of 28° 50' (equivalent to 25.5mm to 85.5mm for 35mm format) and is ideal for architecture, landscape, groups shots and portraits.

A Fantastic Lens!!

Arkayem Savannah, GA 4/29/2009

Pros: Easy To Use, Improves Picture Quality, Compact Design

Best Uses: Landscapes, Shooting Outdoors, Shooting Indoors, Panoramic Filming

Describe Yourself: Professional photographer

This lens makes the Nikon DX cameras perform to professional standards! It is tach sharp, not too heavy, balances well in your hands, is solid, rugged, and moisture resistant. I've shot a wedding in fairly heavy rain with this lens on my D200 camera and got zero internal lens fogging. It's even fallen over on a tripod onto concrete which broke the lens shade and clear filter, but had no effect on the lens itself! (now I can tell why I use a clear filter!!)

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My Review of EN-EL4a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

2009-04-27T21:13:00.001-04:00

Abes of Maine

Use Nikon's EN-EL4a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery as a spare battery.

Great Battery!

Arkayem Savannah, GA 4/27/2009

Pros: Easy to Install

Best Uses: Digital Photography

Describe Yourself: Pro Photographer

There's not much to say except, this is the Nikon brand battery, and it works exactly as it should.

Don't trust your expensive camera to an off-brand battery. Li-Ion batteries are nothing to fool around with. A cheap 3rd party Li_Ion battery can actually go into thermal run-away and catch on fire or even explode!

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Military Ball

2009-03-09T14:31:00.000-04:00

Last Friday I had a portrait station set up at the 4-64th AR Military Ball. I shot 207 portraits from 5:00 pm until midnight. Here are a few of them:

Oyster Roast

2009-02-26T13:56:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of the recent Oyster Roast that I shot.

Facebook

2009-02-21T18:35:00.001-05:00

Family portraits

2009-01-06T11:38:00.000-05:00

I recently spent some time shooting portraits for a very nice family. I used a black background and I think they came out quite nice.

Sunset at Ft. McAllister, 10/25/08

2008-10-26T16:18:00.000-04:00

I am definitely not a landscape photographer, but I do have fun shooting sunsets once in a while.

I just happened to see this beautiful sunset yesterday and decided to capture it. The colors quickly as the day dissolved into night. Truely awesome!

Too bad I wasn't shooting a wedding with this as a background!

Lisa and Trevor Wedding, October 4, 2008

2008-10-20T07:51:00.000-04:00

Lisa and Trevor were married on October 4, 2008 on a beautiful fall day in New London, NH. Please vist my galleries to see all the pictures (click link at right).

Here are a few of the beautiful fall colors.