Welcome to Old Town Herndon

Here are some photos I made of Old Town Herndon, VA.  I took some quick shots as I drove past this morning. Since I'm out in the suburbs now, I think I can use this blog to showcase some of the neighborhoods outside of the beltway to help recruit more folks to move out this way :).

Herndon is a nice little town filled with restaurants and little shops lined along brick pavered sidewalks. Many of the homes are built in the old foursquare style and still hold their charm of an era long gone. Hopefully I captured that in the photos below.

An afternoon in Vienna

As many of you know, we recently had an addition to our family -- a new baby boy, Roman. Having a new baby brother can be stressful for a little kid, so I decided to take big brother Noah out for a hot dog at Vienna Inn.  Where else can you get a hot dog, BBQ pulled pork sandwich, ice cold beer and quality time with your son for just over $10?  As you can see below, he definitely enjoyed his hot dog and most of my BBQ pulled pork sandwich.  After we left lunch, Noah spotted a train which was part of the W&OD Railroad Regional Park...

...little did we know this would turn out into a mini photoshoot.  Good thing I carry my 35mm everywhere I go.

This was a great spot to practice my photography.

My camera

Well since I've been posting my photos on this blog, many of you have asked what camera do I use?  I hesitate to provide an answer cause I don't want people to fall into the trap that a better camera will make you a better photographer.  When you see a nice painting do ask the painter what type of paint brush does he or she use? Making a photo isn't all about the camera -- you take into account the subject and the technique you want to apply.

Anyway, below is what I shoot with.  About 95% of the time I shoot with my Nikon D90 with a 35mm prime lens.  I've had this camera for two years and I love it.  It's very easy to use and it takes and makes awesome photos.  I also use the HD video feature as well.  The HD video is only at 720p, but you can make some nice movies.  The other camera I use is my wife's Leica D-Lux 4 -- this is a great camera too.  It's a point and shoot and I actually find it harder to use than the D90.

Take a look a the photos below, both are taken with the same lighting.  Notice the color of the walls are different (the bottom picture represents what the color is supposed to be).  Does anyone know what is causing this?  I think it's probably do to different white balance settings.

Nikon D90 shot with my Leica D-Lux 4 at f2.5 with ISO of 400.

My Leica D-Lux 4 shot with my D90 at f4 with ISO of 500