It has been several months since my last news posting and there is a
lot of fun things to share.

-- Recent Highlights --
One of my greatest recent adventures was a visit last October to
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I spent two full days
hiking and taking photos in some of the most beautiful country my
eyes have ever enjoyed. I hope to return there again some day:
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/rocky_mountain_national_park

Another recent adventure involved a visit to a local Llama farm. The
star attraction was "Teddy" a one week old baby Llama who immediately
captured our hearts. These animals are so regal and fun to interact
with. It was a wonderful day of discovery and photography:
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/llama_haven

Probably the most surprising new photo adventures were found at the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington DC. Prior to my
first visit expectations were not very high, but it turned out to be
a rewarding and educational experience. With this gallery I hope to
raise awareness of the status of these amazing animals:
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/smithsonian_national_zoological_park


-- Exhibitions --
I was pleased to learn that all three of my photos entered into the
2006 Huntley Meadows Photo show were accepted. I was even more
pleased to learn that "Blue Heron's Prize Catch" won first place
and "Got My Eye On You!" received honorable mention.

More recently, I had 8 photos juried into the 2007 Meadowlark
Photography Expo. A 9th photo of mine was selected to represent the
Reston Photographic Society in the Visitor's Choice competition. This
annual show is always a wonderful event and this year proved to be
the best one yet.

Photos entered into both of these competions are shown here:
http://sayersweb.com/photography/html/exhibitions.htm


-- Additional Recent Photo Opportunities --
Since my last news posting I've enjoyed a wide variety of photo
opportunities:

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/chincoteague

Maryland Renaissance Festival (new):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/renn_fest

National Aquarium in Washington DC (new):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/national_aquarium_in_washington_dc

Shenandoah National Park (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/shenandoah

Huntley Meadows Park (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/huntley_meadows

Washington DC Sights (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/washington_dc

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/blackwater

Great Falls Park - Virginia (updated):
http://www.pbase.com/sayer/greatfalls


-- Prints for Sale --
I had great success with sales at the Meadowlark Expo, so
I've created a page on my website listing several prints for sale:
http://sayersweb.com/photography/html/prints-for-sale.htm


-- Photo Gear Updates --
http://www.sayersweb.com/photography/html/photo-gear.htm
I've been trying to scale back my gear purchases due to budget
constraints. This didn't keep me from purchasing a few new lenses
though! :)

Canon 300mm f/4 IS:
This lens was an impulse buy after I found someone selling it for a
very good price. It turns out to be a wonderful lens and the image
stabilization is quite useful, especially when used with a monopod.
The lens is quite light and easy to hike around with. It has been
used extensively in my recent photo outings including the Colorado
and zoo adventures.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS:
A marvelous lens that includes image stabilization and a max aperture
of f/2.8. It's quite a bit heavier (and more expensive) than the f/4
version that it replaces. It has proved very useful in lower light
conditions allowing for photos not possible with the f/4 lens.

Canon 50mm f/1.4:
I previously owned and sold a copy of this lens. At the time I didn't
see much use for it, but recently I've found myself in several
situations where this lens would be quite useful and regretted
selling it. So, a new copy of this lens joins the collection.


-- Technical Difficulties --
With all of this equipment there are occasional technical
difficulties:

In this section I usually discuss technical difficulties recently
encountered, but I can't think of any that have occurred since the
last news posting. So, I am counting my blessings.


That is the latest news from here... Hope you are having a wonderful
new year.