Sneak Peek of Brinkley & David's Classic & Romantic Virginia Wedding at the Inn at Blackstone | Richmond, Va Wedding Photography

October 9, 2024

The Inn at Blackstone is truly an epic wedding venue. When Brinkley & David asked me to photograph their wedding, I immediately looked up the venue and was blown away. It’s actually an old college from the early 1900s that has been converted into a multi-purpose hotel/wedding venue. It’s absolutely gigantic with tons of beautiful photo locations. These days, I feel extra thankful when the weather is beautiful on a wedding day. The ceremony was held outside in front of the stunning main entrance, and the reception was held inside. The bridal suite was absolutely gorgeous too! Brinkley & David had the largest bridal party I’ve ever photographed (11 bridesmaids and 11 groomsmen!), which just shows you how loyal and loving their friends are. My husband, Chris of Melody Mouse Media, was the DJ and the reception was legendary. I can’t wait to go through the rest of the photos! Here is a sneak peek from their wedding!

If you’re thinking of booking us for 2025, make sure to get in touch soon! We’re only taking 3-4 more weddings for next year! Even if you’re unsure of your exact wedding date, it always helps to get the conversation going sooner rather than later. Send us a message here. :)

<3 Myles Katherine

(click to enlarge images)

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens Review with Sample Photos in Japan!

October 1, 2024

WHY DID I BUY THE CANON EF 17-40MM F/4L USM LENS?

You might know that the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens is my absolute favorite Canon lens, but when I started doing occasional real estate photography for AirBnb and local businesses, I needed a lens that was a little bit wider. I didn’t want to make a huge investment into yet another super expensive lens, especially because I knew that I could use my 24-70mm lens for most situations when it came to real estate photos. I really just needed something I could use for tight and cramped spaces like small bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens seemed like the best price for what I was looking for. It’s an L series lens, which is Canon’s pro level lens series, but at a fairly reasonable price of $600 (especially compared to the price tag of $1899 for the 24-70mm lens). Though, I actually bought mine gently used so I got an even better deal (you can find them used on KEH Camera or eBay). At this point in my life, I rarely ever steer away from the L series lenses, except in the case of the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens that has a special place in my heart. I have yet to try the RF lenses yet, though it’s on my wish list for next year. :)

WHY DID I BRING THE CANON 17-40MM F/4 L LENS TO JAPAN OVER THE CANON 24-70MM F/2.8 L II LENS?

When I was debating which cameras and lenses to bring with me to Japan, I was torn between bringing my beloved Canon 24-70mm lens and my newer Canon 17-40mm lens. I like to bring a digital camera with me on my trips, along with a handful of film cameras. I mostly use the digital camera as a backup to my film cameras, many of which can be unreliable. It’s mostly just for peace of mind because I actually rarely end up using my digital cameras on my trips! Knowing this, I decided to leave my heavy and large Canon 24-70mm lens behind for the first time on a major trip. The 17-40mm lens is 0.67 pounds lighter, which doesn’t sound like much, but makes a huge difference when I’m lugging a giant camera backpack around a foreign country. Not to mention, it took up less space in my camera bag, allowing me to bring an extra film camera… Yes. I realize that filling that space with another camera probably doesn’t help with my dilemma of a heavy backpack…

THOUGHTS ON THE QUALITY OF THE IMAGES

While the 17-40mm lens doesn’t quite have that professional and super sharp quality to the images that I’m used to with the 24-70mm lens (I think I’ve been spoiled!), it got the job done. And even going through the photos now for this blog post, I’m pleasantly surprised by how beautiful these images turned out. You can really only notice a difference when you zoom in on the images in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom and compare the overall sharpness and the noise in the shadows and corners. It really was a great backup to my film cameras and worked in all lighting conditions, even dark city streets and low-light rooms. And because of it’s ability to capture super wide shots, I easily managed to photograph the stunning architecture of Japan. I always love a wide lens for traveling. I prefer to use the 17-40mm lens with my Canon 5D Mark IV or Canon 6D over my Canon EOS R because I find that the additional lens adapter that I have to use with the EOS R tends to add additional distortion to the edges of the photos when shooting wide. One of the main differences I noticed between the 17-40mm f/4 lens and the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the fact that the 24-70mm lens handles edge distortion much better. Portraits look more natural and the added aperture value of the 24-70mm makes for better images overall. However, when I’m traveling, I’m mostly capturing landmarks and buildings, so it worked out just fine! If you’re going more for portraits or detail photos, the 24-70mm would definitely be a better option.

Did I miss my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens?

Yes. I always do, mostly just because the 24-70 is my heart and soul in a lens. But looking at my images now, I think the 17-40mm lens fulfilled my needs as a backup camera on my trip. I never really end up doing much with my digital images after my trips. I tend to lean towards my film images for sharing on social media and blog posts. Though, if for some reason, my film didn’t turn out from my trip, it’s nice to know that I’d have these images to remember our trip by.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to see more of my favorite images I took in Japan with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens. I hope these help you to decide if this lens is for you! If you’re on a budget looking for an affordable but professional lens, the 17-40 mm lens would be a great option to start with. Plus, you can always upgrade later! You could also check out my blog post about the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens for comparison. I also posted a video on my YouTube channel about all of the cameras I ended up taking with me on my trip to Japan. You can watch it here!

WHERE TO BUY THE CANON EF 17-40MM F/4 L USM ZOOM LENS

WHERE TO BUY THE CANON EF 24-70MM F/2.8L II USM ZOOM LENS

Amazon

B&H Photo Video

KEH Camera (used)

eBay (used)

#ad #affiliate

If you found this post helpful or inspiring, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing. Find out more here!

If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help! You can contact me here, or leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also check out my Amazon storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :) Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

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Review of the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with Lunch, Wine Tastings and River Cruise with Viator | Porto, Portugal Travel Tips

September 22, 2024

When I was planning our trip to Portugal, I knew I’d want to spend a day at the vineyards in the Douro Valley drinking port wine. I just wasn’t sure how we were going to get there from the city of Porto! I stumbled across the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with Lunch, Wine Tastings and River Cruise by Viator and after reading a few of the reviews, it sounded perfect. A guided bus tour, two vineyard tours and tastings AND a boat ride through the Douro Valley. It sounded too good to be true! I’ve taken many bus tours in my time and I’m always a little hesitant because I tend to get carsick rather easily. I’ve survived tours on St. Lucia’s twisty mountain roads, Maui’s Road to Hana and the treacherous cliffs along the Amalfi Coast so I tried to remind myself that it couldn’t possibly be worse than those. Luckily, it wasn’t bad AT ALL and I would say it was one of my favorite all-day bus tours I’ve been on so far!

We visited Casa dos Barros winery first, then hopped on a traditional rabelo boat for a peaceful ride on the Douro River, and then ended the day at Croft Port, one of the oldest port wine producers in the world. Croft was probably the most beautiful vineyard I’ve ever seen in my life. It was incredible.

I posted a full video on my YouTube channel about our tour so you can decide for yourself if it’s something you’d want to go on! I’d highly recommend it though because the views were gorgeous, the port wine was delicious, and it was totally worth the price. It’s only about $100/person which is crazy to me. We had an incredible tour guide, Margarida, and the vineyards we visited were absolutely stunning. I’d even take this tour again if we went back. I loved it so much. It also helped that the weather was perfect, despite a little rain earlier in the day. We were even given two glasses of wine each with our lunch too, which was included with the cost, along with all of the entrance fees, the boat ride, and the tastings!

It was so nice to be able to relax for the day, instead of staring at the maps on my phone trying to find a restaurant or figure out how to get back to our hotel. I’m always the trip planner when it comes to me and Chris, mostly because I’m type A and need to be in control of everything. :) Plus, I like to save money where I can, so the fact that this tour was so affordable made it even better.

If you’re looking for an affordable hotel in Porto, I’d highly recommend Memoria Porto FLH Hotels. It was quiet, affordable, beautiful, close to the water, super clean, and we were even greeted with port wine upon our arrival! You can read more about my Portugal hotel recommendations on my travel blog - Cute & Affordable Hotels in Porto & Lisbon.

If you’re heading to Portugal anytime soon, you absolutely need to visit both Porto and Lisbon. And while you’re in Porto, make sure to book this Douro Valley tour. You won’t regret it. It would even be great for a larger group because it takes all of the guesswork out of traveling. I would have loved for my parents and siblings to have joined us for the tour. Maybe next time!

If you’d like even more details about this specific tour, you can find it on my travel blog here! And make sure to check out my Viator shop to see all of our favorite tours around the world so far! And you can watch more videos from our trip to Portugal on my YouTube channel.

Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

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