Small victories.

In life, it is all about the small things.  Small victories lead to a happy day which leads to a happy week, which leads to a happy month and year!  God Bless those small victories!

Earlier in the week, Monday October 22, 2018, I went to Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby, IL. for a little hiking and taking photographs.  I am starting to look at upgrading my camera from a Canon 60D (Crop sensor) camera to a FF(Full Frame) camera.  I am trying to decide between the Canon 6DMKii (Around $1,600), and the Canon 5DMKIV (Around $3,100).  Until Monday I had never shot a FF camera before.  Knowing that I wanted to try one out before buying one, I called around to find camera stores which rented cameras.  PROCAM Chicago Fox Valley (4300 Westbrook Drive in Aurora) is where I went.  The services were outstanding and I would highly recommend them for any photographers looking to rent gear in the Chicago area.  PROCAM was small victory number one for the day!

The second small victory of the day was the camera itself!  Although I did not take comparison shots with both cameras all along the hiking route, I did take a few.  Most of the shots are with the 6DMKii, because I was so pleased with the way it was responding.  The first shot is cropped to bring it a little closer, but, this was a butterfly I chased for ten minutes or so...

 You may notice a similarity to some of my other past photos in this next shot.  For some reason I am drawn toward benches, empty benches in scenic places.

 The one below is starts the trek into the unknown...

 My third little victory of the day was finding this old truck in the woods.  I have been to Matthiessen State Park many times, but, I wnet down a trail which I had never gone down before.  Finding this old truck, I know I will be back to see it again and again!  I probably took 8 to ten shots of this bad boy...

Since I was in the comparison mode, when this group of friends came along, I asked them to pose for me.  They graciously accepted while I took a few shots.

 What goes down, must, eventually go back up!  This was the trek back toward my car.

By far, my fourth victory may be one of the best photos I have taken in a long time.  This is of the lake in the middle of Matthiessen State Park.  When I decided to go, I was actually hoping to see more color since it is toward the end of October.  Fortunately or unfortunately we have had a fairly mild fall, so the trees have not fully turned yet, guess I will have to go back down there in a few weeks for another shot!  That being said, I love the photo I was able to get, with the reflections on the water from the trees.

In conclusion for today, I would just like to say thank you to my beautiful wife Marilou Sullivan Noonan, and my daughter Lily Noonan for putting up with my need for these adventures.  Without them, I doubt very seriously I would be in to photography as much as I am!  Like I said above, it is all about the small victories in life!  As always, I thank you for looking and and hopefully enjoying my trip in life through photography.  If you are interested in my photography, let me know, everything can be purchased from me.  I do own all rights to all of my photography, and I would appreciate you not stealing from me.  If you would like to reach me, my email is mwnphotography@gmail.com.