Iā€™m Stephanie, a wedding + lifestyle photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Warrenton, Virginia. Whether Iā€™m by the mountains of Colorado or Virginia, my soul feels at home, surrounded by rural living and the raw beauty of nature. I genuinely love what I do, and feel so passionate to share the enthusiasm and joy of these celebrations with you!

DOCUMENTING LOVE'S UNSCRIPTED CHAPTERS FROM COUPLES & FAMILIES IN COLORADO + VIRGINIA

@stephaniemessickphoto

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September 26, 2013

The Next Big Thing!

Cannot hold the news any longer … I bought a NEW CAMERA!!! Eeep! SO excited! I thought I was done buying equipment, but of course there is alwaysss something, right? šŸ˜‰ I am learning and growing, so of course my preferences change as well. As for my camera bodies, I currently own the Nikon D700 and the D800. I was SO pumped to purchase the D800 as you might remember me talking about that not too long ago, but after months of use and 47,000 clicks I have learned that it is not the camera for me. I was in denial … I thought that I would have to learn to love it, but really I was more frustrated. If you are a photographer, especially doing weddings, you know that shooting with a D800 is HARD. Hard because the file sizing is ridiculous! Over 40MB files … so if you can imagine how many compact cards were easily filled up or even hard drives … or even the amount of time I spent downloading/uploading the photos. The one thing that was crucial for me that I found super important in that camera was how well it did in darker conditions compared to the D700. I love my D700 but after using the D800 for so long and then switching over to the D700, I can definitely see a quality difference.

A month ago, I started researching and investigating what my options were. The D800 is the newer version of the D700 and from there, the only cameras available are the D4 and the D3X which are comparable to purchasing a car … so there was no way that I was going to look into them. I was recommended to look at the D3s, which is considered “archived” (meaning not being reproduced anymore by Nikon factories) … so I looked into it through different sellers and nothing seemed very promising. I felt stuck.

Last week, I spontaneously got on the phone with my momma to discuss my situation and realized that is exactly what I needed to do this entire time! This is my business where I NEED to invest into it because this is what pays for my bills, especially now that I do not work full time at my graphic design job anymore. If there is equipment out there that will make me happy and at ease with my work, then it is worth the investment. Mostly and honestly, I was SCARED seeing the total cost of how much a new camera would be. But my mom had an excellent point. If this is what I’m passionate about … then I need to let down my walls and not be scared!

I took my moms advice and went for it! Currently, my new camera is on order and will HOPEFULLY be here sometime next week (crossing fingers!!!)! So what did I decide to purchase? …….

NIKON D4!!!!!

It has the exact qualities I’m looking for in a camera without having the ridiculous file sizing! I cannot wait to test this baby out and I hope to have it for my first double header of the month, October 4th/5th!

  1. Caitlin C says:

    So exciting Stephanie!! šŸ™‚ You will be well seasoned by mid October when it’s our turn!! hehe yay! Congrats on your big purchase! šŸ™‚

  2. John Armato says:

    Hey Stephanie, about a year ago or maybe longer, I asked your advice on the D800 and D4, you didn’t even hesitate on advising towards the D4, I did the same thing when I saw the price tag. Gulp. I got lucky enough to buy one from a news shooter for super cheap. It’s been a game changer, absolutely lets me do my job easier. Love it!!!!!

    • Hi, John!

      This is so great to hear!!! šŸ™‚ Definitely a hefty price tag, but it’s by far the best investment for my business and I know it will be the same for you!! Thanks for sharing this with me!

      Have a fabulous weekend!
      Steph