I have truly enjoyed the past 8 months since i received my Fujifilm X100s, and as mentioned I recently purchased the Fujifilm X-E2.  In 2012 completed a 365 Project (http://everydayafoto.pavephotography.com/2012/01/my-project.html), and I have decided that in 2014 I will be doing a 52 Project.  I will be utilizing only my Fuji cameras for this and will primarily be working in Black and White.  I will be posting these images on this blog and will tag them as 52 Project images, since I will be posting other content as well.

Here are a few shots from Christmas at my mom's house and I utilized both the X100s and the X-E2.

This weekend we made sugar cookies, which is turning out to be an annual event now that the kids can help in the process.  They helped throughout the process, rolling, making shapes, waiting for the baking, waiting for the cooling, and then finally icing them.  Jonah really didn't enjoying waiting for the icing that his sister was using.  Next we will eat them of course, hopefully in a controlled fashion.

Around this time when it is super cold and snowy, I like to think about when it was warm.  I was cruising through some of my images from this summer and stopped at this one.  Camp applications should be coming out soon.

Today the kids decided to write letters to Santa, and since it was snowing out we decided to get all geared up and walk to Santa's special mailbox to deliver the letters.  After the walk we stayed in the back yard and played in the snow until it was time for some hot chocolate.

I shouldn't be blogging about this, since it is one of the best kept secrets in Pittsburgh.  Santa visits Phipps each year, and if you are a member you can have your kids pay a visit to have a discussion.  I say discussion, since this is not a rush job.  The line is short and you bring your own camera (which is the part I like most).  After the visit with Santa, you can check out the flowers, trains, and café.  It is a great time for the family.  Here are a few shots from the day.

This past weekend was the Dirty Dozen.  If you aren't familiar with this event, you should head over to Youtube and search for some of videos.  In short, it is where cyclists race up 13 of Pittsburgh's steepest hills, including the steepest hill in the world Canton Ave. with an incline of 36%.  Oh and it is cobblestones too.  I went to 7 of the 13 hills this year to photograph the cyclist, including Canton Ave. Feel free to grab a drink and click through the 1700 or so images from the day located here.

We traveled to my mom's for Thanksgiving this year.  I took my Canon gear to capture some portraits of my niece Gabby, but I also took my Fujifilm X-E2, which only arrived about a week ago.  I was excited to put it through it paces in low light holiday documentary type situations.  All of the images below are JPGs from the X-E2, with very little post processing.  Just a little crop and some contrast, highlights, or shadows.  I am using the film simulation of Black and White with the red filter applied.  I will have to say that I can definitely understand why there is a movement to ditch the DSLR in favor of a mirrorless system like the X-E2.

The first image is my niece Gabby, I was able to isolate her by a window just before she was distracted by Aunt Marianne.  The second image is family getting together via Skype.  My brothers Dejan and Pete are in northern Irag and called to say Happy Thanksgiving.  Of course we all gathered around the television to watch football and drink beer.  My nephew Jaden stopped by my chair to get his picture taken, and my wife decided to take my photo on her toy (really a toy) camera.  Finally, my brothers Michael and Josh laughing and telling stories, just before everyone started to head home for the evening.

The X-E2 performed magically and along with the X100s are my go to cameras.  I love what these cameras are doing to my photography.  Well done Fuji!

This weekend Jonah's Cub Scout Troop had Rocket Fest.  The troop gathered at Hartwood Acres and learned about how rockets worked, safety tips, and a physics 101 lesson.  It was a successful day at the park and we only lost two rockets in the tall trees due to the wind carrying them a little too far.  The kids launched large rockets and little rockets.  The little rockets were definitely the best, as they flew several hundred feet in the air and the kids tracked and retrieved them for the adults.  Below is a series of images from the day.

We had some windy days over the weekend, which means there are more leaves to rake.  Sometimes I feel like the leaves are never ending.

I was able to get out and take a quick photo walk this past weekend.  This is of a set of heavily used rail lines along the Allegheny River.  Luckily there was not a train rolling through while I took this shot.

I was able to capture a couple as they paused in front of an exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA.

Pittsburgh said goodbye to the giant rubber duckie earlier this week, so I figured I would post one last image of the duck.  It was really fun having the duck around and it was nice to see Pittsburgh showcased.  Maybe the duck will be return when it gets warm.

My sister Anna and future BIL (Jimmy) are having a destination wedding in Key West next month and they decided to throw a pre-wedding party so everyone could celebrate.  Here are a few photos from the event.  I didn't really plan on taking any photos, but when it started to get dark I wanted to see how my Fujifilm X100s would perform.  I am extremely happy with the results and I am slowly making the move to Fuji for the majority of my work.  The X100s is amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone that will listen to me.

Today was JMC's birthday and it was also dress down day at school.  So what did he pick out to wear?  You guessed it...a jersey to represent his age.

Every year we go to Harvest Valley Farms just off of Route 8, north of Pittsburgh.  Every year we do the same stuff.  It is a great time and the kids love it.  Checking out the farm animals, going on a hay ride, running through the corn maze, and of course selecting a pumpkin or four.

We were shopping in Shadyside earlier this year, which resulted in me hanging out on the sidewalk taking photos.  While I was out taking photos, a group of guys walked by me, all following the man in black.

I was able to spend some time with friends on the river the other day.  Partly for the time on the river and partly to get some photos up close of the Giant Rubber Duck.  This is one of my favorites from that day.  Shawn coming in for a landing with the duck and the city in the background.  I am sure I will be posting more images of the duck as I get around to editing them.

When we heard during the summer months that the giant rubber duck would be brought to Pittsburgh, we marked this day in the calendar.  I had heard about the duck from blog posts that I had read about the duck visiting Sydney, Australia, so I knew this was a must go to event.  It did not disappoint!  There was a party on the Clemente Bridge and the people lined both sides of the river.  It made me proud of the city and proud to call myself a Pittsburgher.  Here are a few images from tonight and I am sure to return later once it is docked at Point State Park.