Halloweekend Spooktacular

When is Halloween just Halloween? The glorious event of costumed juveniles roaming the streets in search of candy cornucopia are things of the past. Short attention spans of this Apple device generation desire constantly changing on demand content and a non stop supply of soda. Trunk or Treat, back to back birthdays, an unplanned trip to the office and ultimately, a Halloween evening of trick or treat filled this Halloweekend Spooktacular.



October brings changing weather of the Fall season and my kid's Trunk or Treat school event. An approaching cold front with torrential rain did not stop car trunks from being filled with sugary goodness. No candy corn here, just the good stuff.



You can view more of this rain filled event shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the SIGMA 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM in my Trunk or Treat 2011 Gallery.



My nephew's birthday brought spooky serpents and a Halloween themed Harvest Festival at HorsePower for Kids in Oldsmar, Florida. My son and daughter had a blast with hay, horse and train rides followed by the farm atmosphere of roaming barnyard animals looking for a handout.



HorsePower for Kids is non stop fun. This not-for-profit organization benefits troubled kids through a farm based interactive environment. The only trouble I witnessed was the unending ear to ear smiles on every kid I photographed. Call it relentless smiley faces.



You can view more in Noah's 5th Birthday at HorsePower for Kids Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lenses.



All this fun cannot last forever. An unplanned stop at my work put a chink in my armor but did not make my smile turn upside down. My soon to be 8 month old daughter made her first visit to my office since her birth. She quickly grew accustom to the very dark studio environment filled with computer hardware. Just like home!



LaserTron phasers on stun! The weekend is not over yet and only bridged with another family birthday party. Laser tag was only the beginning to this madness.



Friends forever. Birthday cakes adorned with plentiful icing followed by cupcakes covered with more icing makes life's celebration go down a lot smoother. Combine that with pizza and soda, and you have a lifetime recipe for indigestion.



Freezing the action and maintaining focus at f/1.4 was quite the challenge. Wiping the waterfall of sweat from trampoline tribulations was only half the trouble in this ISO 3200 shooting fiasco. Practice makes perfect and plenty of fluids to rehydrate your jumping beans are essential.



You can view more in GiGi's 9th Birthday at Xtreme Adventures Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L lens.



Halloween is finally here. Costumes fixed and bags ready for pavement pounding to gather the goods from stranger's houses.



Fair weather with cool temperatures blessed this Halloween. No more sweaty costumes with that uncontrollable itch from petrol based synthetics. Our friends up north did not fair so well with a last minute northeast snow storm. Halloween in November?



Meet Commando Squad soldier, Judy Jetson in Pink and Serena, the baby Mermaid. They will be knocking on your door next year looking for sweet candy and the new Apple iPhone 5.



You can view more in my Halloween 2011 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.



Victory! We made it through the infamous Halloweekend Spooktacular. Another unforgettable eventful 4 day weekend filled with priceless picture moments. The dreaded and welcome holiday season has officially started.



You probably noticed a new lens addition in my galleries. The SIGMA 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM Practical Lens Review is in the works and will be soon posted on my ChadSorianoPhotoBlog. Stay updated about this upcoming lens review by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!

A Pumpkin Patch of Plenty

Call it Thanksgiving in October. The early settlers of North America celebrated the final harvest of their crops with a feast. Harvest festivals around the world rejoice with merriment and song. The Soriano family gives humble thanks for the ultimate gift with pumpkin patch jubilation.



In preparation for Halloween, the family departed to the local pumpkin patch for some prime pickings of Jack O Lanterns and some adorable harvest time pics. Pumpkins of every size imaginable for the choosing but that special one catches my wife's eye for the carving.



A good rule of thumb is to wait until "Golden Hour" to shoot pumpkin patch photos for fabulous results. Another good rule of thumb is to purchase pumpkins you can easily lift and carry without angina. A pumpkin you cannot budge is a good pumpkin to sit on.



When big pumpkins are not your fancy, my daughter thinks small ones are cute. Easy to carry and very cute like her smile. We had to limit her purchase to three.



My almost 8 month old daughter Serena chose this pumpkin. After much debate and drool, she was convinced with one lick this larger than life gourd would make a good teether and a hollowed out playpen. Who does not love pumpkin pie?



We submitted to temptation. The gratuitous "Harvest Festival" staged family portrait flowed through my Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the EF 35mm f/1.4L prime lens. Obviously, my unsmiling baby daughter Serena did not like the location either.



With every click I give thanks for the baby horn of plenty. Serena with her older siblings give me abundance and nourishment. The "Cornucopia" of family makes it all worthwhile in the pumpkin patch of plenty.



You can view more plentiful pick'ins in my A Pumpkin Patch of Plenty 2011 Gallery shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L lens.



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The Florida State Fair Experience

Funnel cake, corn dogs and maternity mayhem. Yes, the delivery ward at The Florida State Fair birthed bovine babies to the delight of my daughter's third grade class. ChadSorianoPhotoblog captured the shining moment in high definition and could possibly be the harbinger of good things to come.



Eyes wide orange to the vast display of agriculture and equestrian industries as well as the music, food and rides. The Florida State Fair live and breathe school field trips. The abundance of educational exhibits featuring history, environment and agriculture mixed in with a festive atmosphere. It is completely true...The Florida State Fair is Florida's Largest Classroom.



Baby goats, baby chicks, baby pigs and more babies. The Florida State Fair is your one stop shop for non stop fun. Where else can you find fried Oreos and hold cute adorable puppies and chicks in the same location?



A piece of rural Florida history can be found at Cracker Country. All I found was fried pork rinds and kettle corn. With every bite, I tasted the historical significance of Florida's pioneers and heritage. Believe me, history never tasted so good.



I used the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS, EF 70-200mm f/4L IS and EF 35mm f/1.4L lenses for the pictures and video. I also used the Sennheiser MKE 400 shotgun microphone for audio capture. I edited with Final Cut Pro and used Compressor at best quality to get a 947mb H264 file.



Donald Trump would be jealous. The livestock competition is filled with bovine beauties that would stop rush hour traffic, quite literally.



You can view more pictures and videos in my Florida State Fair Experience 2011 Gallery.