Super Pumped!

So today I made quite a LARGE purchase..... I finally bought an external flash and while I was at it I bought a pretty awesome lens (with a 2.8 aperture which means bring on the sharpness in my photos) . I have needed a flash for a LONG time now and it was the next in line of items for me to purchase and after talking to Wills newborn pic photographer Amelia (ameliajmoore.com) she recommended the canon flash and the canon lens that had the 2.8 apeture. Well the price tag for both of these items were as follows flash-599.oo and lens 1399.00.......YIKES! So needless to say I was a little discouraged i could get the flash but the lens would have to wait (a while lol) So I went to Memphis Photo Supply today and talked to Bud....He was SOOOOO HELPFUL! He showed me the above flash the nissen Di622 and with a price tag of 179.99 i was already pumped but to be honest it is a very SIMPLE flash which i think is good for me to start with. The canon had TONS of bells and whistles and at my point in my photography career i dont need all those right now. So I was sold. It even has a built in white card to bounce light as well as a diffuser. I have already practiced using it (pics to come) and indoor pics are already showing improvement. Now onto the lens i definitely did not need one seeing as i have 4 already but my best lens only had the capability of a 4.8 aperture speed which doesnt always cut it. I really want that sharpness SOOC (straight out of camera) and although i get it at times i wanted to increase that to EVERY shot. Well Bud didnt have a camera to put the flash or the lens on for me to check out (they arent a canon dealer which i am finding out most people arent?????) so i ran home to get my camera and headed back up to the store to test out the merchandise. While at home I also checked out some reviews on the different brands since i wasnt purchasing canon equipment and ALL the reviews said they were awesome! And you know the BEST part????? This lens was only 529.99 soooooo what did i do??? I got them BOTH! And I could not be more excited. I have 4 shoots this week as of now I am even MORE excited (if that is possible) to get to them :) But anyways I just had to share the good news and say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the wonderful friends and friends of friends who have asked me to take their childrens/family photos I would not be at the point in my photography career that I am without all the support and business from everyone....Thanks for having faith and believing in my work it means more than anyone will ever know. I hope to keep doing FOREVER!!!!!!