Day 8 :: BUSTIN CAPS

One major advantage to this 30 Days of Bloggin’ has been the fact that it has encouraged me to take my camera everywhere I go.  I’ve heard it said that, “The best camera is the one you have with you.”  That has been so true for me, because as a photographer shooting for a living, I tend to not end up being the photographer for me and my friends.  I rarely even remember to bring along my point and shoot, so my iPhone is the best camera normally.  Well, today my friend Drew asked me to come shooting with him.  It always seems so normal as photographers for us to say that we’re “going shooting” or are “shooting a bride and groom”.  I think if most people said something like that, the police should be called immediately!  Because today, when Drew said shooting, he meant real shooting, as in GUNS!  I was super stoked to go so we headed to the American Shooting Center in Kearny Mesa, San Diego.

Drew brought along his pistol and two of his dad’s pistols.  We had a 38 Special, a 357 Magnum, and a 40 caliber Glock to choose from.  Although the 40 cal Glock is my favorite of the three, the 357 Magnum was an absolute BLAST to shoot!  I literally felt like I was setting off a small piece of dynamite in my hands every time I pulled the trigger.  The kick was incredible!  For you photographer folk out there, I was shooting my camera with noise reduction off and up at 6400 ISO to get that grainy old school photojournalistic look to the photos.  I like getting the grain in camera rather than trying to recreate that look in Photoshop.  On the Canon 5D Mark II it’s almost difficult to get noise!  Here’s the 357 Magnum waiting to be fired!

Drew poppin’ off the 38 Special.  That little gun has some pretty crazy kick too.  It feels like the little handle wants to jump right out of your hands!

Okay, now look at the top photo, then quickly scroll to the lower photo.  Look how much kick a tiny little gun can have!  It reminds me of Will Smith’s “Noisy Cricket” in Men in Black.

Oh yeah, Drew’s having some serious fun!

Now for some groupings.  For the bottom left target, I was shooting the five shot 38 Special and ALL FIVE we in the black!  Watch out for this guy!  (That top hole was from shooting the upper target)

A cool shot of the 357’s ammo still in the box.

Here’s Drew’s grouping from the six shot 357.  I think he hiccuped on that bottom shot, but those top 5 are tight!

It was hard making the switch to the 357 from the 38 because it is a much bigger gun in your hands.  I felt like Dirty Hairy or Yo Samity Sam with this cartoonish gun in my mitts.  The first six were way off my little target, but the next six…

The next six were my best grouping of the day.  Yeah, the 357 is a six shot, but wait, there’s only 4 holes… That’s because THREE bullets went through that one big hole!  I was crazy stoked.  Beginner’s luck I guess.  Or maybe all that Duck Hunt growing up translated… But I’m betting on beginner’s luck.

Finally, here is a sweet shot of Drew firing off his 40 cal Glock.  Drew is a pretty big guy, and in general, I don’t think there’s many people that would mess with him.  Now though… HE HAS A GUN!  This Glock is all his.  So seriously people, don’t mess with Drew.  For your own good, don’t do it!  Oh, and don’t mess with me either, cuz I have a friend named Drew! ;)