A bigger zoom would have been nice :)

Saturday morning while I was making breakfast, I heard a racket outside. It was lots of screeching, I mean A LOT of screeching. I knew there was a Hawk out in the yard (something I have been waiting for here, for a long time) I ran out onto the back porch to look around the yard and saw several up in the sky flying around. I counted 4!! I was so excited I ran back in the house to grab a camera to take some pix of the group flying around. When I ran back out onto the porch, just as I was opening the screen door to step out on to the deck, one flew right over the roof of the porch and over me landing up on one of my maples. As soon as it landed it turned and looked back right at me. ( you will see this in the second picture, that was actually my first shot)

This made FIVE red tails all circling the skies over my house at the same time! It was something to see !!




f/8
1/500 sec.
ISO-200
WB-5200k
Tiffen UV filter
300mm
Freehand

f/8

1/500 sec.

ISO-125

WB-5200k (sun)

Tiffen UV filter

300mm

Freehand

Odd Duck

So, this seems to be my mantra from time to time but, I blew a pretty good opportunity with this duck. I could have snapped him on the beach right by a bed of sea grass. I was walking along the sea coast on the cape and as I was ducking under docks and over rock walls I startled this lone Eider Duck into the water. They are a pretty patterned North Canadian sea duck for the most part but they are notorious for being early nesters so I am thinking that with the early rising temperatures we have been having on the Cape they are going to set up shop locally this year. Yes he was alone on the beach unfortunately. I will check back on him to see if he has a mate.

Note to self ... start taking walks with bread to lure the animalies closer for pictures :)

f/22

1/80 sec.

ISO-400

WB-5200k

UV filter (see notes below on that)

260mm

Freehand

No flash

f/22

1/100 sec.

ISO-400

WB-5200k

UV filter (should have been the polarized but, I could not swap it off of the 18-55 mm fast enough)

260mm

Freehand

No Flash

A sad, sad story

Being someone from the solid waste industry as well as a naturalist .. (I know what you are thinking but believe me they do indeed go together) I hope by now some of my readers can start to see how much the natural beauty of the world around us, means to me. I am a believer in the idea that we have to be able to learn to live with the earth in harmony. This is a concept that has been ripping through the solid waste industry since at the very least, the beginning of my time in that sector. How can we push to recycle cleaner and more effectively? How can we drive consumers to buy into this and actually recycle or recycle more? Are we recycling everything that we can? Is there more we can do? It is on the solid waste industry to pioneer these innovations. It is their responsibility as well as all of those involved in the industry. How can we be forward thinking enough to halt the negative impact that we as a society are having on the planet?



I was surfing around the web tonight and came across this article in a blog posted by someone in "Think Green" one of my professional group forums on http://www.linkedin.com/ My first thought was that this was amazing photography. As I read on I got the message. While I know this may not be the space, so to speak, for me to reach out on awareness but, this got me thinking. It is always the right time and place to think about such things.



In this disposable society where it is cheaper to replace than to repair etc. etc.. We as consumers should be diligent in taking the time to pause and think about issues that arise from cutting corners and from industry innovations. I am not saying that you should jump to any conclusions from this article. I am not suggesting in any way that you should stop eating meat or dairy products. I know I will not be doing either of those two things. I love a good steak :) I am not suggesting either that you should not go out and buy that 65 inch TV for your home theaters (believe me !) I am simply asking that we are aware. That we are informed consumers and not consumed consumers. That we make an effort to make the right choices for the future.



I have not done any back round checking into the facts of this post. It simply caught my eye as I was reading through my updates from the forum. I thought the photos were interesting enough to pass on to my readers as well as was the message that can be received from the tragedy that has fallen upon this sleepy little town.


This really has nothing to do with the TVs, clothes, batteries and, all of the disposable items we purchase everyday. This is geared more towards the agricultural industry and the use of their pesticides and steroids and other man made remedies to help out their industries. It just got my gears turning about allot of things I could be doing differently to make my small positive impact for the planet.






Check out the link below and thanks for listening to me rant for a minute :)


http://www.greenwala.com/profiles/linda-lucille/blog/4922-Trippy-Pollution-Photography-Can-Something-So-Ugly-Actually-Be-Beautiful







Going green, one step at a time...... future generations will thank you !

Reflections of the day

I have always admired the use of water for reflections in landscape photography. The reflections on the surface of the water always seem to add such a depth to any photo. The impact always seems to have a little more pop in the colorful fall foliage season but, it still makes a pretty nice appeal to the eye even in the bare winter season.


A reminder: If you click on the pictures you will get the blown up"full screen" image. To get back to the blog simply hit the back button on your browser or use the backspace button.

f/4

1/100 sec.

ISO-400

WB-5200k

18mm

Tiffen CP filter

Freehand

I feel the image above is a little more washed out than the one below but, The sky is still missing that Deep blue that I would like to have seen. Sometimes mother nature just does not want to co-operate.

f/5.6

1/25 sec.

ISO-125

WB-5200k

18mm

Tiffen CP filter

Freehand

Crystal clear skies

It is amazing the oportunities you are presented with in the cold winter skies. The clarity achieved in the colder months is outstanding due to the absolute absence of humidity and haze.

I have to say, I like the second picture the best for color balance.

f/5.6

Exposure 1/1250 sec

ISO-400

WB-5200k

18mm

Tiffen Circular ploarizing filter
Freehand

f/5.6

Exposure 1/3200 sec

ISO-400

WB-5200k

18mm
Tiffen CPF
Freehand

f/5.6

Exposure 1/3200 sec

ISO-400

WB-5200k

18mm

Tiffen CPF

Freehand

Same settings on this shot however I gave the circular polarizing filter a 1/4 turn. I am still learning how to use this filter however, that 1/4 turn seems to have darkened the picture up a touch.

Tales from the darkside

Man oh man did this shot come out really dark! My issue is that I really liked the way the sky came out so blue in this first shot however I really dislike how dark the tree bark detail came out.


f/8
1/100 sec.
ISO-400
18 mm
WB-5200k (sun)
UV filter
Freehand
No Flash

f/8

1/40 sec.

ISO-400

18mm

WB-5200k (sun)

UV filter

Freehand

No flash

Couple of things that I may have been able to do to change things here.

1) Polarizing filter?

2) 1/60 sec. exposure ?

Anyone have any input on this? I actually had a similar situation yesterday afternoon where I had a foreground of snow with a mid of deciduous wooded area and an end field of a low sunlit, cloud tattered sky. I know it would have been a breathtaking shot if I nailed it. I still have to take a look at the exposures tonight to proof for the blog.

Thanks for looking !!

C~

For Sale

Hurry, just in time for the summer season. Move right into this beautiful single family home with spectacular water views. Just waiting for the right growing family to make this house a home :)

A tad washed out on this exposure. The light (sun) was present but low and filtered behind the swamp grass.


f/7.1
1/200 sec.
ISO-400
75 mm
WB-5200k (sun)
UV filter
No flash
Freehand



I thought the branches reddish color popped nicely on this shot. The background became a little washed out, but that is the point of this shot. It was all about the nest and not the grass.

f/4

1/400 sec.

ISO-200

70 mm

WB-5200k (sun)
UV filter

No flash

Freehand

So, the answer is "Yes".

Yes, I did get a better shot of yesterdays post. Amazing opportunity that I did not get to take great advantage of. I should have been somewhere in the middle of the exposure ranges that I used.... maybe around 1/80sec.

I don't know how or why but he let me get to within maybe 10 feet of him before he poked his head in the hole to hide. Tough call on how close to let yourself get while taking the risk of losing the shot. You want to be able to get as close as possible so you can see all the details of the cute little faces but not so close that you scare the little bugger and lose the shot all together.


f/7.1
1/20 sec
ISO-400
300mm
WB-6000 (cloudy)
Tiffen UV Filter

f/7.1

1/125 sec.

ISO-400

300mm

WB-6000 (cloudy)

Tiffen UV filter

I was actually standing on a ladder for this shot, 2 feet above ground level. I snapped a few pictures as I was climbing but, the more I climbed the more he drew into the hole deeper and out of sight. I actually had lost him to the inside for a bit and then he came back out for another shot but after that one he disappeared for good.

Enjoy !!

One in a million

To be able to get a shot like this .....

I had seen this once since we moved into the new house and thought that if I did not get that shot I was never going to. Then yesterday... it happened. They are actually cute little buggers when they are not trying to rip apart your bird feeders :)

I can neither confirm nor deny that I do or do not have a better shot of this same composition to share. I guess you are going to have to check back in tomorrow and see for yourselves.

f/5.6

1/125 sec.

ISO-800

300mm

WB - cloudy (6000)

Tiffen UV Filter

f/7.1

1/80 sec.

ISO-400

300mm

WB - 6000

Tiffen UV Filter



Now if I can just get the Deer to stay still long enough for a coupe of "worthy" shots !!!

Remember me?

I know, I know it has been a little while since I have posted anything up here. It has been a busy few weeks with working on a project, building custom built in bookcases for a customer and friend as well as working on our own house. I did not want to simply run outside and take a bunch of pictures of random nothingness just to say that I posted something. While I may be practicing, I do not want to make a habit of being "boring".

I did get to have some fun along the way while working. My father in Law and I got to hang out and cleaned up the woods around the house here and got to build a good old fashioned great big bon-fire. What guy doesn't love that !!!

Discovered that the woods (some of them anyway) are going to be built on by an abutting neighbor. So I had to go to Town hall to find out what that was all about to see if I could fight it. I can, and I will. They are going to need to blast to build back there and they are going to be scaring off much of the native wildlife in the meantime. We have a 60 foot buffer of town forest behind our house as well as all of the neighbors to the right of my house as you are looking at the front of the house. There is a house set way back in the woods from another street who owns a few acres of land that touch our immediate neighbors property. They want to tear down the existing home and replace it with a road and 4 new houses. Personally I wish I had the money to buy the land and tear the house down and leave it alone just like that. Let the animals have a place to roam.

Trust me or ask my wife I can rant for hours on this subject and so could she :) We bought our Home with woods as a neighbor. We don't want a house up on the hill looking down into our backyard.

Stay tuned for some posts !
C~

Drift Away

I have always know that I love all things from the sea. I mean don't get me wrong, I am not going to be building a driftwood coffee table for myself and my wife to put in our living room but, drift wood is really neat stuff. From the shelter it provides to microscopic sea life to the works of art that inspire craftsmen who turn them into various household decor. Mother nature turning discarded timbers or trees she claims in storms into works of natural art. Like smelling the roses, it is just one of those little things that are great to take the time to admire.







f/5.6

1/200 sec.

ISO-200

WB-5200k

55mm

Polarizing filter

Freehand

f/5.6

1/160 sec.

ISO-200

WB-5200k

55mm

CP filter

Freehand

Field of composition

I know, at least in my mind that there is always the age old question on composition. How close is too close, am I too far away? I guess the way to answer this is always in the mind of the person seeing the shot. Ask yourself the question, what about this picture do I want people to see? What do I want them to get out of this and how do I help them do that? Much more so with the dramatic landscape shots or the macro style closeups of flowers and insects that I will be going after in the spring and summer months. But this little scallop shell I found in the sand held some secrets inside that I wanted to share with you. Not to be a deep thinker or anything of the sort but, I do find it amazing the ways that life always finds a way. One tenant moved out and several others started a community.

Maybe neither one of these shots is right, or wrong for that matter. It is more a matter of perspective.




f/4.5

1/500 sec.

ISO-125

WB-5200K

35mm

UV filter

No flash

Freehand

f/5.6

1/400 sec.

ISO-200

WB-5200k

55mm

UV filter

No flash

Freehand

Shades of sea glass

There is something so calming about the ocean. There is nothing better than sitting or walking along the coast soaking up the sun the smells and the sounds. Ever since I was a little boy I have been an explorer. I was always that kid who was walking up and down the beach "collecting things". I would spend hours walking, combing the beaches and tidal pools looking for shells and cool smooth rocks and other trinkets. I am still that same kid in a grown up body. I can still spend hours treasure hunting on the beach. Granted it is the dead of winter here and 32 degrees but hey at least the sun was out :)

Canon Rebel xs Body EF-s 18-55mm IS Lens

f/5.6
1/400sec.
ISO-400
WB-5200k
55mm
Tiffen CP filter
Freehand at ground level (elbows and knees)

I thought this was a pretty good shot until I got home and saw the next one on the laptop screen. Much richer looking details in the sand and it makes the color in the glass a little deeper and more interesting.

Same body and lens

f/5.6

1/640 sec.

ISO-400

WB - 5200k

55mm

Tiffen CP Filter

No Flash

Freehand (ground level)

Mine?

If you have ever seen "Finding Nemo" I need say no more.



No your eyes do not deceive you. He has only one leg. I wonder to myself sometimes (and if you know me you are wondering also) how I always find the hurt, the maimed and the injured creatures. This little guy met me as soon as I parked the Jeep. I no sooner shut the engine off and he landed right at the hood of where I was... posing. A normal thinking person would say, hey, of course! They are trained to stalk the new arrivals since they are usually traveling supermarkets arriving daily with nice bread or crackers to offer to the sky scavengers. Me, I know better. This guy like so many others are drawn to me because they are hurt or injured. I am like Dr. Doolittle to them ..... it is the weirdest thing. I have lots of stories and picture or video proof to back that up too ............... Someday I will do a series of pictures from the past just to show you how serious an issue this is but, for now lets get back to my latest model :)

Canon rebel XS body, Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens

f/8

1/400 sec.

ISO-400

WB-daylight (5200k)

55mm

Tiffen Circular Polarizing filter

No fill flash

Freehand

This shot really makes me appreciate the CP filter! Same body and lens for this shot. I regret that I did not take the 300mm with me.

f/5.6

1/400 sec.

ISO-100

WB- 5200k

55mm

Tiffen Circular Polarizing filter

No Fill flash

Freehand

Playing with focal ranges

I am trying to work out the ranges of this camera and lens/s. I took these two shots below at different apertures on the same cluster of berries and am conflicted what shot makes the bigger impact?

I am looking for some help if anyone has an opinion ... hey maybe we can make this a poll ? Not that we are not all sick and tired of hearing about voting by now. I promise I will not have Bill Clinton call you about voting for my pictures :)

With the F stop set to f/9 I managed to drop out the foreground and the far off back round while making the eye to train on the center of the shot and the middle of the focal range. Does this make sense?

f/9

1/80 sec.

ISO-400

WB-sun

300mm

Freehand

UV filter

Notice by dialing down the aperture to the minimum I have available for this zoom range (300mm) f/5.6 that the foreground snaps into focus while dropping the back round out.


f/5.6



1/80 sec.


ISO-400


WB-sun


300mm


Freehand


UV filter

Shooting through glass 101

I know, I know ! I just could not say no to such a cute face !

I said I was looking to expand on my outdoor skills but, this little barn owl was inside at the trail side museum on the blue hill reservation. Poor little fella only has one leg. If you look at the perch you can see he actually uses his wings to stabilize himself.

I needed to use a flash and there was interior lighting as well. Both sources posed an issue as you can see. How do you get around this sort of thing....... I am hoping the answer is NOT " just don't shoot behind glass"

Is there a filter for this ?

Thoughts?






f/5

1/60 Sec.

ISO-400

WB-Incandescent

UV filter

40mm

Freehand






f/4.5


1/60 sec.


ISO-400


WB-Incandescent

UV filter


32mm


Freehand

Eye spy with my one little eye.

More from the wonderful land of the Blue Hills. These Birds of Prey have always wowed me. I point them out (annoyingly at times) to my wife and anyone who is in the car (or anywhere else) with me at the time. Their size and nature have always exuded a great sense of pride and coolness to me.

There are two of these handsome Redtails in this habitat. They appear to me to be mature but, I was not able to ask questions about the ages and situations of them. The issue as you will see and why they are currently in captivity is due to the missing eye. This one is missing his left eye, while his partner is missing the right one. Together they make a perfect pair! I did not have the opportunity to ask the question of the staff here at the Blue Hills however, I am going to try to find out if they do know the story about how the eyes came to be missing the next time I am out there.

A little bland and washed out. I am having troubles with getting the right amount of light balanced.

f/9



1/80 sec.



ISO-400



WB-sun



300mm



No Flash



Tiffen Ultraviolet filter



Monopod

f/9

1/60 sec.

ISO-400

WB-sun

Internal flash used to bounce highlights in the feathers.

Tiffen circular polarizing filter

300mm

Freehand

Harry Potter fans out there?

Have you ever had one of those days that while you did not accomplish what you had originally set out to do it tuns out better than you had anticipated?

I made it out to Blue Hills yesterday. My intent was to venture up the hill, take a brief peek at the injured wildlife area, then continue on my way, hiking up the hill to the observation tower to take my pictures.

For those of you who know the Blue Bump you know what I am talking about. For those of you who are scratching your head saying what the heck is a "blue bump" I will explain.

Blue Hills (affectionately known as the Blue Bump due to it's small size in elevation 635 feet above sea level) is mostly run by the State more specifically they are managed by the Mass DCR and helped by the Mass Audubon Society running the trail side museum and taking care for the animals who are hurt and rehabilitated on site. They have several cages that are sometimes full and most times empty. While it is good news to see that the cages are empty, because this means there are few injured woodland creatures it is sad that there are no cute and inquisitive faces to look at.

There is the wildlife portion of the hill and there is the hiking aspect of the hill. There are great nature trails and if you do traverse to the top of the hill and climb the stairs of the weather observation tower you can get a great view of Boston. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mt. Manadnock NH on the MA/NH border, arguably the most hiked mountain in the world ( I have topped it more than a dozen times. I have yet to look back the other way and locate the Blue hills from atop the Monadnock Peaks)



You can check out these links if you are interested

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/blue.htm

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6ER8_Great_Blue_Hill_635_ft_Milton_Canton_MA


My long story made incredibly short. I intended to continue up the Hill and take some wide angle shots of the view but was stopped in my tracks at the sight of the amazing creatures they have in captivity right now. Take a look at this great Snowy Owl. For those of you who are Harry Potter fans you will recognise Hedwig immediately :)

My Challenge here was to try to get these shots with proper lighting and detail on a washed out back and foreground all the while shooting through a 12 gauge wire cage and not letting you see the cage in front of his amazing face.

This shot you are going to see some shadow lines over him. These blurry lines are not shadows but in fact the lines of the cage that I could not get out of the focal range completely.

f/9

1/60 sec

ISO-400

WB-sun

150mm

Polarizing filter

No tripod

In this shot the lines melt away leaving you to do nothing but notice those amazing yellow eyes. I just learned this fact yesterday "The Snowy Owl is the only owl to hunt both during the night as well as the daylight, while for the most part all other owls hunt only at night"

f/5.6

1/400 sec.

ISO-400

WB-sun

220mm

Tiffen UV filter

Dolica WT 1003 Monopod
This was my first time using this or any monopod, I have to say I liked it.

Throw a penny and make a wish.

So I decided to go back to the comparison of the dreary winter colors versus same composition in black and white idea. These were taken in the late afternoon sun (2:30pm eastern) noted by the long shadow lines. The sun has been setting in the 4:30 range here these days.

I used the Rebel XS as always and the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS with the Tiffen UV filter.


I promise you I am going to go to Blue Hills and take some great wide landscape shots this week ... oh ... wait... tomorrow is already Friday isn't it?

Let me rethink this promise and say, I promise you that I am going to "TRY" to get to Blue Hills tomorrow to get those shots. I am eager to play with the internal color filters in the monochrome settings.









f/5

1/1250 sec.

ISO-400

WB-sun

44mm

Free handed

No fill flash

Tiffen UV filter

f/9

1/640 sec.

ISO-400

WB-Sun

44mm

Free handed

No fill flash

Tiffen UV filter

Straight Monochrome with no internal filter effects applied

This is starting to look like Woody Woodpecker Week!

For some unexplained reason there have been a slew of Woodpeckers this week (maybe since I put out the feeder?) Regardless they (all species) are one of my favorite birds. I am so intrigued with the way they work with the buidling and the hammering with thier heads and all... maybe because I was a builder and can appreciate watching the little guys bang for days to make thier cozy new home?

It is amazing to watch the way it happens, the patterns of life. The male will come along and work for days on end making the hole in the right tree hammering away until it is perfect. When he is finally all done with the perfectly built home to begin a family he perches over the area and makes a series of chirps and squawks until the female they have mated with comes to see her proud hubbys final project that he magnificently offers to his lovely wife. I have seen this go from start to finish a few times and it always catches my attention... anyway I digress, here is this little male red bellied woodpecker starting to scope out his new mantown.


These were shot with the new Canon 70-300mm I wrote up earlier this week.

Enjoy,
C~


Kind of bland....

f/5.6
1/80 sec.
ISO-400
WB-cloudy
C.Polarizing filter
300mm
Freehand
IS mode 1


Here a little more color and detail in the contrast.

f/5.6
1/160 sec.
ISO-400
WB-cloudy
C.Polarizing filter
300mm
Freehand
IS mode1

Just for fun

This was a singular shot that I do not have a comparison for but I just wanted to share anyway as I felt it did not come out horribly, terribly, badly. I only wish that I had caught her little face a bit more in the picture. She was about 10 feet above and 15 feet away from me for this shot.

f/7.1

1/400 sec.

ISO-400

WB sun

300mm

Freehanded shoot.

Tiffen Circular Polarizing filter (that I still have no idea how to use)

No hood (I am not certain on proper applications for this either) I purchased a cheaper but a good quality aftermarket hood for the ET-65B / 70-300mm lens. I am new to this lens hood tool and admittedly do not know when I am and when I am not supposed to be using it? I do know not to use it with a flash for short range shots due to shadowing but, thats where my knowledge ends.

Can anyone offer pointers on a circular polarizing filter or proper application of a lens hood?

There will be more later !

C~

Not today ... But maybe tomorrow

Okay, so I know I said I was going to go to the Blue Bump today.......... however........ something else came up and I ended up down the Cape with my Fater-inlaw. We had to do a few errands at the house and then took a very pleasant walk with him exploring the neighborhood and having some great conversations as always.

There were allot of sights to see and I caught some good pix that I will be sharing in coming days and then I took some tragic horror shots that will need to be redone completely.

Here is what I have for you today.... Undershot of a dock leading out to the water that surrounds the neighborhood.

You can find me clammin just to the left of this very dock come spring . If you are lucky enough to find me there you may just get some homemade Clamcakes and Chowdah out of the deal too :)





Shot number 1 seems to be too light and "all inclusive" not giving your eye the reason to pay attention to any particular point in the frame.

Shot number 2 I feel has a better light to it, drawing your eye away from the foreground and towards the water and farther end of the dock, where your focus should be.

See what you think?

f/8

1/200 sec.

ISO - 200

WB-Sun

18mm

UV filter

Freehand

f/9

1/200 sec.

ISO - 200

WB-Sun

18mm

UV Filter

Freehand

How do you deal with the dreary winter whites?

Just a little spin on the standard color shots when there isn't much color to be had. Go B&W!!



These were shot using my EF-S 18-55mm IS canon lens. UV filter no tripod. I have a few internal filters for color marking over the monochrome that I want to fool around with for larger landscapes I simply did not have the access to the right scenery for this today. I am thinking of taking a ride to Blue Hills tomorrow to explore. There should be plenty of opportunity there for this.







f/9

1/160 sec.

ISO-200

WB-sun

55mm

uv protective filter

Standard color setting






f/9

1/125 sec.

ISO-400

WB-sun

25mm

uv protection filter

Monochrome setting in Canon Rebel XS

As always I welcome post comments with any and all advice!!

Canon over Tamron

New Canon Lens description


I have decided to remove the Tamron lens I have been using from my toolbox. While it's Macro settings have been treating me pretty well, it does not suit my needs fully. I am replacing it with this lens below. I believe this will be a great move for the long range shots I am looking to capture. I ordered it from an online source and it should be arriving today. I hope to be able to provide some great trials tomorrow.

For today's photos, I will be using the 18-55mm IS Canon lens.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

Featuring the latest 3-stop Image Stabilizer for outstanding camera shake reduction, the EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens also features super responsive autofocus. Replacing the popular EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM, the world's first interchangeable lens with Image Stabilizer (IS)


Image Stabilizer ;

IS dramatically reduces image blur caused by camera shake. The EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM features Canon's latest 3-stop IS, a one-stop improvement over its predecessor. This allows shutter speeds up to three stops slower than would otherwise be possible, with no perceptible increase in image blur. Photographers normally shooting a 300mm frame handheld at 1/500 second can obtain the equivalent result with a shutter speed of just 1/60 second, vastly extending options in low-light conditions.

Gyro sensors detect unwanted vibrations, triggering the corresponding movement of a correcting lens group perpendicular to the optical axis. This alters the light path, returning the image to its correct position on the sensor or film plane.

The EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM provides 2-mode IS for shooting immobile subjects. Mode 1 stabilizes the image along both the horizontal and vertical axes. For shooting while panning to follow a moving subject, Mode 2 turns off correction in the panned direction and prevents the effect of dragging the subject back through the frame. IS switches off automatically when the camera is mounted on a tripod, thus preventing feedback loops between the IS sensor and stabilizer motor vibrations.


Superb auto focus;

The micro USM motor found in the EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM employs ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive auto focus with unrivalled speed and near-silent operation. Good holding torque stops the lens with precision and accuracy, the instant it arrives at the correct focus point and without overshoot. A high-speed CPU and optimised AF algorithm result in a significant increase of AF speed compared to that of its predecessor.

A zoom ring locking mechanism is provided that locks the zoom at the wide-angle setting. This ensures that the lens is carried or stored in its most compact position, preventing possible damage caused by the lens extending and hitting obstacles when being carried mounted on a camera with a strap.


Pleasing defocused background ;

The EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM employs an electro-magnetic diaphragm (EMD) with a circular aperture. This helps create an attractive, even defocused background when isolating a subject at large apertures.


Image quality ;

By optimizing Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping, Canon's engineers have been effective in suppressing flare and ghosting--more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. By increasing light absorption, coatings reduce reflections off lens element surfaces to deliver crisp, undistorted images with natural color balance.

Focal length translates to 112-480mm equivalent in 35mm film format when fitted to EOS 20D and EOS 350D cameras. (not applicable to my XS model)


The EOS system ;

The EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM includes distance metering information, providing compatibility with the E-TTL II flash system of late model cameras. When used in conjunction with Canon's range of EX Speedlite flash units, the lens passes distance information to the flash algorithm for markedly improved flash exposure metering.


Lens Description ;

EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens * Image Stabilization allows in-focus shots with longer exposure times (up to three stops slower shutter speed) * Micro Ultrasonic Motor for fast autofocus * compatible with all Canon EOS SLR cameras * minimum focus distance: 4.9 feet * lens is 5-13/16" long, 3" in diameter *

I'm all a Flutter

Much to my delight this morning I woke to find dozens of birds and even a squirel visiting our newly installed feeder. I purchased this about a week ago and after doing some thinking decided on a location for our first feeder and put it up about 4 days ago. These critters are really our first "seen" visitors. Yesterday was the first day that I noticed seeds (black oil sunflower) were missing. What I had originally set out to do ths morning was to just see how close I could get to these chickadees, nuthatches and titmice from my windows with the 300mm. It was about 15 shots into this that I had a revelation. There were so many birs coming and going making it hard to set up on one subject. I was getting many badly composed shots. It occurred to me that I should take advantage of all of this action and try out some stop motion shooting. I have zero experience with all of this so allot of guess work and out of the wazoo thinking.

The nice part about this is that the feeder is not going anywhere and neither are the birds so I have plenty of chances to fail before I get it right. Tomorrow is always another day.




I love the action that I got on this tufted titmouse with a full wing and tail spread and a nice face view,however I failed in a few regards. Over exposed and too slow of a shutter speed to stop the wing movement completely.

Tamron 70-300mm on all of these shots. I am still waiting on the Canon 70-300mm delivered.


f 5.6
1/200 sec.
ISO-1600
WB-cloudy
160mm
freehand (no tripod)
812-Warming filter

I did manage to stop the wing motion a bit better on this titmouse but I am not liking the color composition much ... this may be due to the filter but i am not 100% sold it is? I feel it came out pretty grainy as well. I am not impressed with this one either.

f 5.6

1/2000 sec.

ISO - 1600

WB-sun

180mm

Freehand

812-Warming filter

I am not sure what happened to create the feeding frenzy for this shot but I was delighted to see all of the action! I am still seeing grain on this shot however the lighting is a tad lighter that the previous one. I just am not getting it right. I will point out that the first shot was # 1726 and this last one here is # 1905 so It is not as if I took only three shots to come to this conclusion that I need lots of advice !! Side note is that allot of the discarded photos were simply due to bad composition. I do not think that anyone is interested in seeing what a chickadees bum looks like at 300mm :)

f 5.0

1/1250 sec.

ISO 400

WB sun

160mm

Freehand

UV filter

All shots were taken from about 30-35 feet from the feeder. The good news out of this whole mess is I did manage to find out that we have a Red Bellied Woodpecker living in the forest behind the house. I did catch an action shot of it departing the feeder but it is a bit blurry and did not want to post until I could capture a better shot. Of course if I get bored later, you may just see it anyway !

Please post comments if you have any advice that can help :)

The Iceman taketh away

For those of you who took a look at the last post and thought to yourselves.... hey picture taking blogging guy, why not just shoot a little later in the aftenoon when the sun will dance on the ice like Katarina Witt?

I tried just this very scenario about 10 minutes ago, the result is below....

While this was not the shot I was looking for this was a very fun pic to grab. "If you click the image and look at the blow up" you can actually count the rings of the droplets as they form and seperate.

f/5.6

1/800 sec.

ISO-200

148mm from about 5 feet to focal point.

Tamron 70-300mm lens without IS (image stabilizer)

Tiffen 812-Warming filter

No Tripod

I have to say, the tri/monopod is going to make shooting this sort of shot so much cleaner and stable.

Washout Blues

How do you shoot a white on white or, a tone on a tonal backround without getting a washout effect that is just bland and oh so vanilla while also keeping the subtle color variations?

This was shot at 11:30 this morning with the sun diffused by disiduous sugar maple branches.

Using the Tamron lens with no filter today:




I shot this one at what I would have shot a colorful backround in the same lighting.

f/4
1/125
ISO-100
WB-shade
70mm

I am wondering if I had used the warming filter if this shot would have popped ?




I shot this one with a little tweaking which I think came out better but I would have liked a little more Sparkle to the picture. It lost a little lustre while picking up the shadows, color accents in the sunlight and details in the ice itself.

f/6.3
1/400
ISO-100
WB/sun
70mm

Walk in the Town Forest

So here we go. I would like to present my pictures in a format that is inquisitive and maybe even for some a little informative. I am looking for folks kind enough to visit to both offer insight and advice as well as some visitors to have the ability to share the learning exprience by picking up a trick or two.

This little guy was a great model. I snapped over 100 shots at different settings. I used full auto mode first, out of fear he would fly off on me at the first snap but, as I rapid shot again and again he turned and preened more and more so I became a little daring and started to make adjustments in manual mode. In Auto focus I found the lens having too much trouble determining what the subject actually was as the AF setting is determined to grab hold of the absolute nearest image. The other issue was that I had the metered AF setting actuated as well. What the metered setting does is pick one of seven set points and focus on the nearest point regardless of the users subject. (In certain circumstances you can be creative with this feature by centering on the subject and locking the focus and then recomposing to offset your subject giving you a great creative effect, it can be a great feature just not in this particular application.) When trying to focus through a spiderweb of branches with these settings and the subsequent issues that ensue, you only have one choice if you want any chance at a great shot. Manual!! Believe it or not this little Chickadee was behind several of the branches similar to the ones that you see him standing on. With the settings chosen I was able to focus down to the point of them being nearly invisible or giving the appearance that they are actually in the backround to the picture feild.

I had several botched shots that I should have kept for this purpose but I deleted without thinking of this use for them. After all this is the point of the blog yes? Snap a picture, learn and show the "mistakes" as well as the "sucess".

Here is the quick and dirty on this shot as my offering for this subject.

EOS Rebel XS
Tamron 70-300mm (non IS)
Tiffen Circular Polarizing filter
f /5.6
1/250 sec.
ISO-800
WB was set to cloudy as it was a tad overcast.
Fully extended to 300mm
Free handed holding the camera.

The subject was about 8-9 feet away with the late afternoon sun over his left shoulder as you are looking at him. (I was standing on a waterfall wall) and had limited positioning options.

I find the color dull and perhaps a bit washed out with my settings/filter choice. The branch in front of his head (if you look at the back of his neck and up to the crown of his head) was not fully focused out of the picture leaving a fuzzy edge to the upper portion of the shot.

Canon EF and EF-S Lenses explained

As some of you may or may not have noted, I have two canon lenses listed. one of these (70-300mm) is an "EF" while the other (18-55mm) is isted as an "EF-S". I thought there might be some confusion as I had at first in whether these two different style lenses were compatable with my particular body camera. My concerns were dashed, in doing some research I found that both styles are compatable with my EOS XS body and both have substancial pros as well as cons to consider before making the decision to purchase. My Tamron 70-300mm macro telephoto is an EF mount.


Pre 2003, all Canon camera's were compatible with a standardised EF lens. EF stands for electofocus and refers to its lens mount. You can recognise EF lenses by its red dot, where you line up the dot on the lens mount to a similar looking one on the camera body.

However, if your Canon camera lens has both a red dot and a white square to line up the body to when mounting the lens, then it is an EF-S lens. EF-S is stands for 'short back focus'. EF-S lenses were first developed in 2003, when Canon bought out its EOS 300D/Digital Rebel/Kiss range of digital SLR cameras.


What are the main differences between an EF and EF-S lens?

•The differences between the two lenses are purely cosmetic. The EF-S lens has been made to sit deeper into the camera's body when connected. Hence the reason EF-S stands for short back focus, as there is less space between the lens and the sensor.


•The idea behind developing EF-S lenses in the first place, was to create a more cost effective solution (especially when talking about wide angle zoom lens), aimed at the mid range SLR camera user. Therefore, this is usually considered a good thing as far as beginners are concerned.


•Many experts have noticed no differences in the end result of the actual photograph.



Are there any disadvantages to EF-S lens?

•The main disadvantage to using an EF-S lens is that they are only compatible with Canon EOS cameras that contain both a red dot and a white square on the lens mount. The red dot means the camera supports EF-S lenses. Whereas the white square means it also supports a standard EF lens. Therefore, if in future you want to upgrade your digital SLR camera to a more professional model, you may need to also replace any lens that is an EF-S model



Considering this limitation, should you buy an EF-S lens?

•If cost is the main consideration when purchasing a quality lens, then yes certainly think about purchasing an EF-S lens. Personally I believe my EF-S 18-55MM f4-5.6 IS USM is a great multi purpose lens with no bad traits to note so far. I find this particular EF-S lens to be very sharp and high quality. When compared to Canon's L (professional) series, it was very low cost as well. Especially for someone first starting out in SLR photography.


•As explained earlier, if you're planning to upgrade your camera to a more professional body any time in the future, then you may want to stick to buying an EF lens, for compatibility reasons. EF lenses are compatible with all Canon EOS camera bodies. Whereas, EF-S is only compatible with mid range camera's (EOS 20D and Digital Rebel bodies) that support them.



How to know if your camera is compatible with an EF-S lens?

•Have a look on your camera where the lens mounts onto the body. If you see a red cirlce and a white dot / square, then your camera is compatible with the Canon standard EF as well as the EF-S lenses.

Getting started

Okay so I am delving into the world of D-SLR. I have owned and used a Nikon N60 for about 10 years. As the digital era came upon me I fought it for a while and then my amazing wife purchased me a canon Powershot digital ELPH SD630. I was aprehensive at first but, I bought right into it and took over 1000 pictures (much to all of travel companions dismay) with it on our first trip to Disney. I have been waiting for the prices of the D-SLR's to drop to a "reasonable" cost. I am not sure they are there fully, yet but, I am not so sure they ever will be as cheap as I am :) So we bit the bullet and purchased some equipment. Here is what we have to get started with.



I am using the following equipment:

Body :

Canon EOS REBEL XS 10.1 MP


Lenses:

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (purchased with the body above as a kit)

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD macro zoom lens

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto zoom lens

Filters:

Tiffen UV Protector

Tiffen 812 Warming

Tiffen Circular Polarizer

Tripod:

Vista Explorer 60" lightweight with 4x leveling capability.

Monopod:

Dolica WT-1003 67" lightweight ( I need to purchase a ballhead quick release but have no idea where to start on this and am open to budget minded suggestions)

Flash:

I have not made a flash purchase yet. I am leaning towards the 430EX II for cost purposes however, I am out of dinero at this point and may be looking at a birthday gift to expand on this portion of my toolbox :)

Other gadgets:

At this time I only have a Tamrac bag to carry the body with one lens (even at that the zooms are locked at 70mm)

I am open to suggestion and recomendation for alternative equipment or additions to the arsenal. I will be pretty satisfied with the 18mm setting for the time being but next year may want to explore the possibilies of dabbling in the fisheye realm.