New toys...

I miss my 70-200. I miss it a ton. I knew I wanted something with more reach, and the 1.4x teleconverter I was using did sap some sharpness. All last summer, I didn't go for bird walks, nature hikes, zoo trips and the like because I had sold it and lacked a telephoto option.

I thought I wanted a 100-400mm but the push/pull zoom seemed unnatural to use, and the lens is starting to show it's age when you compare it to some more modern options. Financial constraints also meant that I wasn't going to be buying a new lens last year.

Lo and behold cash flow is a bit better, and Canon has launched this little beauty. Since you lose a stop with the teleconverter, compared to the 70-200mm f/2.8L the max f/5.6 is not a huge hit, the IS is generally a bit better, and the autofocus should be faster without the teleconverter. It also takes me from 280mm at the long end to 300mm which is not a huge difference, but it is a little bit longer. I might have to push the ISO up a stop indoors, but for outdoor work it should be a great lens.

So the 70-300L came to the Zoo today for a test run:













And since I have posted any pics of them in a while, here are the kids!







So far, I'm happy with the lens! Tomorrow we are going to try Fort Whyte Alive for some more telephoto fun!

Om nom nom...

Something old and something new to post today. Pardon another kid pic, but this one is a rite of passage:



His first cob of corn! This is when it's officially summer, when you have butter and corn shmutz dripping down your chin.

I also realized I took some nice shots back in May that I didn't post. I work in Downtown Winnipeg, and the entire city centre was abuzz when the news leaked out the the deal to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg had been struck. I grabbed my camera and did a little photojournalism. Here are my favourite shots from that day:

















Thanks for reading :)

Fort Whyte, macro style...

I know I've gone shooting at Fort Whyte Alive quite a few times, but it's a nice place just to go for a walk.

Today, to change it up I went with one lens only, the 60mm Macro. This sort of backfired since we had a windy day so flowers, bugs and the like were nearly impossible to get and keep in focus. Having said that, it made me look at my photo opportunities differently and got me thinking about how I was shooting again.

Here is just a sample of the shots from today, starting with the kids, and then a few flowers that I found striking in colour and texture.

Thanks for reading!









Four days of shooting this week. Must be something wrong with me!

Hey guys!

No project, just some pictures from the backyard.

I figure you probably all forgot what my kids look like by this point, so what the heck. A couple from the backyard swingset, playing around with wide angles. Shot at ISO 100, 17mm focal length:





This little guy has an elaborate little web on the kids slide and decided to stay still long enough for me to switch to my macro lens.



A face only a mother could love. A horrible, drooling, furry spider of death mother anyhow.

Pics from the weekend

Had a couple of trips out this weekend, and here's a few favourites.

We went back to the zoo for the third time this summer, this time with friends and their son. I promised them at least one family picture, but their little guy was not in the best mood and basically refused to make eye contact with the camera. Still, I managed a fairly nice shot:



The goal in this shot was just to keep it informal and loose, but still a nice family shot. I just wish we could have got a smile out of their little dude. He *did* smile for me later, in a shot that I like much better that was taken on the playground in the zoo:



Where was that big grin earlier in the day?! I took a candid shot when he was racing his father as well, and I think it's cute:



My daughter would simply not allow pictures to be taken without her chance in front of the lens, so she decided to jump for a picture:



Yeah, she's a goof.

A few animal shots from the day as well. First, a gibbon who decided to stare me down:



And our Zoo's newly arrived Lioness, who was napping at the time:



I think there is a universal rule that the coolest animals at the zoo are always asleep. They might be stuffed, I have no idea.

Our other day trip was back to Oak Hammock Marsh, but there were some high winds so despite it being migration season, most of the birds were hunkered down. Didn't shoot much and what I did shoot was just too far away for the 70-200 even with the teleconverter. I'm looking forward to the day I can land a 400mm+ lens for these birding trips.

I *did* take another bee/flower shot that had a nice colour contrast though:



Thanks for reading!

Boy smash! Grar!

Well, it was a heck of a day. The first birthday party went off largely without a hitch but I'm exhausted. There will be a proper picture tomorrow, but a memory for the family today.



Boy smash cake! Grar!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO!

On day 160, I was enjoying the realization that I still don't have to go to work for three more days, but the running around and errands seem endless after a vacation.

So, I needed a quick shot but I specifically wanted to do something experimental. I've been thinking about using supplemental flash in daylight shots and this seemed like a nice day for it with blue skies and white clouds.

By the time I got my idea together, and my subjects ready and willing, a little gray had entered the white clouds, but I still like the shot:



It's Super Baby! I think every kid on the planet likes this game... This was shot in the shade at 1/125th, f/16 (sunny 16!) and ISO 100. The shot is done in shade, with the 580EX II on-camera at 1/2 power, using the LumiQuest SBIII softbox. The effect is what I was hoping for, with a properly exposed foreground and the sky a nice shade of blue with definition in the clouds.

What more can I say about this? I had an idea, and it worked the first try! The shot itself could use a little more artistic flair, but getting the technical elements right is a challenge and a thrill in itself.

I have some portrait time scheduled with friends who are getting married soon, and this is valuable experience for that shoot.

Portrait Day

Well, shooting the grandkids' portraits went pretty well all in all. There was a certain amount of time that was spent herding them, and trying to get them all to look in the same direction at the same time, but the results are good overall.

The rental studio was set up with four AB400s which were very nice to work with, two softboxes for the key and fill lights, and straight reflectors for the background lights.

Here are the best of the shots taken today, all taken within 40 minutes or so. We got in and out way faster than I expected:





This has a guest appearance by Po, the stuffed Hippo:






Another guest star, Javelin the stuffed cat:


Mid-air shot!


Mid-air, part two!


Any comments are welcome!

Sunlight portraits...

So, today was one of my first chances to really take any pictures. I've been shooting snapshots, but nothing really worth sharing at this point.

However, in my sisters back yard I managed to corral all of the kids for a minute or two and got them to sit down for a couple of natural light portaits.

My son and daughter are the first two shots, my nieces the latter two. All shot with the 70-200 at f/4, ISO 100:









I'm pretty happy with all of these, although the focus on my son is a bit soft. Tomorrow we are heading to the Royal Ontario Museum so there should be photo opportunities galore!

Backyard Bubbles

I hope you aren't all sick of pics of my kids. The more practice I can manage with portraits, the better. Besides, my kids are cute!

We picked up this 'Bubble Typhoon' device on the weekend and set it up in the backyard today. Of course, Daddy was right behind with his camera.

Here are the shots from today:





Both shot with the 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM which I'm finding a very helpful kid-shooting lens. The autofocus is damn quick, the fixed aperture is just incredibly helpful for sorting out exposure, and for full body shots the zoom range really is ideal. Combined with the much better AF on the 7D and all my shots were crisply in focus. These were shot at ISO 100, f/4 in aperture priority.

I've really come to like this post processing style as well. It's almost become a go-to for me for strongly lit portraits. I'll need to branch out, but it's also important to develop a style to show your clients. I think this one works for me.

Mummy Luv!

Back to the portraits! I am travelling to Ontario to visit my family, and I've booked a small studio for a day while I am there so that I can shoot my nieces, so I'll try and get as many shots in as I can right now. Day 153 was a portrait day.

I was using my son as my subject today, and since he started crawling getting him to settle down is a chore. My wife sat nearby to help but all that did was make him stare and smile at here. This isn't the shot I planned, but it's a shot I love:



Same post processing technique as I used for the twig splashing shots from a few weeks ago. I like the effect, and it can be subtle while still being interesting. I'm not 100% set on it, but I do like it.

This was shot with a white muslin background, the 580EX II camera left, and an LP160 camera right, both with shoot-through umbrellas at just a bit above his head height. ISO 100, 1/200th shutter at f/3.2 on the 17-55mm at 55mm. A good setup for headshots with only minimal cleanup needed in post processing. I managed this shot, including setup of the lights, in under ten minutes.

I'm getting there, I hope.

Guess how much I love him?

Well, looks like I missed another day. Day 122 was spent at the Children's ER with some post-surgical issues. On the plus side, a change in antibiotics seems to be helping him, and things look better today.

So, given the circumstances, I hope you don't mind if make today's picture another dedication to my little trooper:



The ring/shadow/book/heart thing is a cliche photo, sure, but this shot with his baby book felt like the right subject for me today. Here's hoping the rest of the recovery is smoother. If you want to try this shot, it's easy to do with somewhat careful placement of the ring on the book, and one speedlight either snooted or zoomed to throw a hard shadow. It's an easy effect to do once you know how!