outdoor photography

Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L It may surprise you that I believe Canon's 180mm macro lens to be the best macro lens for nature photography. After all, a few years ago, Canon released a new macro lens, the EF 100mm f/2.8L.  It's smaller, lighter, cheaper, auto-focuses faster, has a wider maximum aperture, and it even sports a new hybrid form of image stabilization. And, whatever differences there may be in image quality, they are probably imperceptible in real life situations. So why would I recommend the the 180mm f/3.5L over the 100mm f/2.8L? Well, I should concede that the 100mm f/2.8L is probably the better lens for some people.  Those needing IS will likely benefit from it; those who would also use this lens for portraits and other uses may also have good reason to opt for this lens over the 180mm f/3.5L.  But I'm concerned here with using this lens as a macro lens for nature and wildlife photography--flowers, insects, spiders and other small things in nature.  There...

Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L I frequently get asked about lens recommendations for nature photography, so I thought it would be good to offer what I consider to be wonderful choices all in one post.  Before beginning, though, I do have a few caveats.  First, I'm limiting myself to Canon simply because that's what I know best.  I'm sure you can find comparable lenses to those mentioned here made by Nikon and other manufactures.  Second, there's no one way to build your arsenal of lenses.  Often the best lens to buy next depends on what you already have in your camera bag. We all have different habits and shooting styles, and so there's no one set of lenses that will be perfect for every nature photographer. Third, lenses can be very expensive, and my blog is generally designed for those on a modest budget--that is, cameras under $1800 and lenses under $1200. Wildlife (Long Telephoto) For wildlife photography, you often want to have your subject large in your fram...

Rose at Brookside Gardens When I first fell in love with photography, it was largely because of what a photograph could do to a flower, especially getting up close to them to portray them in ways we normally don't look at them.  They are marvels of nature, so I'm excited to begin a series on how to photograph them.  I'm going to concentrate on macro & closeup photography of flowers, at least to start off.  This is not the only or even best way to photograph them (since there is no "best way"), but it is the way that I prefer to photograph them.  Shooting close up photos of flowers properly is demanding and exacting work. It's also painstakingly slow.  But the results you can get are worth far more than the effort it takes to get the photo.  Here's what you need to get started shooting close up photos of flowers. Lilly at Greenspring Valley Park Camera.  Well, of course.  Most any quality DSLR will do just fine photographing flowers...