In my Canon EF-mount kit, one of my favorite lenses was the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro. It was solid and sharp, with snappy autofocus and good stabilization. So when I moved to an RF-mount system, I definitely wanted to pick up the new RF version, which is an improvement in just about every way: …
Read more “Gear Up: Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro and Focus Shift”
A few months ago, I decided to sell my DJI Air 2S drone and pick up a new Mini 3 Pro when it came out. I loved how solid the Air 2S was, and I loved its features and image quality–but it was a bit too large and noisy for my taste, so I found …
Read more “Wander: Pump House Park, ACL Railroad Bridge, and My New Mini 3 Pro!”
I’m the lucky owner of both Canon’s RF 800mm f/11 and RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L lenses, so I thought it might be interesting to compare them out in the field, using the Canon RF 1.4x teleconverter to make the 100-500mm a 700mm f/10 lens at the long end. So I packed them up with my R5 …
Read more “Gear Up: Canon RF Long Lens Shootout at Dutch Gap”
If you live in a place where they can be found, photographing summer fireflies is an interesting challenge. Like astrophotography, it takes a little more work and patience–but the results can be pretty awesome! Living in the Virginia piedmont region, we’ve got lots of fireflies this time of year. I’ve been practicing in my backyard …
The weather’s warm as summer approaches, so yesterday I headed to the James River in Richmond for a short excursion. I visited the 42nd Street Entrance of the park system, which I was surprised to find I’d never been to. It was a nice little wander, and I ended up with some nice photos and …
I recently decided to upgrade from my Canon R6 (which I adored) to an R5 (which I think is even more awesome). In this wander I give the new camera and my legs some exercise, exploring at the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk and Huntley Meadows Park, both not too far from Washington DC. Bonus Content: Some …
Read more “Wander: Neabsco Creek and Huntley Meadows Park, VA”
Every time I drive into Charlottesville on westbound Interstate 64, I notice a tall, ornate smokestack standing not far off as I cross the Rivanna River. I always assumed it was the remains of an old mill or something. Whenever I spot something like that, I have two thoughts: What is that? And: How can …
Read more “History In Site: C&A Railway Power Plant, Charlottesville VA”
The weather promised a warmer day as we head into the end of winter, so I took a day to wander over towards the Blue Ridge. My plan was to hit a few different waterfall hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but after my first stop at Crabtree Falls, I discovered the BRP was essentially …
My first-ever visit to Shenandoah National Park was a cold and misty one, but amazing just the same! I stopped for a leg-stretcher at Alum Spring Park in Fredericksburg, then headed into SNP to hike the Stony Man and Dark Hollow Falls trails. I also spotted some deer along Skyline Drive, and checked out the …
I think it’s a good exercise to go through the year’s photos and flag the images that I think were my best. It’s a nice way to gauge progress over the year, and to see what worked best for me photographically. Also interesting to see my choice of gear and settings–of the 95 non-drone photos …