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My first 'real' camera was a Canon Digital Rebel which I was fortunate enough to purchase fairly cheaply in 2005. I quickly wanted a better DSLR and so later that year I bought a Canon 20D. Since then I've built up a set of gear which allows me to pursue several areas of photography including landscapes, birds, macro, and the cosmos.
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| The first picture I took trying to pay attention to composition. Tone is the dominant visual element. Canon 300D, 18-55 @ 39mm, f/11, 1.3s, ISO 100. |
I purchase and use a lot of my gear targetted towards specific purposes. Up until early 2009, I was using only Canon equipment, since then I have started fleshing out a kit made up of Nikon cameras and lenses as well. I have nothing against cameras and lenses made by other manufacturers. I shoot Canon simply because its where I started with the 300D and am fond of and comfortable with the Canon lens line up. I added the Nikon D700 because it represented great value and added the 14-24 and 24-70 because of their stellar performance. Since then, the D700 has been replaced with a D3s.
Landscapes
I primarily use a Canon 1DS Mark III for landscape photography. The 21 megapixel images produced by this camera make for stunning prints, though it does mean having to pair it up with the highest quality lenses. I also really like the Live View feature since it makes critical focusing so much easier.
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| Forest Light, Big Basin Redwoods. Nikon D3s, 24-70 @ 70mm, f/22, 1/80s, ISO 11400. |
I do sometimes take the Nikon D3s with me for purely handheld photography. Sometimes, even a handheld landscape at high ISO is better than no image at all. The 12 megapixels that the D3s may seem paltry to some by today's standards, but I've found it capable of making richly detailed 12" prints without problem.
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| Lathe Arch, Alabama Hills. Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E II, f/3.5, 1/30s, ISO 800. |
In the past, I have successfully used a wide variety of lenses for landscapes. One of the great things about landscapes is the variety of focal lengths you can use, no lens is too wide or too long for a great landscape. In the future I will most likely be using a series of prime lenses with the 1DS Mark III for landscapes including the 17 TS-E, 24 TS-E II, and 90 TS-E. The Canon 70-200 f/4 IS is also a stellar optic and its compact size makes a great zoom for hiking.
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| Manly Beacon, Zabreiski Point, Death Valley. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/30s ISO 100. |
Birds
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| Snowy Egret. Canon 1D3, 600mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC, f/7.1, 1/1000s ISO 400. |
I usually shoot with the 800 on a Wimberley head mounted on a Gitzo GT5540LS tripod. This makes for a very sturdy set up but can be a little heavy at times. One of the things I love about the 800 over the 600 is its 4-stop IS and the fact that it is lighter. This means I can get away with using a monopod on the 800 (Gitzo GM3551 with a Really Right Stuff MH-01 high capacity head).
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| California Brown Pelican. Canon 1Ds3, 800mm f/5.6 IS, f/7.1, 1/500s ISO 200. |
I started photographing birds somewhat seriously in 2007. I started off with the Canon 500 f/4 IS lens and recently added the 800 f/5.6 IS lens for photographing the small shore birds. I've also done some bird photography while travelling with a 300 f/2.8 IS lens and some teleconverters along with the 100-400 IS lens. For most of 2008 I also had a 600 f/4 IS lens before selling it for the 800.
Portraits
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| Maya. Canon 1Ds3, 200 f/2L IS, f/2, 1/80s ISO 800. |
A lot of the portraits I take these days are of my daughter. I will mostly like use the 1Ds Mark III with the 24L II, 35L, 85L and 200 f/2 IS lenses. The 85L has probably been my favourite portrait lens for quite a while, though the Canon 50 f/1.2L is quickly growing on me. I also use the Nikon D3s extensively for portraits, especially for shooting in low light with no flash.
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| Maya Sleeping. Nikon D3s, 105 VR, f/4.5, 1/40s ISO 12800. |
When natural lighting is insufficient I also use strobes, mainly for photographing people. I've used White Lightning strobes in the past but in 2008 I sold them opting for a pair of Quantum T5D-Rs triggered by the FreeXWire system. Then Quantum flashes don't have as much power as a bigger strobe but their portability compensates for it. Also, I have yet to encounter a lighting situation where the Quantum didn't have sufficient power (though I'm sure they exist). I mainly use umbrellas with the T5Ds, but I also have a small softbox along with a snoot.
Flowers
I like photographing a variety of flowers. Like many other subjects, its the lighting that can make for a really interesting flower photograph so these days I try to control the lighting as much as I can, usually with my Quantum T5Ds. My favourite flower lens is the 90mm TS-E, though the 85L with extension tubes is also quite nice.
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| Tulip. Canon 1Ds3, 90 TS-E, f/5.6, 1/200s ISO 100. |
Macro
I occasionally like to photograph really small things, such as small flower parts, insects as well as creating abstracts. In the past, I have mostly used the Canon 180mm macro lens, though when extreme magnification is needed, I also have the Canon 65mm MP-E.
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| Night blooming Jasmin. Nikon D700, 105 Micro VR, f/8, 1/100s, ISO 400. Handheld. Quantum T5D-R fired. |
I do a lot of macro work handheld but a lot of times I like to use a tripod, especially when using the 65mm MP-E. For macros I use a Gitzo G2257 tripod with a Markins M10L head and a Really Right Stuff macro rail. The Gitzo G2257 tripod has a couple of neat features including the ability to rotate the center column as well as the ability to lock the three legs at different angles. This makes the tripod very versatile to photograph in odd and uneven terrain and to get unique angles.
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| Mustard seeds. Canon 1D3, 65 MP-E (at 5x magnification) + 72mm of extension, f/16, 1/200s, ISO 400, flash fired. |
Other
There are several other subjects I photograph like flowers or wildlife but I pretty much use the gear described above.
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