Saturday, December 6, 2008

New Toys

I love getting new toys. Some of them I get because I just want them, others I get because I need them. In this case it was the latter, I needed a new lens. A good walk around lens that can handle pretty much whatever I need it to do.

After plenty of homework on the topic (I never buy a piece of equipment without reading everything I can on it and it's possible competition) I opted for the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO instead of the Nikkor 18-200mm VR.


















The lens, from Adorama.com, is an all in one super telephoto zoom and is brand new on the market. It is capable of handling everything from wide angle to macro all the way through super telephoto all in one remarkably tight little package, and a decent looking lens to boot.
I'm also pretty excited to try out the VC (vibration compensation) feature which should make handheld telephoto shots a lot easier and reduce the blur caused by camera shake from drinking too much coffee (my last zoom had no vibration reduction feature and only performed well either tripod mounted or in very bright daylight situations, other than that and the shots were almost always blurry). Don't be a cheap ass, buy a lens that has some sort of VR or VC if you're in the market. You won't regret it.

Havent had any time to field test this lens yet but can't wait for my chance to get it outdoors.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Weekend Sunrise Shooting

It's been almost all summer and I've hardly shot any sunrise or sunset shots. Hard to believe seeing as how they've always been a perennial favorite of mine. Had a few days off work the past week and decided to go out to a favorite spot for some long exposure shots of the river and do some landscapes.
On the way there I noticed that the sky to the east was already becoming a brilliant shade of pink and red and I immediately pulled a U turn and headed east towards the lake.
Landscapes can wait; it was going to be a sunrise morning.

I ended up at a familiar spot that I'd shot earlier the same week...




- 3 second exposure
- f/22
- ISO 200
- -1/3EV
- cloudy white balance









- 4 sec exposure
- f/22
- ISO 200
- -1/3EV





I don't always shoot sunrise/sunset shots looking directly into the sun. Usually I don't even shoot the actual sunrise/set, but about 20 minutes before and after the sun has cleared the horizon. That's when you get the best colours and run less risk of blowing highlights.

When I find a great sunrise I shoot as much of it as I can but I always try to remember to turn around and catch what is behind me. Sometimes (most of the time) you get spectacular scenes bathed in all of that "magic hour" light and you wouldn't have even know had you not turned around. Although this isn't the best example, this is what was behind me on the day (the sun had risen to the far right hand side.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Back on Blogger


It's been a handful of years and a handful of blogs and I've decided that it's time to jump back on the blogger bandwagon.

Welcome to Infocusimagery on Blogger. Another place for me to post shots, and ramble on about one of the most infectious things in my life, photography.

This site will serve as an offshoot from my official homepage, InFocusImagery.ca,
as well as provide links to my Flickr page and RedBubble account (for purchase inquiries).

As always, feel free to contact me for usage inquiries and any other questions
at
in.focus.imagery@live.ca