fwsalmon's photostream  

I'm 43 years old and got into photography, because of the birth of my first little girl. I decided that the point and shoot camera that I was using was not cutting it when my daughter started to move around, so I went out and bought the Canon XSi (based on a CNET review).

The first pictures I took with the SLR were a vast improvement, but learning about all the details (aperature, exposure, and shutter speed) were... err I should say are a bit hard to master. I enjoy tinkering with things and from past experience I knew the best way to get good at something was practice, practice, practice. So, while taking shots around the community, I also began speaking to a coworker and fellow photo hound about how to get better. He mentioned wildlife, or more specifically birds... and in days I had this photo bug (expensive hobby)!

I noticed immeadiately that my kit lens (18-55 ef-s) wasn't long enough, so I began to research upgrades. Thinking that what I spent on my camera was quite a lot of money, I was shocked to see the price of the good (L) lenses, but I also knew to get the quality I wanted I was going to have to shell out a few dollars.

Speaking with my coworker, I decided on the 70-200l f4.0 (non-IS). For the money (still expensive, but not grossly) I could not be happier. The lens got me closer to the birds, is extremely quick to auto focus, and so sharp! I have to say that the best use of the 70-200 that I have found to date is with portraits... stunning photos.

As most of you likely know, once you get the bug lenses of all types catch your attention. The next need on my radar was a wide angle, because I was taking a trip out west to a couple of parks (Sequoia and Yosemite). I finally decided on the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. Another great buy so far... love the sharpness and contrast the lens gives me, but I have to admit I don't use this as often as I'd like (birds typically fade away with wide angles).

During the late summer / early fall of '08 looking at Flickr wildlife photos I began to take serious notice of the quality shots I saw coming from the canon 100-400l f4.5-5.6 group... this damn photo bug really started acting up! For me, I really had to justify spending that money on a hobby (especially to my wife)! It took me a few months to finally decide (you know... helping out the economy) to buy this lens and I have not been disappointed! The two huge differences are the length and the IS... both are better than I expected!

Well I'm updating... I got the new Canon 7d in Oct. 2009. It took me a little while to get up to speed on this baby (an XSi it is definitely not!), but it was worth every penny. I have over 15,000 accuations and it's still going fairly well. :))))

I'm very happy with my equipment at this point and Florida's wildlife is truly amazing (It's crazy that as a non-photographer I rarely noticed how beautiful this area of the country really is).

Until later... happy shooting!

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