June 20, 2012 - First world problems...

First world problems -- does one pack a 24-70 f/2.8 zoom or three primes, 28 f/2.0, 50 f/1.4, 80 f/1.8mm plus a 1.4x macro extender? 21mm wide or 17mm fisheye?

June 17, 2012 - Bees of Bluemont

June 17, 2012 - Bees of Bluemont

Bluemont park is walking distance from my house, along the system of trails which connect to the W&OD here in Arlington. Among the features of the park are several gardens, which always have something blooming. Today was this orange colored something with smallish flowers. The bees were clearly enjoying themselves.

Photo Details - Canon 5DmkII, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM L lens. Image was shot at 300mm, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/500th.

June 3, 2012 - Frog at Riverbend Park, Fairfax County VA

June 3, 2012 - Frog at Riverbend Park, Fairfax County VA

This was taken on a hike - though it was a bit more like a walk in the woods than a hike - at Riverbend Park in Fairfax County, VA. Riverbend is one of a string of parks which can be found along the Potomac - it is traversed by a trail called the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. I was with a couple friends - we drove out and parked, then headed north along the river. The trail here is well marked and generally flat. There are a few rises, but even for my out-of-shape condition, were a pretty easy walk. After one of these, we descended into a small glade with a large algae covered pond. There were several small wooden over looks at the water edge. We could hear the sound of many many bullfrogs and took a few minutes to grab some photos.

The above is one of several good ones I got. I also have a wide angle photo that I'm currently using as the background on my monitor at work. The above was shot with my Canon 5dII and my Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 zoom, at 300mm. The camera was set on Auto-ISO and picked 1600. Aperture was f9.0, shutter speed 1/250th. I rather like shooting with the Auto-ISO on some days - I still can/do assume control over the shutter and aperture, but it seems to help make sure I end up don't end up with as many blurry, long shutter speed shots. And, thankfully, the 5dII is pretty good as far as sensor noise, even at higher ISO's.

Yes, I do still believe in knowing what all the settings do, and I believe any photographer should know the relationships between aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, etc - but I also believe that there are times when the computer brain can do things better and faster than I can. I have no qualms about using some of the "auto" settings, if it will help me get more consistent results.