What's in my camera bag - and why.

I've had a bunch of people email me asking "what's in your camera bag?" So, this post is my answer to this question.

Before I divulge the contents of my camera bag, I probably should share some of my lens philosophy with you, I really like prime lenses. I love that they're so sharp at such wide apertures. I love that they are small, light and cheap. I love that when I shoot them wide-open on my full frame Canon 5D I get some slight vignetting in the corners of the frame. I love that with my prime lenses I can shoot at crazy wide apertures like f2.0 in low-light conditions without having to use a flash.

The lenses I use are specific to a full-frame sensor. If I was shooting with a APS-c format DSLR (Rebel XTi, Rebel XSi, 30D, 40D, etc.), the lenses in my bag would be slightly different (but I would like to have similar equivilent focal lengths.)

For each lens, I've also included a sample photo that best represents the capability of the lens.

What's in my camera bag:

Canon 5D: I LOVE the image quality of this camera's huge sensor (I do shoot some stock, and the stock agencies like 5D files). I also love the ability to get extremely shallow depth of field, due to the larger sensor (and the need to be closer to the subject.) ISO 1600 on this body is also 100% acceptable. The 5D is a significant investment, but it's been worth every penny (I paid about $2300 for the camera 2 years ago - after a 20% discount and a Canon $300 rebate.)

Canon 17-40 f4: Ultra-wide angle for landscape. Although I'd actually love to replace this lens with the 24-105 f4 IS, I find myself using the 17mm - 20mm range frequently for landscape shots, so it stays in my bag. (A similar ultra-wide zoom for APS-c format cameras is the Canon EF-s 10-22.)

Canon 5D, Canon 17-40 f4 L Lens, 17mm focal length, Av, f16, 1.5 seconds, ISO 100, picture style of landscape, Tripod, Remote release, graduated natural density filter.

Canon 24-85 f3.5-4.5: If I can only take a singe lens on a trip (mountain climbing, backpacking), this is the lens I bring. I don't use it that often, because I personally prefer primes, but if I'm trying to keep my weight down and use a single lens, I use this lens. It offers a useful range (including 24mm on the wide end) and it's pretty cost-effective (approx. $325 new). I would love to replace this with the 24-105 f4, but I haven't been able bring myself to spend $1000 for the 24-105 (I can buy 3 nice primes for $1000!)

Canon 5D, Canon 24-85 lens, 24mm focal length, Av, F6.3, 1/2000 of a second, ISO 400, picture style of standard.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-85 lens, 85mm focal length, Av, F8, 1/500 of a second, EC +1/3, Picture style of standard, ISO 400 (Mt. Hood.)

Canon 24 2.8: Great for low light indoor, wide-angle, hand-held shooting. It's very sharp, even wide open. I use this lens a modest amount.

Canon 5D, Canon 24 f2.8, Av, f2.8, 1/30 of a second, ISO 1600, EC +1/3, picture style of faithful.

Canon 5D, Canon 24 f2.8, Av, f2.8, 1/80 of a second, ISO 1600, EC +1/3, picture style of monochrome with Sepia tone.

Canon 50 f1.4: Great for low light indoor shooting. Shots @ 50mm have a very 'journalistic' 'look' to them. I use this lens quite a bit. I switch between this lens and my 24 f.28 for indoor flash-free candids.

Canon 5D, Canon 50 f1.4, Av, f2.5, 1/500 of a second, EC + 2/3, ISO 500, Picture style of faithful.

Canon 85 f1.8: For low-light sports and indoor portrait work. I recently acquired this lens and I really haven't used it that much, it's a little 'long' for my indoor shooting and I really like my 200 f2.8 for outdoor portraits.

Canon 5d, Canon 85 f1.8, Av, f2.0, 1/640, EC -1, ISO 1600, Picture style of faithful.

Canon 100 f2.8 Macro: For Macro work. Before I had other primes, like the 200 2.8 and 85 1.8 I used this lens a lot, now I just pull it out for Macro work. This lens is also good for portraits.

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Av, f4.5, 1/100, EC -1, ISO 400, Picture style of standard.

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Av, f3.5, 1/400, EC -2/3, ISO 400, Picture style of standard.

Canon 200 f2.8: One of my favorite outdoor portrait lenses. Also very good for low-light indoor sports. Razor sharp wide-open. I love this lens and it's what I mount on my camera if I'm shooting people outdoors.

Canon 5D, Canon 200 f2.8 L, Av, f2.8, 1/640, EC -1/3, ISO 400, Picture style of standard.

Canon 5D, Canon 200 f2.8 L, Av, f2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100, Picture style of standard.

Canon 400 f5.6: I use this for shooting windsurfing, kiteboarding, wildlife, etc. Anything where I need to shoot things that are far away. This lens is also good for creating 'compression.'

Canon 5D, Canon 400 f5.6 L, Av, f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 200, Picture style of standard.

Canon 5D, Canon 400 f5.6 L, Av, f5.6, 1/200, EC -1, ISO 400, Picture style of standard.

Canon 420EX flash: If I need flash, I mount my 420EX. Canon does not sell this model any more, the replacement is the 430EX. This does not get used very often, but it's a 'must have.'

Cokin z-Pro filter holder: If I need to use a filter, this is my filter holder. I hate carrying the filter holder and filters in my bag because I use them so infrequently, but the ability to mount a ND graduated filter is a requirement for me -- for art-quality landscape shots they are needed in some situations -- and I can never predict when I'll need one.

Cokin graduated natural density filter: If I need a graduated filter.

Cokin 8 stop natural density filter: For generating really slow shutter speeds, usually used in conjunction with f22.

4-5 5D batteries (I buy the cheapy clone versions off eBay.)

Extra batteries for the 420EX flash

A 77mm circular polarizer. Extra 58mm lens cover. Extra 77mm lens cover.

Bag: LowePro Mini Trekker AW backpack: This holds all my gear (barely.) I vowed that I would never carry a bigger bag that this because they are simply too dorky (in my opinion.)

Tripod: Manfrotto aluminum tripod (3001BD with Manfrotto ballhead (486RC2.)

I probably need to consolidate my lens collection, I feel like I'm lugging around too much gear, but I can't bring myself to get rid of any my glass.

Photo of hay bale 'kicking-up'

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 24-85, Focal Length: 24mm, ISO: 100, Shooting Mode: Aperture priority, Aperture: f5.6, Shutter-speed: 1/320 of a second, Picture Style: Standard. Other: Focus-mode AI Servo.

My uncle Roger has a farm in upper-state New York and we made a trip to visit his farm last summer. As soon as I saw the hay 'bailer' setup, I knew I wanted to get this shot. Roger wasn't a big fan of this idea of me being in the back of his hay wagon with my 'expensive' camera as he launched hay bales into the wagon, but I managed to talk him into helping me. I took about 40 frames and this is the best shot of the bunch. Here are the settings why I used each:

• Canon 24-85 lens: There were a couple different shots I wanted, the shot above, but I also wanted a 'close-up' of the bale in mid-air (see below), so I pulled my rarely used Canon 24-85 out of my bag. I thought the 24-85 would be a single lens solution to get both the 'wide-angle' and close-up shot.


• 24mm focal Length: This gave me the wide-angle perspective to see the bale of hay, the stacked hay, the sky and the sides of the hay wagon.


• Shooting mode of Aperture Priority: I wanted to specify the aperture and have the camera pick the shutter-speed.


• Aperture of f5.6: I wanted a little depth of field so if auto-focus wasn't 'perfect' the hay bale would still be in focus. In addition, my 24-85 is 'soft' wide-open so I wanted to avoid the widest aperture of this lens (f3.5). If I stopped down the aperture any more, I would have to concede shutter-speed, which would make the hay-bale blurring do to motion blur.


• Shutter-speed of 1/320 of a second: this was automatically selected by the camera.
  


• ISO 100: It was a bright, sunny day with plently of light, so I started with ISO 100 and how no need to go to a higher ISO.
  


• Picture Style of Standard: Standard provides a nice 'punchy' photo.
  


• Focus mode of AI Servo: I used this to track the bale of hay approaching me.

Here's another one of the better shots with different framing:

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 24-85, Focal Length: 52 mm, ISO: 100, Shooting Mode: Aperture Priority, Aperture: f5.6, Shutter-speed: 1/250 of a second, Picture Style: Standard. Other: Focus-mode AI Servo.

500GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive $84

A quick FYI: eCost is running a special deal on 500GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $84 each. If you need an external drive for additional photo storage capacity and/or backup, this is a great deal.

eCost deal on 500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $84

If 500GB isn't enough, here's the 1TB version (yes, 1000GB's) for $199:

eCost deal on 1 TB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $199

FYI: I've ordered tons of computer equipment from eCost over the years and they offer great equipment at a great price. LaCie also makes good quality hard drives.

Photographing babies

This is my first try at photographing babies. A friend of mine just brought this little guy into the world 7 days ago. Although there is room for improvement, I'm very pleased with the results:

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Shooting mode Aperture Priority, Aperture f2.8 (for blurry background, 'artistic' look), Shutter-speed of 1/800 of a second (selected by the camera), Exposure compensation of +1/3 (the camera's meter wanted to make the scene too dark), ISO 400, Picture Style is Monochrome with Sepia Tone. (ISO 200 would have also worked.)

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Shooting mode Aperture Priority, Aperture f3.2 (for blurry background, 'artistic' look) Shutter-speed of 1/1600 of a second (selected by the camera), Exposure compensation of -1/3 (the camera meter wanted to make the scene to bright), ISO 400, Picture Style is Monochrome with Sepia Tone. (Shooting at ISO 400 obviously was not needed, I should have dialed ISO down to 100 or 200),

I taped black paper to the wall for the background--this made a huge difference (I have to concede that this was my wife's idea.) I moved mom and baby in front of a window with light streaming though. I kept the subject pretty far away from the black wall so the 'blurry background' would hide the imperfections in my 'make-shift' black background. Although the 100 f2.8 Macro is excellent for Macro work, it's also an excellent portrait lens :)

The key ingredients that made these photos 'work' (in my opinion) are:

• The black background
• Moving mom & baby in front of the window
• Shooting a 'Sepia Tone' Picture style

If I had been shooting an APS-c body, the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro would have been my preferred lens.

Although a studio would have been ideal for this shoot (I don't have a studio), my improvised setup worked pretty well.

When my kids were babies I photographed them using a point-and-shoot. The baby photos on this page are about 50 times better then the photos I have of my kids at this age. I now have no problem spending a little bit of money for a good camera and good lenses to document my kids growing up. You can't 'turn back time' and re-take these photos.

Here are a couple more photos from this session:

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Av, f3.2, 1/3200, EC - 1/3, ISO 400, Picture style of monochrome with a sepia tone.

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Av, f2.8, 1/2000, EC -2/3, ISO 400, Picture style of monochrome with a sepia tone.

I'm going to do another shoot in a couple weeks with the same family -- if you have any links to favorite baby photos, please share them.

Are you ready to photograph spring?

Spring is one of my favorite times to take pictures. I don't shoot as much in the winter, so I am always itching to get out in the spring and take pictures. Spring also presents so many great photo opportunities: flowers blooming, green trees, spring mornings. With spring coming on fast, make sure you are 100% ready.

Is your camera bag packed and ready to go? Is your tripod in the bag or right next to it, so you don't forget it? Are you camera batteries charged?

Do you have all the tools you need?

• Is there a new lens you need?
  
• Do have enough memory cards?
  
• Do you need any extra camera batteries?
• Do you have a bag or backpack to hold everything?
• Do you want to start using graduated filters? You'll need a grad holder, a couple grads and the appropriate 'mounting ring' for the len(s) you'll be using it with.
• Have you planned out the places, people or things you want to photograph?
  
• Have you visualized the photos you want to go capture?

Get ready, it's almost spring!

Long exposure of receding wave

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 17-40 F4, Focal Length: 20mm, Aperture: f22, Shutter speed: 5 Seconds, Shooting Mode: Aperture Priority, Picture Style: Standard, Other: Polarizer, Tripod, Cable release, mirror lock-up.

I was at the Oregon Coast (Manzanita) and it was an overcast day with really flat light. I was bored so I went down to the beach with my camera to see if I could find anything good to photograph. All I could find that was remotely interesting was the waves running up the beach. So I decided to play around with some long exposures and see what I could come up with. I started-off trying to capture the wave running-up the beach, but this didn't create any compelling results, so I switched to shooting the waves as they receded, this did produce some interesting results. I used the combination of the following 3 techniques to allow this very long exposure: ISO 50 (make the sensor as insensitive to light as possible), an aperture of f22 (tiny hole) and a polarizer; this combination allowed for the long 5 second exposure. This photo represents my favorite of the 50 of so frames to I took. I like the way the receding foam curves around the slight bulges in the sand. My shoes and pants got soaked during this shoot. Here are the details of why I choose each setting/piece of gear (in order of importance):

• Aperture of f22: I set the aperture as small as possible to let in as little light as possible, which allowed me to have long exposure.
  
• Polarizer: The only reason I used the polarizer is reduce the amount of light entering the camera, so I could leave the shutter open longer.
• ISO 50: This doubled the duration that the shutter was open vs. using ISO 100 [some folks say you shouldn't shoot ISO 50 on Canon DSLR because you lose contrast, but it worked-out OK on this shot.]
• Shooting Mode of Av: I wanted to specify the f22 aperture, and let the camera figure out the shutter-speed.
• 5 Second exposure: I needed a long exposure to capture the motion of the receding wave. The camera selected this shutter-speed automatically.
  
• Exposure compensation of +2/3: The camera's built-in meter was making the scene too dark, so I dialed-in +2/3 exposure compensation.
• 20mm focal length: This focal length allowed me to see enough of the scene to make it interesting. [If I was using a Canon crop-DSLR, I would have used the Canon 10-22 lens.]
  
• Tripod: I needed the tripod to hold the camera steady for this long exposure.
• Cable release of the shutter: My cable release of the shutter eliminated any 'shake' from the pressing & releasing of the shutter button. (You can achieve the same result using the camera's built-in timer, but if you're taking 20 or 30 images, the timer is a slow process.)
  
• Mirror lock-up: For longer exposures, the 'slap' of the mirror swinging up can cause slight image blurring. Mirror lock-up 'locks-up' the mirror on the first press of the shutter release and the exposure the photograph with the second release of the shutter. You can 'enable/disable' mirror lock-up in custom functions. (I only worry about 'mirror-lockup' if I'm trying to make the highest-quality landscape photos.)
  
• Cable release of the shutter: My cable release of the shutter eliminates any 'shake' from the pressing & releasing of the shutter button. (You can achieve the same result using the camera's built-in timer, but if you're taking 20 or 30 images, the timer is a slow process.)

A lot of the 'process' described above is the process I use for almost all my landscape photos.

Rebel XSi sample photos up on DPReview

Phil Askey over at DPReview has just posted some of the first full sized sample photogrpahs from the new Rebel XSi. You can view them here.

Photographing kids freeride mountain biking @ dusk

I was out shooting the kids mountain biking last week... it was a really great photo opportunity: kids on bikes, freeride mountain bike stunts, dark/moody lighting. But it was also very challenging obtaining fast enough shutter-speeds to freeze the action in the dark conditions (dark forest, 'dusk' lighting combined)

Here are some of the 'winners' from the riding:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 85 f1.8mm lens, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f2.5, Shutter-speed of 1/160 of second shutter-speed, ISO 800, EC -2/3, Focus mode of AI-Servo, Picture style of Standard, White Balance set to Cloudy, flash is off.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 85 f1.8mm lens, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f2.0, Shutter-speed of 1/250 of second, ISO 1600, Exposure compensation of -1, Focus mode of AI-Servo, Picture style of Standard, White Balance set to Cloudy, flash is off.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 85 f1.8mm, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f2.2, Shutter-speed of 1/500 of second, ISO 1600, Exposure compensation of -1, Focus mode of AI-Servo, Picture style of Standard, White Balance set to Cloudy, flash is off.

Here are the camera settings I used for this session, and why:

• Canon 85 f1.8mm lens: I needed a lens with a very wide aperture to gather lots of light. The longish 85mm focal length keeps the sky out of the background. This focal length is the longest I could have used in the cramped woods.
  
• Shooting mode of Aperture Priority: Because I wanted to specify a specific aperture (and let the camera pick the shutter-speed.)
  
• Aperture of f2.0 to f2.5: These wide apertures 1) allow the camera to gather maximum light 2) give a nice blurry-background 3) provide good subject isolation (the sharp mountain biker and the blurry background .) I didn't use f1.8 because this lens is sharper at f2.2 and smaller apertures (largest aperture #'s.)
  
• Shutter-speed of 1/160 to 1/500 of second (selected by the camera): to Freeze the action.
• ISO 800-1600: High ISO settings (800-1600) makes the sensor more sensitive to light, so I could get fast enough shutter-speeds to freeze the action. I avoid ISO 3200 because I find the level of noise undesirable. Note: the higher the ISO, the more 'noise' you'll have in the image.
• Exposure compensation (EC) of -2/3 to -1: The camera wanted to make the scene much brighter than it was, so I dialed-in negative EC.
  
• Focus mode of AI-Servo: I wanted to track the moving subject and release the shutter an the critical moment.
  
• Picture style of 'Standard': This gives a generally 'punchy' photo.
  
• White Balance set to Cloudy: it was cloudy so I had white balance set to cloudy. If white balance had been set to 'auto', the photo 'temperture' would have been too 'cool'.
  
• Flash is off: I don't like the 'snap-shot' look of flash photos.
• Shooting file format: RAW with noise-reduction on 'high' in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP.)
  

During the shooting, I adjusted the following parameters as it got darker: changed ISO from 800 to 1600 (so I could get a fast enough shutter-speed to freeze the action), changed aperture from f2.5 to f2.0 (to gather more light), changed EC from -2/3 to -1 (to have the photos look darker reflecting the darkening conditions.)

This type of shooting conditions really scream-out for a fast prime (50 f1.4, 85 f1.8, 100 f2). These are some old lenses (approx. 10 year old designs), but they still work great. These lenses with their wide apertures gather tons of light and are still sharp at very wide apertures [The Canon EF-s 18-55 kit lens not only doesn't support f2.0 (at 55mm it's widest aperture is f5.6), but the 18-55 is mushy at f5.6.] These shots would not have been possible using the 18-55 kit lens without turning on flash (probably needing the power of an external flash.)

Notes:

• If I had been shooting with an APS-c format camera for these shots (Rebel XT, XTi, XSi, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40d), I would have used my 50mm f1.4 lens.
• Different Canon bodies perform differently at various high ISO's. Newer bodies generally support better quality at higher ISO's. If you find the noise unacceptable, try converting to a monochrome picture style with a Sepia Tone -- this makes the noise look like film grain.

Location: 'Family Man Trail', Post Canyon, Hood River, OR

LowePro service rocks.

I'd like to send kudos out to the crew at LowePro -- they just took very good care of me.

I've been a user of their packs for all my DSLR's over the past 6 years. I started off with a LowePro Off-trail 2 (a fanny pack that can hold a DSLR with a 70-200 Telephoto lens mounted + 2 extra lenses.) When I purchased the canon 400 f5.6 lens, I upgraded to their Mini Trekker AW backpack (this holds my Canon DSLR and 7 lenses.)

So, I loved my Mini Trekker AW, but the zipper eventually 'blew-out' and I bought a new one. I called LowePro support and told them about the blown-zipper, I wanted to see if they could repair the pack with the failed zipper so I'd have a spare backpack. They told me to send it in and they'd see what they could do. The pack was 2+ years old.

I got home today and there was a package from LowePro... when I opened it up I found a brand new LowePro Mini Trekker AW bag :)

Zippers will eventually fail and LowePro could have simply said 'sorry, zippers fail'. But they didn't, they sent me a brand new bag.

You gotta love companies that stand behind their products. LowePro rocks!

They've got me for life now.

Here are the 2 LowePro packs I've used on Amazon.com:

Lowepro Off Trail 2 - Belt pack for camera - Ripstop - black

Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Backpack (Black)

Get closer!

I see far too many photos where the subject is a small object in the frame. Get closer. Ok, now get even closer. I think you'll like the results.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200 f2.8 (great for outdoor portraits on full-frame), Shooting mode Aperture Priority (so I could set the exact aperture I wanted), Aperture f3.2 (this wide aperture gives me the blurry background), Shutter speed of 1/500 of a second (selected by the camera), ISO 800 (it was getting dark and I wanted at least a 1/300 shutter-speed to avoid photo blur due to camera shake @ 200mm focal length), Exposure compensation of -1/3 (the camera wanted to make the photo too bright), White balance of Cloudy (Canon 'auto' white-balance would have made this photo much 'cooler').

Don't be afraid to mount the telephoto lens for outdoor photography of the kids - I typically mount my 200 f2.8 prime when I'm hiking with the kids (I have my other lenses in my backpack if needed.) Here's a post on some of my favorite telephoto lenses if you want help figuring out what to buy.

Don't rely on cropping back at the computer to 'get close'. You'll get the best results if you frame the shot correctly when you capture it.

Sidebar: If I had been using a APS-c sensor body (Rebel XT, XTi, XSi, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D) for this photograph, I would have used the Canon 135 f2.0 @ f2.0 to get a very similar photo.

Using telephoto lenses for 'compression'

One of the signature effects of long telephoto lenses is 'compression' - the ability to make the background appear much closer to the subject. Here are a couple examples of compression:

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 400 f5.6 L, Shooting mode: Aperture Priority (I wanted to to specify a specific aperture), Aperture: F5.6 (widest aperture gives a nice blurry background), Shutter speed: 1/800 (selected by camera), ISO: 1250 (fast enough ISO to get fast shutter speed. It was dusk), Exposure Compensation of +1/3 (to make the dark conditions look brighter), Picture Style: Standard, White Balance: Shady, Event: 2006 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic (5 day stage race.)

Camera: Canon 10D, Lens: Sigma 70-200 f2.8, Shooting mode: Shutter Priority (Tv), Shutter-speed: 1/800 of a second (fast enough to freeze the windsurfer), Aperture: f5.6 (selected by camera), Exposure compensation of -1/3 (the camera was making the scene too bright), ISO 100 (I had LOTS of sun), Focus Mode: AI Servo (so auto-focus could track the subject), auto-white balance [sidebar: I sold my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and replaced with the Canon 200 f2.8 L - a switch I am very happy with.]

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 400 f5.6 L, Shooting mode: Aperture Priority (Av), Aperture: f6.3 (1 stop from wide-open-this gave me a little more sharpness over wide-open-but still gives me a blurry background), Shutter-speed: 1/1600 of second, ISO: 200 (it was slightly overcast and 5D ISO 200 has 0 noise.), Focusing mode: AI Servo (so auto-focus could track the subject), white balance of 'cloudy'. Location: Arlington, Oregon.

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 400 f5.6 L, Shooting mode: Aperture Priority (Av), Aperture: f5.6 (wide-open to give me a blurry-background), Shutter-speed: 1/800 of second (selected by camera), ISO: 400 (this gave me fast enough shutter-speed to avoid blur from camera shake on this long lens), Focusing mode: AI Servo. White balance of sunny. Location: Lodi, NY.

Using a telephoto lens to create 'compression' is one of my favorite photo techniques. Lenses in the 200+mm length are particularly well suited to this technique. For this technique to be effective, you must seek out attractive backgrounds.

Some of the 'best values' (quality at good price) for lenses with these longer focal lengths include:

Telephoto Zoom Lenses

• Canon EF 70-300 f4.5-5.6 IS: This zoom lens offers an excellent range, image-stabilization (IS), is pretty sharp wide-open and very reasonably priced for a telephoto zoom with IS. Very lightweight. 'Pro-sumer' build-quality. (about $550 $US) [Canon spec sheet, FredMiranda.com user reviews.]

• Canon 70-200 f4 L: This is an L-quality zoom. Lightening fast auto-focus. Sharp wide-open. Relatively small and light. One of the best values in the Canon lens lineup. Pro build quality. (About $580 $US.) $460 $US less than the F4 IS version. [Canon spec sheet, User reviews @ Fred Miranda.]

Telephoto Prime Lenses (they don't zoom)

• Canon EF 200 f2.8 L: This lens is one of the best values in the Canon lens line-up. Razor sharp @ f2.8. Awesome build quality. Lighting fast auto-focus. GREAT background blur. (Around $660.) $5300 less expensive than the f2 IS version. [Canon spec sheet, FredMiranda.com user reviews.]

• Canon 300 f4 IS L: This lens is another exceptional values in the Canon lens line-up. L-quality - Canon's highest-end lens designation. Very sharp @ f4. Awesome build quality. Image stabilization. Lighting fast auto-focus. Excellent background blur. (Around $1100.) $2750 $US less expensive than the f2.8 IS version. [Canon spec sheet, FredMiranda.com user reviews.]

• Canon EF 400 f5.6 L: This lens is another exceptional value in the Canon lens line-up. L-quality - Canon's highest-end lens designation. Very sharp @ f5.6. Awesome build quality. Lighting fast auto-focus. Excellent background blur. (Around $1100). $4100 $US less expensive than the F4 IS version. [Canon spec sheet, FredMiranda.com user reviews.]

Canon L lenses typically exhibit the following characteristics: pro-build quality, fast auto-focus, and sharp wide-open. The L lenses above, in my opinion, represent Canon's best values in telephoto L lenses. With the ability to get such exceptional image quality at ISO 800/1600, I feel the value of IS has decreased. Obviously IS is a desirable feature, but if you concede IS, you can get some of the best glass in the world at relatively low prices.

One more sidebar - for those of you really looking for a reason to buy some nice Canon glass, Canon L lenses hold their value exceptionally well. You can typically sell them for only a 10%-15% loss even after 3-5 years of use. Tell your significant other it's an investment :)

There are other excellent Canon telephoto lenses, but these models are some of the best quality for your $ in my opinion.

Rutger running down dunes with Haystack Rock

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 100 f2.8 Macro (allowed me to see the subject and still see the haystack rock), Shooting Mode: Shutter Priority (because I wanted to specify a specific shutter-speed), Shutter-speed: 1/50 of a second, Aperture: f8 (selected by the camera), ISO: 100, Focus mode AI Servo (so I could track the moving subject), Picture style: Landscape (enhances the blue in the sky.)

What makes this photo 'work' in my opinion: a good subject, end of day light, great background, really good framing. I used a slightly slow shutter-speed (1/50) to create the sense of motion. I panned with the subject as I took the photo. I took about 20 shots and tweaked the shutter-speed and exposure compensation along the way to get the 'perfect' shot. The 100mm lens 'pulls in' the Haystack rock in the background.

The Canon EF 100 f2.8 Macro (along with the EF-s 60 Macro) is not only a great Macro lens (for very close-up photography), but also a great general purpose prime lens.

Location: Cannon Beach, OR.

500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $109

Is your hard drive nearing capacity? The easy is solution is to simply add a external high capacity hard drive to your computer. These external hard drives are also what I use to backup my photos (every photo is stored on 2 separate external hard drives for redundancy.) I used to backup photos to CD-R, then DVD-R, now I just backup to an external hard drive. External hard drives for backup are less expensive per GB and much more convenient than burning DVDs. eCost is running a killer deal on the Western Digital 500GB external USB 2.0 hard drives for $109 each:

Western Digital 500 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $109

Creative photography at the Skatepark

I've been taking my son Sawyer to the skatepark so he can ride his scooter (much better activity than playing on the computer)... but the skatepark can be boring for me (I've tried skateboarding and it's not for me). So, I always bring my camera so I have something to do. Now, I've taken like 1000 photos of Sawyer riding his scooter - so I decided the other day to try some creative effects, here are some of my best results:

Canon 5D, Canon 24mm f2.8 lens (the wider the lens, the closer to the subject you must be and the more motion blur you create), Shooting mode of Shutter Priority, Shutter-speed of 1/10 of a second (slow shutter-speed creates motion blue), Aperture of f22 (choosen by camera), ISO 100, auto white balance, Flash is on (external 420ex), flash exposure compensation of - 1/3 (so the subject isn't 'blown away' by the flash.) The flash 'freezes' a portion of the photo bringing more form to the photo.

Canon 5D, Canon 200mm f2.8 lens, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture f3.5 (I wanted blurry background), Shutter-speed of 1/2000 of a second (selected by the camera), ISO 400 (to ensure I got a really fast shutter-speed to freeze the subject), white balance is cloudy, focus mode is AI servo (so I could track the subject). (I used the telephoto lens ensures 100% of the background is the 'bowl'.)


Sidebar: If you have a Rebel XT or 10D, the AI-servo is 'not so good' on these bodies.

A tip on photographing kids

One of the tricks to getting good candid photos of kids is to get down at their level. For most shots, the camera should be at the same level of the child's eyes. This sometimes involves getting on your knees or sitting on the floor (depending on the age of your children.) I see a lot of parents and grand parents that photograph their kids from a standing position, this creates a photo 'looking down' with the background being the floor or grass. If you get down to eye level of the child, I find you'll get much better photos. Give it a try.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?

I'm feeling like my little photography blog is feeling too one-side (with just me talking.) I'd like to make this blog more interactive. I'd like to hear from you.

In the spirit of interactivity, I'd like to hear what everyone's favorite subjects to photograph are, please include samples (embedded or linked.)

I'll start. My favorite subjects to photograph are:

• My kids
• My friends windsurfing
• Landscape

Here are examples of each:

My friend Mitch catching some nice air on a windy day.
Location: 'The Hatch", Hood River, Oregon.

Canon 10D, Sigma 70-200 f2.8, Focal length: 200mm, Shutter-speed: 1/640 of a second, Aperture: f4, ISO 100.

A cluster of Balsam Root.
Location: Rowena Crest, Oregon

Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 100 f2.8 Macro, Shooting Mode: Aperture priority, Aperture: f2.8, Shutter speed: 1/160 of a second, ISO 100, Picture Style: Landscape, White Balance: Auto.

My son Rutger checking on dinner after a 3 mile hike (plus 1000 ft elevation gain) to our camp site.
Location: Vista Ridge on Mt. Hood, Oregon.

Canon 10D, Lens: Canon 17-40 f4 L, Focal length: 24mm, Shooting Mode: Program, ISO: 100: Flash: External Canon EX420, Flash exposure compensation: -1/3., Exposure compensation: -1/3.

Cool waterfall photo during huge flood

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 50mm f1.4, Shooting mode: Aperture priority, Aperture: f2.0, Shutter speed: 1/2000 of a second, ISO: 1600, Picture style: Landscape.

I was up in Seattle and I had some time after after work to grab my camera and try and get a picture of Snoqualmie Falls. It has been raining like crazy for the past week and the news was saying the river was running really high.

I tried a couple different lenses, and a bunch of different shutter-speeds, and this photo was my favorite. There was no room to setup my tripod, so I could only use shutter-speeds that I could hand-hold. Shutter-speeds around 1/200 or 1/500 just looked blurry, so I went with very fast 1/2000 shutter-speed to try and freeze the water. It was late in the day and getting dark, so I ended-up using ISO 1600 (to maximize the light gathering capability of the sensor) and f2.0 (to maximize the light gathering capacity of the lens, without testing the 'softer' side of this lens at it's widest apertures.)

I really like the resulting shot. The tight cropping (forced on me by the 50mm prime lens I was using), really makes you feel like the waterfall is massive (which it was.)

This is another shot that I don't think I could have made nearly as well without a prime lens.

16 GB SDHC Card for Rebel XSi $64

For those of you who's ordered the new Rebel XSi and need a memory card:

There is now a 16 GB SDHC card - and it only costs $64 @ Amazon. Amazing. If you're shooting JPEG at the highest quality on a Rebel XSi, this card can hold approximately 4571 photos. If you're shooting RAW the card can hold about 1290 photos. The 16 GB card is especially nice for long vacations; since you have capacity for 4571 photos on the memory card, you can avoid bringing a notebook computer to download your photos off the camera. $64 each @ Amazon:

Adata 16GB Turbo High Capacity Secure Digital SDHC Class 6 Memory Card

If you don't want the 16 GB card, here is an 8 GB SD card at Amazon for $30. This card can hold approximately 2285 JPEG or 645 RAW:

Transcend 8GB SDHC Card

These are not your 'big name brand cards', but I've always bought flash memory cards based 100% on price (Kingston, Viking, Transcend, 'no-name' brands) and they've all worked fine.

These are SDHC flash memory cards and they will ONLY work in the Rebel XSi (and 1DS Mark III & 1D Mark III.) They WILL NOT work in the Rebel, Rebel XT, Rebel XTi, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 5D.

Given you can now buy 16 GB SDHC cards for $64, I wouldn't be surprised to see Canon switch all new Rebel XX0D models and X0D models to SD/SDHC.

First Canon DSLR: What lenses to buy?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked by new Canon DSLR users is: "what lenses should I get with my Canon DSLR?"

Before I answer this question, my response assumes the following:

• You have purchased a Canon DSLR that supports both Canon EF and Canon EF-s lenses (Rebel XT, Rebel XTi, Rebel XSi, 20D, 30D, 40D, etc.)
  
• You don't have any existing Canon lenses

I am a fan of the fan of the 18-55 kit lens that Canon offers for an approximate $95 premium when purchased with a Canon body over the camera body alone. Although this is not the worlds-best lens (what do you expect for $95), it does provide a very useful range, is a good 'walk-around' lens and can be used as a solid landscape lens when stopped down (smaller apertures). If you shoot this lens at F8 and smaller apertures, it produces extremely sharp images [tip: all lenses are sharp at f8 and smaller apertures.] For $95 you can't go wrong.

One of the other lenses I really love for first-time buyers is the Canon 50mm f1.8. At $89 $US, this lens offers the absolute best sharpness/$ of any Canon lens on the market. Although it's a little soft at f1.8 (again, what do you expect for $85), at f2.8 and smaller apertures (bigger numbers) this lens is very sharp. Mount this lens on you camera, set the shooting-mode to Aperture Priority (you set the aperture, and the camera will pick the correct shutter-speed automatically) and you'll get some great photographs that really show-off that fact that you have a large sensor digital SLR vs. a point and shoot. Your subject will be nice and sharp and you'll get that great 'blurry background'. It's also great for shooting indoors without the need for a flash (at ISO 1600.)

I'm a big fan of 'playing' with the kit lens and the Canon 50 f1.8 for a couple months, getting comfortable with your new camera, getting familiar with your new lenses and understanding if you need any more lenses. Do you want to go wider for landscape shots? Do you need to go longer for shooting sports or wildlife? Do you want to take up-close pictures of flowers (Macro work)? After a few months, you should have a good feel what type of lens you need next.

Camera bodies have become like computers requiring frequent upgrades and if you've been bitten by the photography bug you will likely upgrade your DSLR body every 2-4 years. The good news is that if you buy quality lenses and take care of them, the lenses may well last you over decade.

Here are some of my other favorite lenses for first time Canon DSLR users to complement the 18-55 kit lens. I've focused my attention on quality lenses that deliver great value.


Normal Prime Lenses:

The 50mm focal length gives you a very photo-journalistic focal length. The wide aperture of these 50mm prime lenses allows you to get very shallow depth of field and a nice background blur.

Canon EF 50 f1.8: This lens is razor sharp @ f2.8. At $85 $US you can't go wrong. Some call this the 'plastic fantastic' due to it's plastic body, but great results.

Canon EF 50 f1.4: Same idea as the 50 f1.8 lens, but this lens supports f1.4 (although my copy is only really sharp from f2.0 and smaller apertures). Much better build-quality than the 50 f1.8, faster auto-focus than the f1.8 version, but it's a lot more money at around $310 $US.


Telephoto Lenses:

These telephoto lenses allow you to photograph things far away. They are great for shooting sports, wildlife, etc.

Canon EF 70-300 f4.5-5.6 IS: This zoom lens offers an excellent range, image-stabilization (IS), is sharp wide-open and very reasonably priced for a telephoto zoom with IS. Very lightweight. 'Pro-sumer' build-quality. (about $550 $US)

Canon EF 70-200 f4: This is an L-quality zoom. Lightening fast auto-focus. Sharp wide-open. One of the best values in the Canon lens lineup. Small and relatively light weight. Pro build quality. (About $575 $US.) $460 $US less than the F4 IS version.

Canon EF 200 f2.8: This is a 'prime' lens - it ONLY supports a 200mm focal length, It is NOT a zoom. This lens is one of the best values in the Canon lens line-up. L-quality - Canon's highest-end lens designation. Razor sharp @ f2.8. Awesome build quality. Lighting fast auto-focus. GREAT background blur. (Around $650 $US.) $5300 $US less expensive than the f2 IS version.


Macro Lenses

Macro lenses allow you to get extremely close to your subject. They are great for close-up work on flowers, babies (toes, hands, eyes), etc. These are prime lenses, they don't zoom, they only work at a single focal length. They are razor sharp wide-open:

Canon EF-s 60 f2.8 Macro: This lens offer a very nice 60mm focal length in a modest sized 'package' with support for apertures as wide as f2.8. Also great for portrait work. Pro-quality. About $350 $US.

Canon EF 100 f2.8 Macro: This Macro lens also offers excellent quality with support for f2.8 apertures. It is a longer 100mm focal length which will given you an even more 'close-up' view of your subject. Also excellent for outdoor portraiture shooting. This lens is much larger than the 60 Macro. Pro-quality. About $470 $US.


Ultrawide Zoom Lenses:

Ultrawide lenses are great for 'sweeping' landscape shots:

Canon EF-s 10-22 f3.5-4.5: This is the premier ultra-wide angle landscape lens for Canon crop-DSLRs. Pro quality. (About $690 $US.)


Note: Canon EF lenses can work on crop-sensor Canon DSRL's and full-frame Canon DSLR's, Canon EF-s lenses can only work on crop-sensor Canon DSLR's (they will not fit on a Canon full-frame body (5D, 1DS, 1IDS Mark II, IDS Mark III.) I believe the EF-s mount will have a very long lifespan, if you did ever go full-frame you can always sell your EF-s lenses on eBay at very good prices.

Here is a robust set of lenses an intermediate crop-sensor Canon DSLR user might have, you obviously don't need this entire kit, only the lenses the support the type of photography you want to do:

• Ultrawide (example: Canon EF-s 10-22 -- $700 $US)
• 'Normal' prime (example: Canon EF 50 f1.8 -- $85 $US)
• 'Walk-Around' zoom (example: Canon EF-s 18-55 f3.5-5.6 -- about $95 $US when purchased in 'kit' with a Canon body)
• Macro (example: Canon EF-s 60 f2.8 -- $350 $US)
• Telephoto (example: Canon EF 70-300 f4-5.6 IS -- $650 $US)

Note: If you purchased the Canon EF-s 60 Macro, I would 'skip' buying the 'normal' prime because the lenses are pretty similar (similar focal length and both are sharp @ f2.8)

Once again, I don't think you should run out and buy all these lenses. I suggest buying the camera, the kit lens and perhaps the a 50mm prime or the 60mm Macro. Use these 1-2 lenses for a few months -- you'll then have a better feel for what lens you need next (ultrawide? macro? telephoto?)

One of the best places to read other users reviews of lenses prior to purchase is Fred Miranda's web site. For every lens Canon sells, there are dozens of end users reviews.

The landscape photo with 'everything sharp'

Here an example of a landscape photo with 'everything sharp':

Camera: Canon 5D: Lens: Canon 17-40, Focal Length: 19mm, Shooting mode: Av, Aperture: f22, Shutter-speed: 6/10th of a second, ISO: 100, Picture Style: Landscape, White balance: Cloudy, Other: Tripod, Graduated natural density filter, mirror lock-up, remote release.

This is one of my all-time favorite landscape shots. Here is what went into making this shot: it was late afternoon and it had just finished raining, but it was still overcast. I was walking along the beach in Manzanita, Oregon and there was all this wonderful driftwood, but every time I framed-up a shot it just looked 'boring' and flat. Then I found this great charred log arching-up and I knew this was 'the place' to get the photo. I was sure to get all of the following into the shot: the log, the ocean, the sky and the mountain on right. I also made sure you could see underneath the arched log. The combination of the overcast sky and everything being wet also contributed to this photo 'working'. I took about 40 frames of this scene, tweaking where I shot from, how I framed the log, focal lengths, etc.

Here is why I choose each key setting:

• 17-40 lens: This is my favorite full-frame landscape lens because it can go so wide (focal length of the shot is 19mm.) This wide perspective allows you to include the subject (the arched log), the foreground (the flat logs) and the background (sky, mountain ocean.)
  
• Shooting mode of Av: I wanted to have everything in the frame sharp so I wanted to specify the exact aperture the camera should use (I let the camera choose the best shutter-speed)
• Aperture of f22: I used the smallest possible aperture so everything in the frame would be sharp.
• Exposure compensation of -1/3: The camera meter wanted to make the photo 'brighter' than it really was.
  
• Graduated natural density filter: I used this filter to darken the sky. Without the grad, the sky would have been 'solid white' and the shot would have been poor. The grad allowed the camera to capture the image as closely as possible as it appear before my eyes. In my opinion, grads are a key tool for the landscape photographer. You can do something similar in Photoshop (a 'digital' grad), but that feels like 'cheating' to me and I don't think it looks at natural. The late Galen Rowell considered grads a requirement for his photography. I use Cokin Z-Pro filter holder and grads.
• Camera mounted on a sturdy tripod: For longer exposures (which you typically need when shooting at f22), a tripod is required to keep the camera still while the exposure is made.
  
• Mirror lock-up: For longer exposures, the 'slap' of the mirror swinging up can cause slight image blurring. Mirror lock-up 'locks-up' the mirror on the first press of the shutter release and exposes the photograph with the second release of the shutter. You can 'enable/disable' mirror lock-up in custom functions. I only worry about 'mirror-lockup' if I'm trying to make the highest-quality landscape photos.
  
• Cable release of the shutter: Cable release of the shutter eliminates any 'shake' from the pressing & releasing of the shutter button. (You can achieve the same result using the camera's built-in timer, but if you're taking 20 or 30 images, the timer is a slow process.)
  
• ISO 100: This ISO delivers the best possible image quality.
• Picture style of Landscape: I feel this picture style gives me great results for landscape shots.
• Shot in RAW and processed with Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP.) Sensor dust removed using the healing tool in Photoshop (when you shoot at f22, you see every spec of dust on the sensor.)
  

I have printed this photo 30" x 20" and had it professionally framed. It's hanging in an art gallery in Manzanita, OR.

This photo is an excellent example of a landscape photo with the 'everything sharp' technique. These type of shots, in my opinion, are a lot of work. Having to setup the tripod, setup the grad holder, enable mirror lock-up, use a remote release, etc... is a burden. But, this is what's required to get shots like this and have them look great, even when printed at large sizes.

Sidebar: Some folks complain of softness due to 'diffraction' at very small apertures such as f22. I shot at f22 so everything in the frame would be in-focus. I'm not sure the log in foreground would be sharp @ f13. Printed at 30" x 20", this photo looks incredibly sharp. In hindsight, I wish I had also done a shot @ f13, so I could compare, but I did not.

If you want the same Cokin z-Pro filter holder I use, bundled with a couple popular filters, including a good grad, go here:

Cokin CU961 Z-Pro Grad Filter Kit, SQ/ Z Pro Filters

It's all about the light

I've talked a lot about equipment and technique, but I can't emphasize enough the important of good light.

You get the best light at the following times:

• Sunrise: For about 30 minutes before sunrise, and for the 2 hours after sunrise you get the best morning light. The quality of light even drops-off between sunrise and 2 hours later. If you want great landscape photos get you buns out of bed early and go take some photos, you can sleep when the light is bad.

• For the 2 hours before sunset and during sunset you get the best late-day light. For sunset photos, you should also stick around for another hour after the sunset, sometimes this is when you get the best photo.

• During overcast days: this can create some very interested light and mood, the more heavily overcast the better.

You can have the best camera and lenses in the world, but if you go take outdoor photographs at 1 PM, good luck getting a really great photo. The majority of 'awesome' outdoor photography takes place during the conditions/times above.

If you want to make great photographs put yourself and your camera in front of a beautiful subject during these times - your odds of getting a great photograph will go up exponentially.

'Rock star'

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 50 f1.4, Shooting mode: Aperture Priority, Aperture: f1.4, Shutter-speed: 1/200, Exposure Compensation: -2/3, ISO: 1600, Picture style: Monochrome with a Sepia Tone.

This really was a great night. My friend Jen and her band played at a local club. I don't know what brought this event on, but it clearly turned-out to be a bunch of 40 year-olds pulling-off the 'full-on' Rock Star thing. The 200 other '40-something' audience members ate it up. Jen rocked the house.

I was going for the classic rock photo, grainy, black-and-white, photo-journalistic look. I didn't want to use flash - I just don't like 'the look'. The venue was dark. I put on my 50 f1.4 set ISO to 1600 (I try and avoid using 3200 if at all possible). I started shooting at around f2.2 (because this lens gets pretty sharp @ f2.2 and smaller apertures), but this wasn't giving me fast enough shutter-speeds to freeze Jen, so I eventually dialed-down the aperture to f1.4 to get the necessary shutter-speed to freeze the subject. Here are the details:

• 50mm f1.4 lens: The 50mm gives a very 'journalistic', 'as you eyes see it' point of view. It's also my lens with the most light gathering capacity (f1.4.)
• Shooting mode of Av: I wanted to specify the aperture and let the camera figure out the shutter-speed.
• f1.4 aperture: I ended up shooting wide-open @ f1.4. I really don't like to shoot this lens wide-open because it's not razor sharp, but it worked out fine and the image has been printed at 30" x 20" and looks gorgeous.
  
• Exposure compensation of -2/3: The meter wanted to make the scene much brighter than it was, so I dialed in -2/3 EC.
• ISO 1600: I needed to use a very high ISO so the sensor was as sensitive to light as possible. (I avoid ISO 3200 unless absolutely necessary.)
• Shutter speed of 1/200: This was selected by the camera and was about the minimum shutter speed to freeze the action.
• Picture style: Monochrome with a Sepia tone.
  

Jen purchased this picture and it is hanging 30" x 20" in her 'band room' in a big, thick black frame and a 5" wide mat. Rock star.

Canon's Photography 101 online class

Here's another excellent source for an education on photography basics using Canon DSLRs:

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/

Topics covered include:

• Shooting Modes
• Aperture
• Shutter-Speed
• ISO
• Depth of field
• Lenses (normal, telephoto, wide-angle, macro, fish-eye, tilt-shift)
• Sensor size (APS-C, APS-H, Full-frame)
  

It's very good reading. I went and read the whole web page and I found a couple nuggets.

This is a great free resource for beginner & intermediate photographers.

16 GB CF Memory Card for $79

Having been in the computer business for 20 years and being an employee of Intel, you think I would understand Moore's law and not be surprised by the decrease in price of FLASH memory, but I'm amazed. You can now get a 16 GB CF card for $79.

If you're shooting JPEG at the highest quality with a 40D , this card can hold approximately 4571 photos! If you're shooting RAW the card can hold about 1290 photos!

Here's the product on Amazon (no rebate required):

Transcend - Flash memory card - 16 GB - 133x - CompactFlash

If you think this many photos on a single card is too many, buy a couple of the 8 GB versions for $39 each:

Transcend - Flash memory card - 8 GB - 133x - CompactFlash

(These are CF cards. If you just ordered a Rebel XSi, that uses SD cards, these will NOT fit.)


Technical note regarding 16 GB flash memory cards and Canon DSLRs: As of 3/14/08 most Canon DSLRs can not format a CF card for 16 GB. The in-camera format tool maxes out at 8 GB. You can get around this by formatting the card on your PC or Mac for 16GB (be sure and specify Fat32 format) - the camera then recognizes the full '16 GB'. Hopefully Canon will release a software upgrade to support formatting to 16GB. Here's an article how to format a CF card for 16 GB (Fat32) on your PC.

Warm-up your photos with correct white balance

I find the 'auto-white-balance' (AWB) of the Canon X0D, XX0D series cameras to be on the 'cool' side. Images are simply 'cooler' than what was 'before my eyes' when I took the picture. This is easily remedied by setting white balance to match your shooting conditions.

• If it's sunny out, set white balance to 'sunny'
• If it's cloudy out, set white balance to 'cloudy'
• If it's shady out, set white balance to 'shady'

It seems obvious, but most folks leave white balance set to 'auto white balance' (AWB).

If you want to 'warm-up' your images further, try the following:

• If it's sunny, set white balance to 'cloudy.'
• If it's cloudy, set white balance to 'shady.'

If you've been shootng outdoors using AWB, I think you'll be pleasantly pleased by this little tip.

If you shoot in RAW format, you can experiment with different white balance settings when you process the RAW file. You also have the ability to interactively adjust white balance based on color temperture -- this gives you even more fine-grain control over white balance.

I took the following photo (shot in RAW) and processed it using 3 different white balances (auto (AWB), cloudy and shady):

Auto White Balance (AWB) [the default] - too 'cool' for my taste.

'Cloudy' white balance - better

'Shady' white balance - Best

It's harder to see the difference in these small blog photos, but on my 24" panel in my office, the difference between AWB WB and Shady WB is very significant.

Correct white balance makes a big difference.

More info on this shot:
Camera: Canon 5D
Lens: Canon 400 f5.6
Shooting mode: Av (I wanted to use the widest possible aperture)
Aperture: F5.6 (to get a nice blurry background)
Shutter speed: 1/800
ISO: 1250 (fast enough ISO to get fast shutter speed. It was dusk)
Exposure Compensation (EC): +1/3 (to make the dark conditions look brighter)
Picture Style: Standard
White Balance: Shady
Event: 2006 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic (5 day stage race.)