I've been interested in photography for quite a while and
have recently been working to improve my skills, beyond
simply point-and-shoot type picture taking. I started out
with a Canon Rebel 35mm SLR and a digital point-and-shoot
and produced some pretty decent results, but it wasn't
enough to satisfy my curiosity, just enough to make me want
more. In 2005 I bought an Canon EOS Elan 7NE 35mm SLR to
replace the Rebel and started working on upgrading my lens
collection. I stuck with the 50mm 1.8 but added my first L
lens, the 17-40mm F/4L to do a better job with close-up and
wide angle shots.
I used that body for about a year and a half, producing
some great results, including one shot of some irises taken
at the Dallas Arboretum, taken on Fuji Velvia 100 slide
film, which blew up beautifully to 11x17 and now graces my
wall. That being said, the most frustrating part of film
photography, for me, was always waiting to see the results.
I'm a little impatient and cheap enough to not want to go
through so many rolls of film and the associated cost of
developing and printing. So when Canon announced the EOS
30D digital SLR, I snapped one up and started moving over
to the digital world.
I've been using it since September, 2006 and got to take it
on the motorcycle trip that went through Garden of the
Gods, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, and the
Badlands National Park. It was really nice only having to
worry about RAM cards instead of the dozens of rolls of
film and the worries of storing them on the back of a
motorcycle.
I have since purchased a second L lens, the 70-200mm f/2.8L
IS image stabilized lens, which really improved the quality
of my telephoto shooting over the previous lens. I've taken
some pretty good sports shots with it and captured a
hummingbird on a trip to San Francisco. I'm still trying to
learn how best to use it, but it's a nice feeling to know
that the kit it better than me.
The next lens that I'm planning to add is the 100mm f/2.8
macro so that I can really work close-in on flowers,
insects, and other creative shots. I'll post a review when
it comes home...
If you follow the link to my photo gallery you can see some
of my work.