PhotographyBanzai.com

I haven’t had great luck with the used Canon EF 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM lens I bought a few months ago. Though, a lot of the problems so far are from not having enough light to try smaller apertures hand held. On this photo outing I was able to get out in the field early enough and brought along a tripod plus a wired cable release. The YouTube video you can see visuals of the photo outing. Get the Viltrox Speedbooster on B&H or Amazon . Get the Canon EOS M5 on eBay , B&H or Amazon . Get the Canon EOS M50 on B&H or Amazon . Look for the Canon 100-300mm on eBay here .  As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Combining a brighter day with the Viltrox 0.71x EF to EOS M speedbooster adapter allowed me to really test things out. I was using the Canon EOS M5 for photos and the M50 for video. I walk around a snow covered state park to try out this combo so that I could better learn what the lens is capable of along with just enjoying photograph...

I recently finished acquiring all of the decided upon replacement gear after selling off my entire Pentax tool set. Although there were various reasons, the main was to go “full frame” with the Nikon D600 as my main camera (D7000 being my second). The D600 is lacking in some aspects such as maximum shutter and flash sync speeds, but besides that it is a very solid camera specification wise. The added benefit is that it isn’t too much larger than the D7000, so whatever type of bag I can fit the D7000 in, I will at least have a good chance of fitting the D600 in there too. Mirror selfie but car window. I received the camera on the 12th and have just started getting use to it. The transition is pretty easy considering control and function are similar to the D7000. There are a few odd quirks like some changes to button placement, but for the most part, very similar. I’ll probably start compiling a list of positives and negatives for a future review of the camera. Which reminds me, I ...

I had checked the forecast a day or two before and noticed a moderate chance of showers. My decision was to use only the K-5 and DA* 55mm f1.4 lens. We ended up having some light showers once or twice while at the garden, so that decision worked out. I just kept using the camera as normal without any issues while the rain was coming down. The nice thing about meetups like this is that I can just focus on the basics, but I’m also inclined to do a more experimental style of framing my subjects. This leads to images that might receive some critical comments on first view, but when examining them further, they might see the intent involved. For example: Multiple times I noticed scenes where the foreground let in just a bit of something interesting. A visual hint of interest lies in the middle of the frame that you put a little extra time into trying to distinguish. On first glance, it might have an amateurish feel, but I don’t believe that is the case when my true intent realized. As...

A friend of mine set up a meetup at Anderson Gardens. We had initially intended to have this meetup focus on cosplay photography, but as things work out often in Rockford, only one cosplayer was able to make it. The largest issue being that most people in the convention scene live in the Chicago area.  EDIT: If you have plans to visit this garden, please respect their policies regarding photography. Groups would need permission or more likely paying for access after hours. They've had issues with cosplayers and photographers over the years, so be someone that sets a good example instead!  A pathway of the garden. The garden has a lot of chipmunks!  I’ll admit it is difficult sometimes making the 90 mile trip to the Chicago area for conventions and other events, so it’s understandable. The girl cosplaying is a character from the popular Sailor Moon (a show and manga target toward girls and women). EDIT: Dani, Rest in peace. :( Here are a few highlights of the excursion: ...

A friend wanted to try out his new Sony NEX-5N camera, so we went out today to take some photos. I decided to go light and use the K-5 with FA 31mm f1.8 lens. That lens is one of the best lenses for most situations because the focal length equates to around 46mm on APS-C. EDIT: I'm keeping this article live for the sake of history, but know that walking around train tracks is a very bad and dangerous idea. Especially if you are preoccupied with something like photography.  Graffiti covered structure Don't do what we did, it's dumb and dangerous. A bad idea to take a photo like this.

Like any photography at around sunset or sunrise, it’s a unique and wonderful time to take photos. The sky of Arizona turns into a mixture of strong blue with deep yellow. The yellow casts a tint to everything around making it seemingly glow. Not often are there clouds, so the true vibrant color is there on the forefront.  I stayed out one evening toward the end of sunset and managed to also include a sliver of the moon, which added even more dramatic flair to the overall atmosphere. When the weather does stray from the empty sky like from a quick downpour, be prepared for sights of rainbows offsetting the yellow tinged expanses. 

I’ll be posting a few photos of various types of scenic views of Arizona. My first is a set of canyon and general scenic vistas from the northern areas of the state. Primarily the Grand Canyon and Canyon De Chelly.  While on the south rim, it was further east and quite a ways from the major tourist trap area. The expansive but shallow ranges felt very impressive. Self portrait shadows always appeal to me. Down at the bottom in Canyon De Chelly I really liked the rock formations to the east. Hint of fall color in Arizona. Taken from a rain water exit hole. A small hint of the river is visible.

The Pentax K-5 camera body was returned from being serviced at C.R.I.S. on the 14th. This time it only took them about a week instead of 2 months, which was much more manageable. So far the camera seems 100% functional. I’ll be trying to test it as much as possible for a few weeks to make sure though.  Here are a few more macro photos, this time with the K-5 instead of the K-7. I also used my standard setup where the flash was mounted directly above the lens instead of to the side.  Making sure the camera is solid for a trip in late October is a good excuse to get out there and take photos anyways.

I needed to get some fresh air, so I took some macro photos around the house today. My favorite thing about macro photography is that you can find interesting things everywhere because the small world isn’t seen with our naked eyes. I might be trying to make this a consistent effort moving forward. This time I used a slightly different setup. The Sigma flash was used in wireless mode in tandem with the built-in flash to trigger the Sigma. I positioned the flash to the left and as close to the fully extended lens as possible to maximize light on the subject. The Ant buffet. They were snacking on some cat food. What that exactly is I don’t know, but it’s interesting. The lens and teleconverter setup can produce very pleasing results. This fly allowed me to have a little photo session. It even appeared to mimic my movements as I bobbed up and down trying to get it in focus.

I used the Pentax K-7 with a 14mm f2.8 and 85mm f1.4 lens. You can probably see the stark contrast between shots as field of view and depth of field attributes are so different between the two lenses. I also tried some fast and slow shutter speed control with water features, which was fun. Seeing as tripods are not allowed there, I just put my camera on my camera bag for longer exposures and it worked out nicely.  I also had a polarizing filter that fits my 85mm that I experimented a bit with too. I was able to get a 3 second exposure with the filter on. This is just a small sampling of the 400 or so photos I took, but my site (and bandwidth) are not unlimited, so I am just showing you a few of my favorites. The garden is worth the small admission fee they charge, so I would suggest checking it out if you are in the Northern Illinois area.