I enjoy taking pictures for the blog. I keep trying to up my skills, but that requires donning bifocals and reading and studying about my camera. ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance and focus mush my brain into a slimy swamp.
Recently, I acquired a ‘new-to-me’ lens. Bought it used from local photographer extraordinaire–Pam Lary. In case you are interested, this beast of a lens is the Nikon AF-S VR-Nikkor 70-200mm 1:2.8G. It’s heavy as an anvil and as long as a submarine sandwich. Big enough to keep my chiropractor in business for years.
I’ve been trying it out. Learning. Making mistakes. When I whip it out, people automatically assume I know what I’m doing. Lens envy, I guess.
It’s fun to put the camera in aperture mode (‘A’ on the dial for most DSLR’s) and shoot with the aperture wide open. In this case, 2.8.

A gorgeous, milky background makes the subject of the photo really ‘pop’


Do you like the fuzzy backgrounds for these portraits? The learned call this ‘bokeh’.
Here’s another wide-open shot.

One more blurry background for your consideration.

Do you know what instinct these rodents trigger in my dachshund?

Another handy setting on the camera is the shutter-priority mode ( ‘S’ on the dial of most digital cameras).
I use this setting when I need a certain shutter speed to capture the action.

Have I told you I am compulsively trying to get the perfect hummingbird photo? Been at it for 3 years. I know I need a fast shutter speed to catch them, but man, are they difficult to photograph!
I suspect I have neither the skill nor the proper equipment to get a truly great shot.

Well, that’s the A and the S mode for you and how they look through my new lens.
At times I just point the camera and shoot on auto. Maybe I’ll get lucky.
That’s why I enjoy photography. It makes you LOOK. You never know what you’ll find lurking in the weeds.
Hope your week is coming into clearer focus.
Big lens love to all.
Love it all and I can just picture you out there with your huge lens pointed at those hummers! Somewhere I have this great pic of Sprout #3 with a butterfly net bigger than he was trying to catch those same little buggers…I’m thinking he’s got some of your tenaciousness in his genes!
These are nothing short of professional! I’d say you really understand the camera and the new lens. Great photos.