So we're now in the 12 Days of Christmas and either playing with our new toys or lining up next year's shopping list!

My trusty 400D well be celebrating it's 3rd birthday in 2011, but as it was a refurbished model from Canon's eBay outlet, it could actually be older. I have already taken it around the clock and half way round again, so depending on how Canon actually refurbish their cameras, I could soon be hitting the average life cycle of my DSLR. All I need to do is convince my other half of the need to buy a new DSLR. But which one?

The 7D has great appeal, but long term aspirations point to a 5D Mk II. In the meantime, the 60D could be the way to go.

As for lenses, this is where it gets tricky. I have the range 17-250mm covered mainly by two zooms, the excellent EF 17-40mm f/4L and the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. The latter produces some excellent images, but the AF is prone to hunting even when using the centre AF point and for what I have needed these last couple of months, just a touch too slow. So am I looking for a faster zoom? No.

The latest events I have photographed have required low light photography, so while I could up the ISO, it is a step I am reluctant to take. Anything over ISO 400 on the 400D exhibits excessive grain in my opinion and results from the 55-250 are less than pleasing. The 70-200mm f/2.8 may be the obvious replacement with the faster aperture, but I feel I would be better served by the 100mm f/2.8L Macro USM, or indeed, the non-L version. Why? Looking at the exif info from the images I took at the theatre, I was able to analyse the settings I used, and more importantly, the focal lengths I used. To get the best composition, 100mm would allow me to get a full adult head to toe standing on stage from my unobstructed vantage point. The f/2.8 aperture would allow me to use a faster shutter speed to avoid camera shake and make sure the action on stage is frozen - at 100mm, the 55-250mm gives me f/5.0, almost two stops slower.

Also on my shopping list are a few accessories for the 580 EX II, the EF 24-105mm f/4L and a book on on-camera flash by Neil van Niekerk.

Have a great New Year and don't forget yo ucan follow me on Flickr

References:

Exif Tool - http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/

Exif Pilot - http://www.fileheap.com/software-exif-pilot-download-16801.html

Christmas

The decorations are out and the tree is up, which means only one thing. Photo opportunities!

Rudolph and Frosty have been posing for me over the last few days and doing a great job of it too, taking my direction with professional aplomb. The images were taken while learning how to use my new flash, Canon's Speedlite 580EXII.

I have been reading Neil van Niekerk's Tangents blog. If you haven't read it and you want to learn all there is to know about how to bounce flash, then you must put it on your list. He backs it all up with example photographs and explains everything equally for Canon and Nikon users.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, from Rudolph, Frosty and I, Merry Christmas!

It's Almost Christmas

It's been a while since I last posted, and my foray in to micro stock has produced some sales. I will be buidling up my collection over the next few months and making the most of the Cyprus weather.

Recently I have beed asked to photograph a few events, two theatre productions and 10km 'run & ramble.'

I am not afraid to admit that I was flying by the seat of my pants on the first theatre production, a Stars in Their Eyes style singing contest. With a seat set aside for me off stage right, I had a clear view. The only problem was the lighting. The acts weren't illuminated as much as I had hoped so had to rely on flash photography. My problem was I was using a borrowed Speedlite 580 EX II and had barely a chance to learn how to use it. The result was I ended up using high ISO which made the images poor.

Luckily, Adobe Photoshop was able to do all of the hard work for me and the resulting images were acceptable and the theatre was delighted. So much so they asked me back. Again I borrowed the flash but got it earlier and spent a good few hours learning how to use it. This learning experience, a kind of critical reflection, meant that I could use a lower ISO and faster speed by using the Manual mode on my camera. The stage lighting was much better and I was able to take a number of shots without the flash. The images from this production were a major improvement over the last set and a personal triumph for me.

Prior planning prevents poor performance, however when you rely on other people as part of your plans and they don't deliver, then what can you do. Asked to photograph a 10km charity race event, I was in touch with the orgainser who promised me a map of the route. Unfortunately, the map never materialised despite my e-mails and I only got to see the route the day of the event. The photos went well, no flash this time, but waiting for the last finisher in the hail wasn't my idea of fun. They liked the photos, incidentally, this was the first time they had a photographer cover the event and have asked me to cover their next race at the luxurious Aphrodite Hills Resort.

Planning for shoots is so important, I can't stress that enough. Spare batteries, fully charged, for the camera, new batteries in the flash with a spare set too and a backup flash card. Just need a second body now and I will be more confident that I am reducing my risks when covering such events.