From the Collaboratory

The Verdict is In

Elvis Emu by kclarkphotography

Well, a number of poe team members have been kind enough to respond to my inquiries about their favorite lenses, and between their comments and my own experimentation, I've made a decision about which lens to buy - once I save the money. Here are some of their comments.

Susie of artocard used a 55-250mm zoom lens to capture "Heart" (see From the Collaboratory September 25th). Chuck Nolder of NolderPhotography's "Leopard Cub," also posted on the 25th, was shot with a Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6 L IS lens. "Gotta love the IS," he says, and I agree. Image Stabilizers are da bomb.

On the other hand, one common thread I've seen in reviews of telephoto zooms lenses regardless of the brand, is that most of them lose sharpness of focus at their maximum focal length. Heide of Heidesphotos, who shot "Sea Otter at State Beach," uses a Nikkor 80-400mm, but has that complaint about her lens.

The same is true for Steve Raley of PhotoGrunt, who says: Well, my "everyday" lens for my 40D is the EF 28-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS. The only other lens I have is the EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS. I like both lenses, and about the only bad thing I have to say about either one of them is that the 70-300mm can be a little soft focused at the top end. Having said that, it does take some tack-sharp shots in between.

Coupling by PhotoGrunt

So, after reading, and hearing from you, and renting a couple different lenses myself, there's no doubt: for me, the best combination is the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L II IS USM with a 2x extender. Though I've heard the extenders compromise image quality, I found their effect to be minimal. That combination is much faster and at least as crisp as the Canon 100 - 400mm, also of the L series, with the added benefit of more blur where and when you need it. Here are a couple of examples:

I'm sad to say that family needs will take me away from the blog for a while. Thanks so much for your support these last five months. I hope to be back soon! Fare well. Happy shooting!

Nocturnal by meganlee

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here.

From the Collaboratory

Heart by artocard

Good Glass!

I'm dreaming of the perfect lens.

Leopard Cub by NolderPhotography

If only I knew which one it is!

It's pretty much gospel in the photography world that having high-quality lenses matters more than having a high-end body. (A good tripod is also a plus, but that's a subject for another day.) The question is: What lens is best-suited to the work I do?

Right now, my workhorse is the Canon 28-135mm IS USM zoom. Great lens for general shooting. But for wildlife photography, I need a longer focal length (except for those times when I get very, very lucky).

The high-end professional telephoto lenses, like the 600 or 800mm, are too heavy for me to lug around, and too far out of my price range even if I wanted that much exercise. I also want flexibility, so that if a white heron flies into a landscape I'm shooting, I can get good shots of both.

Grizzly Sow and Cub by MyPhotoArt

So, Canon shooters, what works for you? Is it the 70 - 200 f/2.8 L IS USM, maybe with a 1.4x or 2x converter? Or an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM like Chuck Nolder of NolderPhotography used to capture Leopard Cub (above), maybe also with an extender? Or a second camera body with a telephoto fixed lens?

Sea Otter at State Beach by Heidesphotos

I'm not familiar with the gradations of other brands, but the principle is the same.

Please join the conversation. I'm sure other neophytes like me would love to hear from you!

Thanks.

Gomez the Iguana by Jhoeymonster

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here.

Focus On: Planet Chey

Cheyenne of Planet Chey

What is it about the art and craft of photography that forms the structure of our lives? It's a combination of creativity, adventure as well as exactitude, and it is irresistible to many of us. Meet Cheyenne Rouse of Planet Chey on Etsy.com. Cheyenne found photography in a class at school when she was 15. She recalls it could possibly be the only "A" she ever received in her entire educational career, and it sparked her creativity to such an extent she knew it would be a permanent part of her life.

Cheyenne grew up on the beaches of southern Florida and spent her summers on a family farm in North Carolina. Somehow, though, the mountains, deserts, canyons and red dirt of the strange and beautiful US West called to her, and in 1998 she based herself in Park City, Utah. She did stock and assignment photography gigs and traveled across the US and Hawaii, finding her niche in sports and adventure photography, including extreme adventure, yoga, and lifestyle work.

Utah Barn

Cheyenne's work has been published in a myriad of well-known publications and advertising, and she continues to sell her work through stock image agencies. Although she put away her film camera a couple of years ago, she still yearned to find a way to showcase her scenic photography in a gallery setting. She heard about Etsy and set about converting her film images to digital files and just recently launched her shop. Cheyenne is an extremely artistic person, and when she finds a passion she doesn't let go. Her amazing sense of tenacity combined with her creativity and incredible enthusiasm for life have led her to continuing success in everything she feels strongly about.

Sand Dune

We had a chance to talk during these past months, and here's our conversation:

Ann: What motivated you to get your gallery up and running?

Cheyenne: After shooting as a professional photographer for over 17 years, I had a great collection of landscape images I wanted to do something with, and I always secretly wanted to display and sell my photos at a gallery. I decided to seek out an avenue that was affordable to start up and that I had control over -- Etsy seemed like a great way to go! I don't actively shoot photographs anymore; I hung up my camera in 2002, although I do have several stock agencies around the world who sell my Adventure Sports, Outdoor Recreation and Health & Fitness images. I wanted another way to resurrect my landscape photography, since they are timeless and mean so much to me.

Pow Wow

A: How does your photographic work inspire you in other parts of your life?

C: A thought-provoking question for sure. I think looking over the collection of images I have on Planet Chey, I realize what a lucky and fortunate person I am, not only to visit and shoot these amazing landscapes of the US West and Southwest, but also that I was lucky enough to make my living that way for a long time and not have to be part of the rat race. I feel so fortunate to have lived a life that people only dream of -- granted it was not an easy path, but a very satisfying one. I think all in all I have more gratitude in my life as a result of my photography.

Joshua Tree Window

A: What do you do to get your creativity flowing?

C: I really need to be part of nature and my "eye" needs to see new things...travelling REALLY sparks my creativity and wanderlust...so I think I need to travel more!

Cowboy Sunset

A: What's next for Planet Chey?

C: What's next is adding more photos to my gallery -- all of my photos were shot on film, so I'm waiting for another batch to come back from scanning, and I'll get them posted. I'm also wading through the whole social networking world to get my gallery out into cyberspace and spread the word -- Twitter, Facebook, as well as my blog are drawing attention to Planet Chey. I also just put a sign on my car's back window with the link to my gallery and have printed up marketing postcards to distribute around town. I'm bound and determined to make my Etsy shop a success, and I know when I put my mind to something I can make great things happen!

Canyon de Chelly

A: Do you think you'll pick up a camera again?

C: Mmmmmmm -- do I think I'll ever pick up a camera again? Well, I did break down and buy a DSLR last year, a Canon, of course. My old Canon was part of my hand, and I could operate and shoot it without thinking about a thing. This digital version I really have to think about when I shoot. It's like learning to ride a bike again, but I DO love the fact that you can see what you captured right then and edit as you go. That is a GREAT feature the film camera did not have. I do have to say there was something to be said about sending your film off to the lab after a long road trip and waiting to get them back in the mail -- it was like Christmas, to me anyway! Then spilling out the slides onto the light table and gasping (or crying) in excitement that you got the shots you wanted -- although there were times when all I got back were blank slides! So I guess my answer is -- I have picked up a camera again, but it will never be like it was before to me -- mainly just playing around now and enjoying scenery without feeling like I have to document it -- I think my serious shooting days are over. but I know better than most to never say never!

Borax Wagons

Please visit Cheyenne's shop, Planet Chey, and be sure to check out her blog and website and see her other artistic projects.

Baja Beach

Thank you Cheyenne!

---

A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Focus On: eyeful

Fly

Tricia McKeller is a self-taught artist from North Carolina who embraces a life of sharing and collaboration. She's got two shops here on Etsy.com -- a mixed media and assemblage art shop and her photography store. Tricia is not a "trained" artist. She led a life watching and looking at art and wondering if she could do it herself. "Then one day, about 7 years ago, I had an epiphany, 'I could make art and it would be okay if it was ugly.' I didn't have to be a 'good' artist, I only had to be the artist that I could be. That was an amazing moment." A woman who studied math and computer science in school found herself through her art.

Tricia is also adept at marketing herself and her work with a great degree of success. We spent time chatting about how she's done so well at selling her work and about the equipment she uses to her advantage.

Orchid

Ann: You have two Etsy shops, a website and a beautiful blog. How do you manage all of these so well and find time to create and be inspired?

Tricia: This is actually an area in which I really struggle. I have a full-time-plus day job. My dream is to be a full-time artist. I tell myself that slow and steady wins the race; I should work a little on each thing regularly, but it doesn't really happen that way for me. I tend to work in spurts -- if there's new work in one shop, the other shop probably hasn't been touched, and chances are my house is a disaster. My blog has been neglected...writing is rather hard for me. I try not to be too hard on myself about these things. I'm a big-picture person; if I have the big picture in mind and think I'm making progress toward the goal, then I try not to beat myself up over every little thing I could and maybe should be doing.

My goals for this year are to work on my photography (shoot more, get better at my craft) and get my art business in order (put everything in Quickbooks, make a budget and goals, work hard on selling my photography). I think I'm on track, but I admit I have a notebook of ideas for my photography, mixed-media art and art business marketing and no idea when I'll get around to even half of my ideas. Sometimes, I enjoy the marketing almost as much as making the cool images. So many ideas, so little time...

Serene (2039)

A: Yes, it's so true there's just not enough time. What aspects of marketing do you like? This is really helpful stuff -- your work is on display at a medical center at Duke University and on a book jacket (that's so cool). How did you accomplish this?

T: I try to think of marketing as ripples in a pond. Sometimes a little event can make bigger things happen. I had two big sales earlier this year: Duke Hospital bought one of my textile art pieces, Path, and five framed prints of my digital collages, Insect Machine Series.

Another local doctor bought 17 framed pieces for her new medical office; some are the Departure series (see Tricia's Etsy shop, eyeful) and some are digital collages with Luna moths. It's been a really big year for me so far! Each event was started in motion two or more years ago. Each came about after someone saw my work at a small exhibition, and that turned into another invitation to exhibit, and that turned into someone buying my work. You just never know when an invitation to show somewhere will put your work in front of someone who may want to buy it or invite you to show elsewhere.

I've become addicted to Twitter lately and found IttyBiz there. I love her blog, and this is one of my favorite posts. It reminds me that a little bit consistently is going to make big things happen.

And, speaking of blogs, I just have to mention I'm also in love with Christine Kane's blog.

My photograph, Escape, is on the cover of a new book. The publisher found me on Etsy and asked if I'd be interested. How cool is that?

Escape

A: How would you advise an Etsy photographer to get themselves into an exhibition?

T: For someone with no exhibition experience, I'd recommend joining a local artists group and first participating in their member shows. I used to do a lot of textile art and PAQA-South -- Professional Art Quilt Alliance South -- it was really helpful to me as a new artist.

Pastoral

A: That's great advice. How do you handle the presentation of your pieces? Do you do your own matting and framing?

T: I do my own matting and framing. I've been ordering mats and frames from AmericanFrame.com. An example of how I frame a 12x12 print is here.

I bought a mat cutter last year, but I still haven't pulled it out and figured it all out! I hope to do it soon and offer mats in my shop.

In the Moment

A: Tell me about the camera equipment you use.

T: My camera is a Canon Xsi. It was new last year, but I think Canon has released a newer Rebel DSLR since. Sometimes keeping up with camera technology feels like such a rat race! I'm hoping to purchase a full-frame sensor in the next couple of years.

I have a wealth of lenses. My most favorite and the one most often on my camera is a Canon 70-200 f/2.8L. It's a dream, especially for my bird photographs. On it I often keep a warming polarizer. I swear by Singh Ray's LB Warming Polarizer.

One of my least expensive lenses is also a favorite -- a Canon 50 f/1.8. I think I paid about $80; the new ones are around $90. It's my fastest lens; it's small and lightweight, and I just love the bokeh.* It's always in my camera bag.

Bokeh

(* Bokeh: from the Japanese, is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens. Different lens bokeh produces different aesthetic qualities in out-of-focus backgrounds, which are often used to reduce distractions and emphasize the primary subject. [from Tricia's Etsy shop as cited by wikipedia].)

I want to mention something about equipment: I do find nice equipment a joy to work with, but I think compelling imagery can be shot with less expensive equipment. Sometimes I'm just wowed by a magazine filled with photos from plastic cameras -- it reminds me the idea behind the photograph is the most important thing.

One

Thank you Tricia!

---

A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Focus On: elephantdreams

My name is Ruth, and I cannot remember when I wasn't an artist.

Great Wall of China

How 'bout a great story that involves a challenge, travel, intrigue, art, and a bit of danger*? Sounds like a James Bond film, perhaps, or The DaVinci Code? Even better: Ruth Radcliffe of elephantdreams has a fascinating story of how she picked up a camera along with her paintbrush and created a blueprint and a song of her life -- a life full of inspiration and motivation. Now here's someone to travel with... do read on. This story, though a combination of our conversation and words from her profile in her Etsy shop, is entirely in Ruth's voice.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

How It All Begins, or, Life On a Dare:

I first picked up a camera 32 years ago when some cocky Air Force flyboys said I'd never be able to use an SLR camera because I was a girl. Ah...fighting words. My first was a camera with one 50 mm lens, and with that in hand I spent the next ten years evolving into a professional photographer and darkroom instructor. After those cute flyboys (who incidentally couldn't handle (Thai hot sauce*, either) goaded me, I took over my husband's new Canon FTB and before long I knew more about it than he did. At the time, I was pregnant with my son, and travelled around Thailand quite a bit, with my new "best friend" by my side. My son always jokes that he had a "womb with a view," which was pretty accurate. Thailand took us to San Antonio where I registered for my first photography class, and I instantly fell in love. At the time I had both my Canon and a Yashica twin-lens reflex. This class was my first taste of darkroom work, and again I fell in love, so much so I bought an enlarger and set up a rudimentary darkroom in a back laundry room. It was nothing fancy, but it was a wonderful break from motherhood into creativity. I really loved the twin-lens reflex, and since I was processing all my film, it was a blast to have such a large negative.

saving face

The Next Step in the Creative Process:

Our next move was to Midland, Texas, and there I really became intimate with the camera and darkroom work at a local college. This led to a job as a darkoom technician and part-time jobs as a freelance photographer. I'll have to admit that most of my earnings went to pay for my oil paints and other art supplies. With my darkroom job I travelled with my classes all over Texas. I got into the habit of working with more than one camera at a time, and the process of making photos was sealed with a kiss and a click.

small offerings, Bali

How Photography, Painting and Other Medium Work To Define One Artist:

Photography is a big influence on my work as an artist. What I saw and painted was colored by the visions through the lens, and I used photography to set up still-lifes and to see the possibilities of the scene at hand. I think the influence worked the other way as well. I was lucky to be able to take classes in just about anything artistic available. And [I was] even luckier to have a fantastic darkroom to work in whenever I needed it. I still did freelance work, but it wasn't my favorite thing because I never found it to be creative enough. But the exploration of paper and film was. I do miss not having a darkroom.

stained a little bit

Living Abroad Enlarges The Vision:

I lived in Asia for about 4 years starting in 2000, and I was blessed to travel to so many countries... with three cameras clicking. My main problem there was the processing. I had no control of the final stage -- the printing process. I began to crop in the camera and have all my photos printed 8x12 inches. That made for an interesting experience. I long to travel back to Malaysia and Thailand, and I hopefully have a trip in the works for next year.

landsome, ACEO


Rice Fields, Bali

Transitioning from Film to Digital:

Since returning home I've been faced with the digital camera, and I admit I'm still working on it. The photographic scene had really changed by the time I returned home and film had been replaced by digital media, and darkooms became computers and software. I bought a DSLR camera, another Canon, so my lenses weren't redundant and began a very slow (and still slow) exploration of a totally new way of looking at photography. But I still had thousands of negatives. With film I knew what to expect, and with digital I'm still learning. And then there is the computer. My goals are to learn Photoshop and be able to be more creative, and with that creativity make my work translate into my vision. I'm not there yet. As for my day job, it's a combination of scanning and manipulating all my negatives and "processing them" in the computer. Between scanning I work with fiber, mosaic tile, beads and paint. I am fortunate to be able to play to my heart's content.

Clean Sweep

The Great Debate:

I have listened with great interest to debates in the Etsy forums about the validity of computer-generated images versus darkroom-generated images. A photograph always begins, no matter how it is taken, with the image. From there it begins a journey. Whether in film form or digital, it is manipulated. In the darkroom you use the enlarger, and you project it on different films or papers, use different techniques to manipulate the image, mess with chemicals, etc., you get the idea. With digital you basically do the same thing, except the palette is wider and the creativity expands into different areas. But at the end of the day, you have a manipulated image. And if you will, or want, you can describe your different processes, but in the long run it is all the same. Whether in the dark or light you have a photo from an image made with a camera.

red offering

Inspiration:

What excites me when I take photos is color, design, patterns and repetition. This flows over into both my paintings, drawings, and mono-prints. With jewelry all of the above count, but the colors tend to be more subdued but still utilize what excites me about taking photos. I think it shows that art is interrelated no matter how it is manifested. I once did an interview, and I said I've always looked at the world the way I look through the lens. I think this is true no matter which medium I'm working in.

tools of the trade, ACEO

Dealing with Three Shops on Etsy:

As far as more than one Etsy shop, that is more complex. As you know, promotion on Etsy is really important. At the moment I'm favoring elephantdreams, because as I scan more photos, I get more excited. I'm not spending as much time working on the 2-d work in Rhadcliffedesigns. The shop I've neglected the most is my newest shop, my jewelry shop. I have so many photos to take of jewelry that I've been procrastinating adding more. The beauty of Etsy is that you don't have to spend a lot of money in starting up a new adventure. It's just easier to portray photos and other 2-d work. Plus, the other problem I see in doing more than one shop is being in the right persona at the right time. I get a little schizoid at times!

cool & green

You can visit Ruth in many places: her 3 separate shops, featuring photographs, paintings/ACEOs/prints and jewelry; and, of course, her blog.

*Thai hot sauce is very, very dangerous.

Thank you Ruth!

---

A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website.