We all know that a long lens is useful for photographing wildlife and things that are far away. I took my new 150-600mm lens, (check my review) which has a field of view equivalent to a 300-1200mm full frame lens, and turned it to subjects normally more suited to macro or shorter lenses. Ended up with some pretty nice results.
In the backyard
This idea started in the backyard. While waiting to capture some birds, I turned my OM System 150-600mm lens to plant life much closer. Facilitated by adding a 10mm extension tube I was able to get some very interesting bokeh with a very shallow depth of field. This lens has a long reach but I was still able to hand hold due to the built-in incredible camera and lens Image Stabilization. 1200mm equivalent at 1/125th of a sec in the shadows and 1/8000th of a sec when photographing the hummingbird in full sun.
Hummingbird
Is this an incredible hummingbird photo? Nope. But, I’m seeing how far I can push the lens while hand holding. Not being tethered to a tripod comes in handy as the hummers tend to move around to different perches when they are away from the feeders.
Boredom for the win
Maybe it’s boredom or maybe it’s an active mind difficult to quiet. I was waiting for the hummers to return and just for fun I turned the camera to the greenery and miniature roses that surround my patio. I’ve used long lenses in the past for a different look with small subjects. This turned out to be a solid reminder to remember to work the long lenses more often.
Gear used
I used the OM-1 camera fitted with 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 OM System lens. Being able to hand hold this lens lends itself to capturing more creative images. I took this same concept and gear added a tripod and captured some next level images. That article will be coming soon.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
