Ariel showing good form shooting with her Canon 50D during our DSLR Photography Lesson in St. PetersburgWhen I met Ariel for our first of four 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons in downtown St. Petersburg, she already had good knowledge of photography terms and concepts. I did not have to tell her that f/5.6 was a larger aperture than f/11 for example. However, I still began the lesson with my 5-step process for making a well exposed and sharp shot in any shooting conditions. I believe that having a set way of getting the correct exposure and focus is the key to being able to make consistently satisfying photographs. After all, if you make a good shot, you want to know why so you can do it again, right?
Ariel had the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L lens which we used mostly in the second half of our lesson. I am always cautious about using a lens at its largest aperture as they can be softer than just one stop down. As the late afternoon began to fade, being able to have a larger aperture like f/4 available was a plus, and we did a direct test to see if any sharpness was lost at f/4 compared to f/5.6. I did not see any and was thus impressed and for any Canon shooters out there looking for a good, budget 70-200mm lens, this lens sells for about $700, which I consider a great bargain and I recommend it.
I will be meeting Ariel again on Monday to continue our photography lessons!
