Thanks All

Thanks All

Thanks All

Thought you might be interested in the set up

Thanks All

This one entirely staged and directed by my grandchildren, 4,6 and 9.
The stage is a set of blocks on a butcher's block.
I am really yet to understand the relevance of the characters other than the 4 year old was insistent there be a yellow pussy cat in there somewhere.
And we'd just picked fresh strawberries for dinner.
I'll confess to the lighting and PP. The 4 year old pressed the remote!!

Hi speters - Yeah, I'm with you. But at least its only once a year, eh?? - I hear some indulge their imaginations once a week!!

But then, wasn't it one of your recent Presidents who said "It's the Photography, Stupid"

Well, he seemed to be enjoying it!!

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I don't need an excuse - I've got grandkids!!

Yep, Darth himself - a portrait I had the pleasure of taking back in the day


And me taking the portrait with Darth's agent


Yeah, just getting around is difficult when you're with Darth


Traditional "International Star Wars Day" teddy bear hunt


Storm Troopers celebrating Star Wars Day

Hi Marg
Without fully understanding how you've outgrown your kit lenses, I'm not sure my response will be directly useful.

I have a few of Canon's L lenses and they are all pretty good. But I don't they are universally good value for everyone. For example, Canon makes the very effective EFs 10-18 and also the EF 11-24, which is more than ten times the price. They both do much the same thing and that's a lot of difference, and for a lot of people, worth every cent extra, and some people, worth spending every cent of their savings on something else.

So with the L range of Canon lenses, a lot of the extra money is for their ruggedness of build and weatherproofness. Now if you're the sort of person that lets their lenses roll around in the footwell of your SUV while your drive off road bush bashing, then maybe the extra is worth it. Me, I use a camera bag and never seem to have broken a lens in that bag. And while I might shoot in a light shower or mist (I just carry a plastic shopping bag and some rubber bands), I'll probably look for a fireside drink if the weather is bad!! A lot of the money is also from 'faster' lenses which dominate the L range too. Now one reason I do have some L series lenses, is that there is simply no equivalent in Canon's non L range, so I have an EF 400 f5.6L for example.
Another reason that people have L lenses is that they have high resolution FF cameras. And these cameras can take good advantage of the higher quality glass sometimes used in L series lenses.
Now a FF camera also needs a bigger amount of glass in the lens to cover that full frame sensor. that's also where a lot of the cost of a L lens comes from too. they are all FF lenses.

So my advice is that there are perhaps better lenses than the kit lenses you have, and they are not all L lenses.

So a pretty good step up from your kit lenses might be the EFs 10-18, the EFs 17-55 f2.8 or the EFs 15-85 (a favourite of mine) and the EF 70 300 (non L). These make a fine addition for anyone who intends to stick with Canon's consumer and pro-consumer range of cameras, take reasonable care of their kit, shoot mostly in good light or with a flash, and keeps out of the rain and snow, and doesn't need anything longer that 300mm.

And Canon make some pretty neat non L primes too, you're already experiencing their Nifty Fifty. But they tend to be a bit more specialised in their use.

Good luck