Be a shame not to get to Yellowstone since you are so close. I have always stayed in Gardner which is right at the north entrance. Ask someone where the old Yellowstone trail is (goes north out of Gardner). It's worth spending a day on it.
Get the last trip out in the evening. The sun setting against the rocks and cliffs is awesome.
I use the Sigma 150mm macro. The increase focal length lets me photograph some insects that fly away when I get close enough with my 100mm.
I shoot canon and use 3 lenses for landscapes--11-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70--200mm. In rare occasions, because of distance, I use a longer lens, 100-400mm
My son joined the marines a year out of high school. He went to sign up for the reserves, but the marine who signed him up got him to sign up for active duty. My son really matured in the marines. The values he learned there have stayed with him in the years since his term was up. It turns out that is was really good for him.
Nice! Especially the last one. Nothing in it to distract the viewer's eye.
I have the Sigma 150 macro and really like it. It gives me more distance from the lens to the object when photographing insects. Less chance of having them fly off just as I am about ready to form the image.
Another recommendation for Reikan's Focal System.
I file all my images in LR by date. If I am looking for an image, I can usually narrow down the date to a couple and then look in those dates. Has worked well for me.
I have the 5DIII and like it a lot. I highly recommend it. The 5DIV is an upgrade, so you should be able to find a good price on the 5DIII.
I have both bought from them and sold/traded with them. My experience has always been positive.
Canon 70--200 f/2.8 $700 Early version
Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 $700 latest version
Bob Boner wrote:
"If you plan to photograph insects, I recommend a longer focal length (Sigma 150 is one of the best I have owned, and I have owned Nikon and Canon (200mm and 180mm respectively). With a short focal length, I found that I frequently scared the insect into flying before I was able to get close enough to it to get a decent sized image.
Getting close enough is all a matter of technique and knowing your subject"
That is also true with a longer lens. But my experience is that a longer lens helps. I do a lot of macro work, and have been for 50 years, and when I increased the length of my lens (with the Nikkor 200mm macro), I increased number of decent sized images I get.
I use a 5dsr, 5DIII and 7DII. I am very happy with all of them. The 5dsr gives a much larger file, so I use it mainly for landscapes I think I might want to produce a large image. I use the 7DII for wildlife. It gives a good image and will give about 10 frames per second.