We used to have a condo in Gatlinburg. We are going next weekend. I sure hope we get some pretty weather for taking some photos.

The picture was taken from one of the overlooks on the National Park Gatlinburg by-pass.

No star filter used. The only filter was a UV to protect the lens. The only post processing was some additional saturation and some adjustment to the darker tones for the most part.

Sometimes you get lucky and capture an almost perfect moment. Gatlinburg, TN and the surrounding Great Smoky Mountain National Park have always been two of my favorite photo subjects.

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I call it a photographer’s tool. I do it often when I plan to use a flash on a subject against a back lit background such as a sunset to set the correct exposure for the background/sunset. I then adjust my flash from there once I enter the settings and fine tune them to my liking for the background in manual mode. It generally gives me a good starting point. So if it is cheating, I am a cheater! Lol

I think you have already been given some great advice.

I have never had issues with battery life with my EOS R. I have no numbers as you do, but I have shot all day long and never changed batteries. I always keep a second one, but have seldom needed it.

I have never shot the Tameron, but I have owned the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary for a couple of years. I have shot sports (baseball outdoors in good light) and nature shots. I am pleased with the IQ. I suspect that both are good lenses and you would not make a mistake purchasing either. I will warn you the DoF at 600mm is shallow. As you can see from the attached photo, the background is out of focus as is the near foreground. The elk is pretty well focused within the applicable DoF. Get used to it before passing judgement on the lens.

Actually, I have done it a couple of times. It is definitely good for taking photos. Thank you!

We actually took the grand boys to the Sky Deck at the Willis Tower. That one shot was the only decent one due to the windows being a little dirty and the haze due to the mist and low clouds. I like the observation floor in the John Hancock Tower better, but I was out voted!

We spent a few days before New Years in Chicago with the kids and grandkids. The weather was dreary with gray skies, but I still got some pictures of the varied architecture of the city. It is a mix of traditional, Art Deco, minimalist, gothic, modern, and many mixed styles as well. These pictures were taken with my “travel camera,” which is a Canon T6s with either an EF-S 10-18 or an EF-S 18-135. Hopefully, I will go back one day to blue skies and take one of my better cameras and some of my better lenses!

I was on the river New Years Eve. It was a dreary day. We took a number of similar shots. The blue sky in your photographs look great! Very nice pictures.

I was on the river New Years Eve. It was a dreary day. We took a number of similar shots. The blue sky in your photographs look great! Very nice pictures.

And to the contrary... I know some very good photographers who don’t recognize the quality of their own work, and I think it is beyond just being humble.

Please don’t use it in your. Camera! It is a knockoff. If you look closely, you will see subtle differences. I once bought a $34.99 battery cover. If you can return it, you should.