Hello RixPix and welcome to Hedgehog, from the Pacific NW.
I just watched "Wild Photo Adventures,the Florida Everglades"
tonight. Had no idea there would be so much to shoot there.
Nice having you here!

As to your story...
"I have always believed my first photography instructor's credo that the photographer's eye is more important than the camera equipment."
I just heard a saying the other day I liked...
"It ain't the arrow, it's the Injin," - Lee Travino

Very nice! filled up a lot of my Card in San Diego shooting these guys. Amazing color!

Nice series.
Love the Mom and daughter one!

Good evening to you...
...hope to see you back when your battery is charged up.

Welcome to the Group neen

Here in Tigard. Hope to meet up with you some day.
Randy

Hey Bob, I didn't know you were here in Oregon too!
Nice to know a local member of the group. I'm just south of Portland.

Beautiful shot especially the first one. I haven't been there since the mid 90's. Back in the Film days!
Randy

Well at least that's a "Fish-tail" not many others could tell. Thankfully you had your camera!

Thanks "Squirl", this is looking to be my next lens for my collection.
Good to know someone happy with it.

I discovered how difficult this issue is in 2002 when the Salt Lake City Olympic Torch was being run through my little town... I thought I cold hold my then fully automatic Digital camera, and my video camera. WRONG! BIG WRONG!

I discovered how fully cameras are made for right handed people only! ( Being left handed), I have all my life had to adapt to a right handed world. But this event REALLY taught me how true that could be! There was no way I could do it.
Fast forward now to a full dslr, and the matter is greatly compounded, if not impossible. Perhaps "MAYBE" in full GREEN auto you might have some luck doing it with a left hand.

I wish you a very speedy recovery so you can get back to shooting normally.

I shoot with the lowest ISO I can get away with.
What makes me change the ISO is
1. How little light there is,
2. How much movement the subject has
3. What aperture I feel I need to give the image the look I want.
4. If I can use Tripod most of the above can be changed.

If I could I would always shoot with 100 ISO.
But that is not usually my option.

Hi Tracie, Welcome to the group. If those images were done with full auto, your camera did a darn good job! Especially # 2 with the poetry, very nice and your little boy in the third.
The Cowboys are the only football!

I would say that the "Field of focus" with your "Depth of field" was not deep enough for all that you wanted to be in focus.

"Depth of Field: The zone, or range of distances, within a scene that will record as sharp ... It is one of the most creative and profound effects available to photographers."

Here is an online calculator that will allow you to put in various camera models the Focal length (mm), the Selected f-stop, and the Subject distance to give you your field of focus. And remember that the closer you are to your subject, the narrower your field of focus is.
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Hope this helps.

I have paid a $1000 on 2 lenses... and they both blow me away all the time.

Renting is a great idea. Try before you buy if you can. But I've never been much of a renter. All of my lenses are second hand, and all seem fine. Most bought on Ebay. An issue with only one but $80.00's and it is fine. That one was $700+.

My Research is pushing me for the 1.4. Though many people will speak of the Early Version 1 of the 1.8, stating that it was so much better. The can be found on Ebay in the $200. range. They have the metal mount. The version 2 is plastic. The 1.2, I don't think I could ever want it enough to spend that much for it.
Good luck on which ever side you jump.

Hi Tracy,
I love Barns too. One of my photo groups did a barn shoot earlier this year.

I like the second one but to me that magnificent barn needs to be the significant part of the image. Either a longer lens, or move closer. I want to see every one of those patchwork attempts to make it last another year or so.

The 4th one to me is your best. But the tighter cropping someone did helped it a lot.

I always want to stop and take pictures of these magnificent old barns. but always seems I am in too much of a hurry or there is no place to park...
Here's one of mine.