I haven't used it, so I am only offering it up as a suggestion to check out, but the reviews on the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX Digital Zoom Lens at amazon don't look too bad. It's not an L though.

I usually leave mine off if I think about it, but I have left mine on in my camera bag for a day at a time and have noticed no batter drain. Oh yeah, I am using a 5d mk2

That's a cool looking horned snake!

I don't know that I would consider myself a snake photographer, although I do take pictures of them when I can. My oldest son hunts snakes (not to kill, to observe), so I have went along with him to take pictures. The closest I have ever been to danger was when he lifted a log and a big copperhead was curled up underneath. We got a good shot - I'll have to look it up. We also got a shot of one climbing a tree one time - that was interesting.

I am really just an amatuer, so I don't know that I have any advice to offer. It is helpful to have someone who knows snakes with you in the wild though.

I love seeing great sunrise shots, and there are several in this thread. Here is one of my recent ones:

Thanks Natalie and Ron!

She does, she just tends to hold it down while holding the left one up. I have a few pics with both ears up, but this captured what she normally does better.

btw, I was waiting on someone to ask this. :-)

Thanks everyone. I guess I could have looked for a hat with a tag on it to make it more like the Minnie Pearl you were thinking of. I appreciate the comments.

Keep in mind that I am still learning a lot too, but I will tell you what I would do if it were my picture. I would increase the exposure some and adjust the white balance. I think the picture is composed well, but others with more experience may disagree.

I couldn't talk my wife or kids into letting me practice on them, but Minnie Pearl was willing, at least for a short time. She was definitely tiring of the photo shoot by this point, but she graciously allowed me to get a few more shots in before she called it a night.

You may not be able to tell it, but I was practicing with my on camera flash and a white reflector.

I have to admit, I didn't really think the first one needed straightened. It was shot from an angle to the side, which is going to cause some natural slant up. Like rdbroman said, the lights on top of the dam were pretty straight. Then I noticed the ground in front of the water at the bottom, which told a little different story. It has been straightened now. I will re-shoot this sometime and try to compose the shot a little better, but I can't take much off the top without cutting more of the dam out or changing the overall ratio of the photo a lot.

I also cut the exposure a little and sharpened it some. I don't think it looked bad in the first shot, but it does look different.

I appreciate all the feedback.

Here is an HDR sunrise photo of Kentucky Dam:

Thanks everyone!

Thanks Berliner!

All three were taken with a tripod.

The first was a ten second exposure @f/9, ISO 250
The second was a 1/4 second exposure @f/7.1, ISO 2500
The last was a 4 second exposure @f/5.6, ISO 800

Some people take great pictures because of talent; some of us, like me, just throw enough mud on the wall that some of it sticks. :-)

This is one of my first posts here at UHH - it looks like a friendly photography forum. Nighttime photos are some of my favorites to take, but I am trying to improve my skills in all areas. These are three recent nighttime pics - I would love to get some feedback.

It is because the depth of field for 1.4 is so shallow. Even in taking pictures of a single person you might find the eyes in focus and the ears out of focus. For a group photo you will certainly find some people are out of focus.