one of the first professional-grade nikon lenses that opened my eye to a new way of seeing was the older-style 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens. i think we bought it used for $550 for it and sold it for $550 after two years of use. not too shabby. that's the nice thing about good lenses... they retain their value far longer than camera lenses. despite my accountant (my mom) tells me my camera has a 5-year depreciation schedule, digital cameras these years turn into pumpkins or dinosaurs after 3-4 years (don't tell that to a 3 or 4 year old:).... however, good glass enjoys a nice life on the second market.

which is why i recently turned to craigslist.com to purchase our newest lens, the 2-year old nikon 105 mm f/2.8 af-s macro lens. i placed an ad and a few days later i had a seller willing sell it at a good price ($550) AND to toss in a UV filter, along with a circular polarizing filter, and a warming filter (remember those?) for free. done deal.

i forgot how fun macro lenses can be. the super shallow depth of field is something no other lens can achieve, especially when used with a nikon d-300 with a "dx" sized sensor with a 1.5x crop factor. the reason we sold our old one was it proved a bit challenging to use in low-light situations. however, with the newer vibration reduction (vr) technology, tripods become a thing of the past, unless you want to stop down to f/22.

while geeking out in the botanical gardens in washingon d.c., i brought along the new lens and enjoyed the sights and serenity. for added inspiration, i listening to u2's newest album, "no line on the horizon" which gets the 5-stars in my book). focussing down to mere inches to the subject allows for a super shallow depth of field making it easy to isolate the subject.

this little guy was hungry, but didn't get a nut from me.


yikes!


there is a whole world of small things of interest if you slow down and look close.


i was impressed by the bokeh of nikon's latest 105 f/2.8 macro vr lens. the creamy blobs in the background compliment the foreground subject... adding a certain elusive quality. there is a difference between bokeh and areas of out of focus. notice the elusive quality to the background in the above image and the image below.


in preparation for use in portrait session, i walked around the streets of DC learning my capabilities with my new tool. the lens isn't necessarily ideal for street photography, but it can shine if used in low light in certain scenarios. i was impressed to see this, along with the colorful background. i doubt i'll use the lens in many portrait scenarios since i like f/1.4 apertures, thank you very much.


mmmm.... of all the portraits of lamp posts i've ever done in my whole life.... this one is the most recent:

(and you were expecting something profound???).

6 m.o. maisie + andrea + ryan = a colorful family cocktail of joy with a dash of cuteness :)