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Celebrating {Everyday} Special Moments with #CanonL

Last year I was provided with an amazing Canon EOS Rebel SL1 camera which came with the 18-55mm STM Lens.  Since that time I have worked hard to learn as many tips and tricks as I can to improve my photography.  If you look back at some my posts from 2012 and 2013 you can see the difference that using a Canon DSLR has made.  What’s really amazing is that I have never taken a single photography course, so if I can take professional looking photos, you can too!

I am thankful I had the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 from the time Ava was born as I have been able to capture everything in beautiful photos.  I am so thrilled with the photos I have taken over the past year that I have started recommending the SL1 to new and expecting mothers!  I only wish I had a Canon DLSR when Keira was born.

I was recently upgraded to the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens kit which has become my go-to lens for everything from food photography to special everyday moments with my family.  It is an “L Series” lens that has really taken my photography to new heights.   It is a Macro Lens which means it is able to capture sharp looking close-ups of tiny subjects.

The Canon L-Series lenses provide amazing optical imaging quality for stunning, professional-quality results whether  you are an aspiring amateur or a professional.  For me, I have found the Image Stabilization feature of the 100mm L-Series lens to be incredible as far as helping me to capture crystal clear photos at the drop of a hat.  Parents  often quickly grab their cameras at a moments notice to capture photos of their children.  There is no time to setup a tripod and this often results in less than stellar photos.  The image stabilization feature is able to easily compensate for shake and the ultrasonic focus motor (USM) provides super quick and really quiet auto-focusing so even first time photographers can capture clear photos.

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The 100mm lens takes truly stunning photos in the outdoors.  I headed outside with Keira and my husband to take a few quick shots after we had that snow storm  a couple weeks back and ended up with some truly gorgeous spur of the moment shots.  Each of then are crisp and vivid and capture the moment so perfectly I almost get a shiver just thinking about the cold!

 

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The SL1 does feature a continuous shooting option which is really great for capture children who do not like to just stay still.  I was actually able to capture these images in single shooting mode and was surprised with the clarity of each image which is in part due to the perfect lighting but largely because of the capabilities of this lens.

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This shot is one of the worst of the series I took as Keira was running straight at me.  Nonetheless, I think its still an amazing image.

 

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 A couple days later I went out on a mission with my 100 mm lens to see what it could do as far as landscape photography and wanted to take advantage of the recent snowfall.   I captured some really great photos and even carried along some of my other Canon Lenses to compare the shots with later (my 15-55mm, 40mm, and my 55-250mm) and was blown away by the difference in quality.  While the other lenses did capture some amazing photos the ones I took with the 100mm easily won out. 

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 With a little editing of the original to de-saturate the photo slightly, I ended up with a gorgeous statement piece for my sitting room that looks as clear as life from my favourite shot taken with the L-Series lens.   I have resized my photos but the L-series lenses are capable of life-size image reproduction.  This means you can take your favourite photos and create large statement pieces that look brilliant. 

 

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Here is another shot taken during the same shoot to show what it can do with distance.  I am really looking forward to experimenting more with landscapes, especially the next time I do some travelling!

 

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I obviously do a lot of food photography and I cannot recommend this lens enough for those who are serious about their food photography.  Whether you are a foodie who loves snapping shots for their instagram feed or a food blogger, this lens truly blows the others out of the water.  It creates a wonderful depth of field and really zooms in and captures all the little details for photos so great looking you could almost just eat them up!

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  The key to good food photography is natural lighting, setting the scene appropriately and of course using the right lens. Many food photographers use the 50mm lens but I find the 100mm lens captures images even more stunning than the 50 mm.

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The convenient 100mm focal length of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens allows for a comfortable shooting distance which means I do not need to be right on top of the food to get closer up shots which can often cause unintended shadows or even reflections.

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Instead you get crisp and beautiful magazine worthy shots!  Other than resizing, I have not edited these photos in any way.  What you see is straight from the camera.  Pretty amazing, don’t you think?

 

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Of course, as a Mom most of my photography is focused on my two girls.  I love capturing fun moments like this one from our family Christmas dinner where my sister was strumming Ava’s lips.  This is one of Ava’s favourite activities so its one of my favourite shots as I will never be able to forget that about her!

 

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I seriously just cannot get over how easy the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens paired with the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 makes taking great photos of children.  Looking back at the photos its almost as if I had hired a photographer to our family dinner.  I do need to invest in external flash though as low lighting indoors during our Canadian winters make it a bit challenging to avoid grainy photos from using a high ISO.

 

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The  Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens is so versatile. the range of photos it is able to capture beautifully is stunning.  Just check out this close up portrait of little Keira, I love this shot, it captures literally every detail of her precious face.

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 The Bokeh in this shot is really stunning, and bokeh can be difficult to get just right but I have found it almost too easy with the 100mm!

If you are a parent looking to up your photography game I urge you to check out all the creative tips found on BabyMoments.ca for capturing your baby’s most precious memories!

 

Victoria Ess

Thursday 16th of July 2015

Oh wow, those photos are breathtaking.

Jenn

Monday 23rd of February 2015

BEAUTIFUL photos. You can't go wrong with Canon!

Meagan

Thursday 19th of February 2015

Oh my goodness, those images turned out incredible! Sounds like I need a new lense!

Travel Blogger

Tuesday 17th of February 2015

Those are some great photos! I'm making the jump to a Canon 6D and I can't wait for it to arrive so I can begin playing around and expanding my photography even further.

Fi Ní Neachtáin

Tuesday 17th of February 2015

Such beautiful pictures, I wish we got snow like that here in Ireland. I only ever use my Nikon or Canon DSLRs for my pictures.