Bah to all that fancy, pro equipment! . . .

My settings . . .

shutter speed: 1/250
ISO: 100
F-stop: 2.8

I also have an 85 1.8 and 35 2.0 and get similar results -- all great lenses and dirt cheap compared to their pro counter-parts.

Here's another taken with the . . . 55-250 at 131mm (cropped.)

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/yankeemom/80219​88533/

^^^^^I love it!...Your equipment(and you) produces excellent photos.

rrblint wrote in post #15038481
^^^^^I love it!...Your equipment(and you) produces excellent photos.

Thank you!

I don't ever feel my colors pop like yours. I often shoot in b&w for this reason.

I don't ever feel my colors pop like yours. Maybe a post processing issue. I end up doing lots of b&w for this reason.

I say that light is a HUGE source for color and contrast, but good editing certainly helps. You can see my before-and-after and what I "tweak." Don't give up (and give totally in to B&W.) It does take time and practice, but it's worth it.

Great shot! And you are correct, it's about the light as well as the person behind the gear.

I had my t2i for a few years before getting my 5D2. While my 5D2 will further my photography business/career, a majority of the photos I use on my site to get business were taken by my t2i!

You definitely have the "eye" so keep on rockin'!

Aw, thanks! The T2i (and my previous XS) have been great to learn on. I would love to think that I could upgrade in a year or so.

This is a pretty good image. I think there is a bit too much headroom on this one though personally. I'd say he should smile...but he's a kid and they never really do what you want

Thanks, Numernorean -- I did leave more in up top to get the trees/apples and it framed him so perfectly. And you are right about the smile -- really tough at that age!

e1rlindsay wrote in post #15033284
I agree, I would like to see the WB a little warmer and more contrast. I also have to rock the T2i until I can afford a Mark II...

That's exactly what i went from/to, and the difference in low light is pretty huge. Definitely don't regret the upgrade at all.

I agree, Jeremy -- also the lack of noise in the Mk II. The T2i isn't bad, but it doesn't nearly measure up in that area.

YankeeMom wrote in post #15033012
I think I'll keep my T2i + 50 1.4 for awhile yet . . .

(OK, I admit that I can't afford the fancy stuff, so have to rock what I have. It's really about light, people!)

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/yankeemom/80171​58677/

That's a great shot. Well composed, his head fits perfectly into the gap.
I agree with you on the equipment front as well. The light is very important but the composition even more so imo.

I've taken some decent shots with the same camera as you and the nifty fifty which is not even as good as the 1.4.
I would even go further by saying that I don't even think you need to upgrade your camera.
Unless your camera is limiting you in some way then I can't see why you would?
If you're shooting sports then you need a seriously fast FPS rate but you're not.
If you're shooting in very dark situations you might need a camera with a higher ISO limit but how often do you do that? And the T2i is pretty damned good in those situations anyway.
Do you need a camera with a higher megapixel count? Only if you're blowing the images up to billboard sizes. As I said I have the same camera and I've blown images up to 1m x 1.5m without any deterioration in IQ. Do you really want to go larger than THAT?

I can't see myself needing to upgrade this camera for at least another 5 years, maybe more.

These are great captures at a scenic location. Nicely done.

Are these all hand-held?