As the new year gets underway and I make plans to travel once again in search of great photographs I am taking the time to think more about what lenses I want to use for what adventures.  While I cannot know what every situation will present to me in the way of visuals, access, light, etc. I can try to imagine what kind of photo I want to make and think about the characteristics of the lenses that will help me reach my goal.  Recently I invested in the Nikkor  100-400 F/4.5-5.6 S and have been experimenting with it, not only for distance but also for zeroing in on details in a scene from a distance.  The photo of the house finch in the tree is with the 100-400 and it was tricky focusing on the bird without the branches getting in the way.  I am finding that this lens takes some practice so I am happy that I have several weeks more before I put it to serious use photographing the horses.

Another lens I have been using more and more is the Nikkor 135 f/1.8 S Plena for portraits.  This is an awesome lens – very sharp!  I can see it will come in handy when photographing the guardians of the White Horses of the Camargue and the horses themselves.  The photo of the doll was taken with the 135 f/1.8 with a Profoto A1 light.  The dog was also photographed with the Plena in natural light.  The two bird shots were taken with the 100-400 hand held.  Both require some more practice in different situations to better understand the strengths of the lenses.