"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
                               John Muir, Scottish American Naturalist
​
I'm not big into quoting other authors or famous folk, but when I first read this on a bumper sticker (yes, that's right, a bumper sticker), it struck a chord. I spent my childhood, and much of my adult years, getting lost (figuratively speaking) in the forests around which I lived. Exploring my surroundings has always been a way to let go of the stresses of my daily life and find solace in the beauty of Mother Nature. Photography has become a natural extension of that desire to explore. When it comes to photographing the forest it does come with its challenges however, but those are outweighed by the countless opportunities. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. However, no compensation was paid for this review. I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear. ​

I'm an extreme photographer.
Let me explain that statement before you get the wrong idea. When it comes to focal lengths, I like to work at the extremes - either ultra-wide, for my landscape shooting, or super telephoto for wildlife. Recently, Olympus released two amazing long lenses, so the telephoto range is nicely covered with a number of options. That wasn't the case when it came to ultra-wide choices. The release of the M.Zuiko 8-25mm F4 PRO changes that. 
Up to now, if you wanted to capture 'the big picture' you had two lenses to choose from, the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO or the 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO. Both of these lenses are in my kit and have served me well. The release of the new 8-25mm F4 PRO now adds another ultra-wide option. 

I like old windows. You know the type; the grid-style with several lites often found in historic colonial homes. They have character. Some time ago I picked one up at my local landfill. It was in excellent condition and I was looking forward to using it as a frame for one of my prints. Not quite ready for it, I put it in my garage, and there it sat and sat and...  Every time I looked at it I thought, "Oh yeah, I've got to do something with that window." But soon, another idea for its use crept into my head... 
For those of us who live indoors (and I'm guessing that includes you), our windows provide one of our main views of the outside world. I wanted to create a concept shot with a window floating in the air through which we could view the world beyond. Now, this could be done by simply creating a composite image - photograph the window against a plain background and, using some Photoshop trickery, superimpose it over your scene. Well, that seemed too easy. I wanted the window to actually be 'floating' in the air. Unfortunately, my "use the force" skills are rather poor, so I would have to come up with a way of suspending the window in an outdoor scene. And, given my love of astro-landscape photography, I wanted this project to involve the night sky. 

A few years ago I picked up the original Prvke 21 pack and fell in love with it, so when WANDRD reached out to me to see if I would be interested in receiving their latest version for free, I jumped at the chance. I've been a fan of the original for some time and there was no expectation of a review, nor did any money change hands. That said, it's been on my mind for some time to share my impressions, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. I love this bag, but I will also be honest about its short-comings. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. However, no compensation was paid for this review. I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear. ​

When Olympus sent me the E-M5 Mark III and the 12-45mm f/4 I was certainly pleased to get this new camera and lens. But to be honest, I was rather hesitant to shoot with them. After all, I was very happy with the E-M1 Mark III and 12-100mm combination that I'd been using for quite some time. What could this new combination offer me that I wasn't already getting from their pro-level body and my workhorse lens?
After about 3 months with it on my shelf I finally decided it was time to 'kick the tires' and see what it could deliver. It was also the start of the pandemic and I needed a creative boost, since travel was out of the question, and many of my local attractions were also shut down. So, on a rather grey March morning I grabbed an umbrella, a tripod, and the E-M5 Mark III and the 12-45mm lens and headed down to the still-frozen bay near where I live, to see what I could create. 
I set the camera up on the tripod, fairly low to the ice, engaged the time-lapse feature and began moving the umbrella around and tossing it up in the air (I'm sure that I looked like a complete fool!). This craziness lasted about 10 minutes, and after a bit of editing finally lead to this image...

This was my first creation with the 5iii and 12-45. I was pleased with the results, however a bit more time would pass before I was convinced that this pairing would truly meet my needs. But, more on that later. Now it's time for some introductions. 

​A few years ago, my wife and I went on a fall driving tour through part of Northern Ontario. After a great day of shooting we stopped at a beautiful lakeside restaurant, walked in, were seated by the waitress, and each handed a menu. After a cursory look at the offerings I glanced out the restaurant window and saw a photo opportunity that I just couldn't pass up. I put the menu down, told my wife to order something for me, and rushed out of the restaurant. (I'm certain that the waitress thought we'd had a fight.) 
I grabbed my camera gear out of the car and quickly headed down to the shoreline. After a few setting changes, and some work with composition, I clicked the shutter release and got this shot...

I liked the shot, so ​I packed the gear back into the car and headed into the restaurant where a wonderful pickerel dinner was waiting for me with a nice glass of wine. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. Although compensation was paid for this review, I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear

Okay, let's cut to the chase. This lens rocks! It really does.

I've shot with practically every lens made by Olympus for the micro 4/3s system and each one is built to very high standards. But the m.Zuiko ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO (now, there's a mouthful) stands out amongst these. I'll get to why in a moment, but just a reminder  that this isn't a formal review. These are my first impressions based on 5 days of shooting with the lens. When Olympus offered to send me a pre-production copy I was quite hesitant. We were heading into wintery weather, most of the migratory birds in my area had long gone, and finding other wildlife would be a real challenge. Plus, I would have the only one in North America (oh, the pressure!) In the end however, I'm so glad that I accepted the invite because this lens is exceptional!

"Hi Peter,
I’m reaching out about an opportunity to be one of the first people to shoot with the new telephoto lens that’s coming out very soon."

This was the start of an e-mail that I received from Olympus asking if I would be interested in testing out the new 100-400mm lens. Needless to say I was very interested! The timeline would be tight, but they could ship the lens 'overnight' and I would have it in a couple of days (overnight shipping is never 'overnight' when you live in northern Ontario). The problem was that I was heading to our cottage the next morning for a 10-day visit. Located on a very small island in a wilderness park, our cottage has been in the family for over 90 years. This was going to be my annual 'maintenance' trip - anything that old needs some regular TLC. I would have to rely on my wife to bring in the lens on the following weekend. This would give me only one full day to try out the lens in this beautiful spot before I had to head back home. Just one day to get some high quality shots? Oh, the pressure! Deep breath... I can do that!

"You bet", was my response. "I would love to try out the new lens!"

Okay, bring your camera in close...
Closer...
A bit closer...
There! Perfect!
When you want to get in real close to your subject, you are entering the realm of the macro photographer. Usually this means you need a specialized macro lens, one that allows for extremely close focusing distances and provides a reproduction ratio of at least 1:1. For some subjects this may be your only choice, for example, capturing the minute details of an insect. For situations like that I will grab my Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. But often I want to capture a great close-up of my subject, giving it the macro 'feel' without actually being all that close. That's when I put on a longer lens and turn to telephoto macros.

​Astrophotography has become one of the fastest growing genres of photography. Today’s digital cameras and lenses are able to capture high quality night sky images like never before. And with more and more great images making their way onto social media, photographers who felt that this type of photography was beyond their skill set are now being inspired to get out and photograph in the dead of night. A few short years ago, I was one of those self-doubting photographers. Now I try to photograph the night sky whenever an opportunity presents itself.
 
On a recent trip to Monument Valley, I wanted to photograph the ‘mittens’ under the light of a full moon. So, I got up at 3 a.m., walked a short distance from the hotel, set up my E-M1X with the 17mm f.1.2 lens and proceeded to create a 4-shot panorama.