*This is a license free image provided by the website X5 online library.*
My Cameras & Lenses
and the history behind
When I started out as a photographer, I was very young, still a child. I received from my grandparents an old fashioned East German black and white "Fotoapparat" - manual Film-camera.
It was a Beirette SL 100 viewfinder compact camera.
*The Beirette SL 100 is a simple compact camera intended for beginners or children. It is equipped with a Chromar, 50 mm 1:11 two element achromatic lens, which can be manually focused in three settings - for distance ranges 1 to 3 m, 3 to 8 m and 8 m to infinity. The viewfinder is of the simplest frame type, but closed with panes and so resembling an optical finder.*
This camera went with me everywhere and I started to take images at birthday parties of people and cakes and it happened often, after I went to get the film developed by a professional photographer, that my images had been blurry, a arm of a person was cut out in the image (not well framed) or it was in general not a great image as such, but a memory from that event, I was photographing.
Looking then with my parents or relatives at the photographs, was a bit of fun, and laughters were shared.
Over the years, I bought many camera's after that first one, all had been film camera's, the later one's with colored film.
My late father used an old black and white film camera - a Certo Certina camera. (which is still in my possession.)
The Certina was an attempt to create a solid user-friendly beginner's camera. Thus it was constructed with a focusable lens, a big optical viewfinder and a film advance lever.
It had a flash-synchronize single-speed shutter. Possible aperture settings were 11, 8, M and B. Distance setting was eased by symbols.*
My late father took this image of me with the Certina camera when I was 13 years old. It was taken in the Tatra Mountains in the Czech Republic and displays the Cold Water Waterfall in Stary Smokovec in the background.
* In the communist part of Germany, where I grew up, we were not allowed to travel to other countries apart from the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. *
However, my first professional camera, a Canon EOS 3000, I bought for myself on my 25th birthday.
This camera became more and more important to me and also photography.
*The EOS 3000 is an autofocus SLR for 35mm film introduced by Canon in 1999. The pentamirror viewfinder and manually-activated popup flash helped keep this a lower-cost model; but a full range of autoexposure modes were included, including off-the-film flash exposure setting. Film transport is motorized and the camera requires two 3-volt CR123 lithium batteries to operate.*
I took my analog professional Film Canon camera with me on my first trip to Canada in 2002.
When I saw all the wilderness and nature, when I photographed my first black bear, it was then when I knew I wanted to become a professional wildlife and nature photographer.
* This image was taken with the analog Film Camera - Canon EOS 3000 in 2002.
The photograph is not really that great, to bright and taken at the wrong time of the day. It was my first Black bear, that I photographed. *
To this time my longest and only other lens I owned, was the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DL Macro Super Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras.
The Sigma 70-300 mm lens was the only lens I could afford, when I bought it in 2005.
*Sigma’s 70-300mm F4-5.6 DL Macro is a compact telephoto zoom lens. This is a telephoto zoom lens with excellent cost performance, for it is capable of macro photography with a 1:2 maximum close-up magnification at the 300 mm focal length. It also has a switch for changeover to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 mm and 300 mm. The minimum focusing distance is 1.5 m/59 inches at all zoom settings. Sigma used SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass in this lens for excellent correction of chromatic aberration.*
Furthermore I went with the Canon EOS 3000 to the United Kingdom and photographed many historic places and architecture.
*This photograph was taken with the Canon EOS 3000 at the Warwick Castle in Warwickshire, United Kingdom in 2006. *
Visiting Canada 2003, 2005 and 2008 again, it became for me a dream, I wanted to work and live there. I have taken always my Canon EOS 3000 with me and clicked away at any possible moment.
*This images displays the Shanon Falls in British Columbia, Canada.
The photograph was taken in 2005 with the Canon EOS 3000 and the Sigma 70-300 mm lens. *
*This image shows me photographing Orca's in between Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada
and Seattle, USA in 2005.
I used the Canon EOS 3000 and the Sigma 70-300 mm lens.*
Somehow after developing the film and having the images burned on a CD, I was still not satisfied.
With the analog camera I still could not see right away how the image turned out afterwards and I had to wait until the whole film was shot and until the photographs were developed by a lab.
*This is a license free image provided by the website X5 online library.*
It was time to enter the digital world.....
I bought in 2011 my first professional digital camera, the Canon EOS 7D. My drive for becoming better in photography grew really strong.
*This is an example photo of the Canon EOS 7D.*
**The Canon EOS 7D is an APS-C digital single-lens reflex camera made by Canon. Among its features are an 18.0 effective megapixel CMOS sensor, HD video recording, its 8.0 frames per second continuous shooting, new viewfinder which offers 1.0X magnification and 100% coverage, 19-point auto-focus system, movie mode, and built-in Speedlite transmitter. **
In 2012 I went with the Canon EOS 7D first to the Black Forest and shortly after to South Africa on a trip that led me not only to South Africa, but to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (today called Eswatini).
The Sigma 70-300 mm was now also used with the Canon EOS 7D for wildlife photography in Southern Africa.
*Both images were taken with the Sigma 70-300 mm lens in Skukuza in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.. *
I was not only photographing Wildlife in Southern Africa, but also Landscapes and Cultures.
Sani Pass in Lesotho has been such an awesome travel experience.
*These are images from Sani Pass in Lesotho. "Khotso, Pula, Nala" means "Peace, Rain, Prosperity" translated from Sesotho into English. It is the national motto of Lesotho. It was written on the wall inside of the Basotho hut (house) that belongs to Mary-Mae, whom I visited. In this image the bottom photo in the middle shows Mary-Mae in front of that Basotho hut.*
**The photos were taken with my Canon EOS 7D and it's 18-135 mm lens and as well with the Sigma 70-300 mm lens.**
Coming back from this almost 3 week trip, I discovered that some of my images were not as great as I hoped. I started to do research on other famous wildlife photographers. I wanted to become as good as they were. Seeing that those photographers had a professional website, I also wanted to have a website to display my images.
I was connected with famous wildlife photographer Michael Poliza on Facebook and started to message him. What did I had to loose? You can only get better by asking questions to professional photographers.
*This was a part of my German conversation with Michael Poliza, and his advise in regards building a website and what to consider when publishing your images. The chat was in 2012 on Facebook.*
I also contacted other photographers about my first website that I had created in 2013. The opinion of photographers that already were established, mattered to me and only that way I could find out what I was doing wrong or right. Some gave me some really harsh replies, some did not replied at all. I continued with research on photography and watched videos and in particular the Art of Seeing on Creative Live with Frans Lanting. I had asked Frans Lanting in one of the Art of Seeing shows on Creative Live what lenses he was using, when photographing wildlife. His reply was that he used at least a 500 mm lens.
There was also a female photographer whom I admired (Suzi Eszterhas).
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Taking care full time of both of my terminally ill parents from 2014 until 2019 voluntary, was a challenge on its own.
Photography was the only thing that kept me really going in that harsh times.
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At one point I needed a break from the care giving.
For my next bigger trip, which led me to Uganda in East Africa in June 2015, I purchased a Canon Lens - EF 100–400 mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM and
a C-AF 2x Teleplus MC7 DGX Teleconverter from Kenko.
*The EF 100–400 mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM is a professional EF mount telephoto zoom lens manufactured by Canon Inc.
The lens delivers a superb combination of cutting-edge performance, compact construction and brilliant resolving power, that’s great for sports and wildlife photography.
One of the lens features found on the 100-400 mm lens is image stabilization. Two Image Stabilizer modes make it easy to capture far-off action or close-in portraits.
The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens is a member of the Canon L Series. *
*The Kenko TelePlus MC7 AF 2.0X DGX converter has the effect of multiplying the focal length of your lens by 2x. The MC7 AF 2.0X DGX converter has genuine Gate Array IC (Integrated Circuitry). Full AF operation is possible using camera lenses with open apertures of F2.8 or brighter.*
I used the TelePlus MC7 AF 2.0X DGX converter in combination with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens to photograph far away birds i.e. when riding with a motor boat on the Victoria Nile near the Murchison Falls.
*Both images were taken with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, in combnations with the Kenko TelePlus MC7 AF 2.0X DGX converter.*
I noticed, I was getting better in my photographic work.
The trip to Uganda was for me not only a break. I had never seen so many different types and colored birds in my life.
*This is only a small selection of my photos of birds from Uganda. These images were taken with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens.*
The trip to Uganda was for me not only a break. I had never seen so many different types and colored birds in my life.
*This is only a small selection of my photos of birds from Uganda. These images were taken with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens.*
Other than my Canon EOS 7D, I only had a small JVC camcorder camera with me to film wildlife and especially chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest Nationalpark.
Unfortunately the trip came for me earlier to an end, since my father in Germany had gotten into hospital being in serious conditions, after the chemo therapy treatment. My fathers conditions were so bad, that I was in constant fear he would die, before I was able to say "good-bye" to him.
I was not able to sleep much and the stressful journey back to the Airport worked on me.
Unfortunately the trip came for me earlier to an end, since my father in Germany had gotten into hospital being in serious conditions, after the chemo therapy treatment. My fathers conditions were so bad, that I was in constant fear he would die, before I was able to say "good-bye" to him.
I was not able to sleep much and the stressful journey back to the Airport worked on me.
I was at the time, when I learned about my dying father, at Lake Bunyonyi , far away from any big town. I was in South-Western Uganda, close to the border to Ruanda.. I missed the Gorilla trecking, for which I had paid for in advance, which took place the next day.
After I was back in Germany, I rushed right away to the hospital and could at least tell my dad about the different colored birds, that I had seen and about the chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda . Three days later, my father had passed away.
After I was back in Germany, I rushed right away to the hospital and could at least tell my dad about the different colored birds, that I had seen and about the chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda . Three days later, my father had passed away.
After my father's cremation and the funeral, I was busy studying for my Bachelor degree in Hotel Management, which I successfully passed with the final exams in November 2015.
I decided to participate in photography competitions to see how good or bad my photographic work was.
To my surprise I won my first honorable mention award with the International Photo Awards (IPA) with my chimpanzee image in 2015. Many honorable mention awards followed.
*This was my first awarded image, that I entered in the International Photography Awards. It has been awarded in Editorial/Environmental and in Nature/Wildlife.*
With limited resources, I practised a lot in my hometown Nossen in Saxony in Germany, going to the Mulde river in Zella, photographing birds and also visiting the Zoo in Leipzig and Dresden, or the Wildlife Park in Moritzburg (which became my favourite spot to go to.).
Having my mother at home in a care bed with a PEG Feeding tube, it was not easy to sneak out of the house to photograph wildlife or landscapes. I often did go to the outdoors, when my mother was asleep and I had an hour to myself.
My Canadian girl friend's 11 year old son had sent me a letter in 2016, asking me to photograph for him some German landscapes, since his topic in his geoographic lesson in his Canadian Waldorf school was European Landscapes. Of course I didn't wanted to let him down, even though it was difficult letting my mother alone for such a long time. I went to the Elbe Sandstone mountains to photograph the landscape and mountains.
*These are some of my images taken at the Dresden Zoo, in Nossen, in Nossen-Rhaesa, in the Wildlife Park in Moritzburg and at the Bastei at the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony, Germany. These images were taken with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens.*
I practised and practised, whenever it was possible, even taking images of birds from my open kitchen window or the living room window. My camera was always at the ready!
But I also wanted to become more professionel and I wanted to sell some of my work.
I couldn't be happier, when my first calendar of my Southern African Landscapes arrived in 2016. I had an online shop, where I sold the calendar.
In 2016 I became a member of the German Photography Association called DVF (Deutscher Verband für Fotografie).
*This was the German version of my calendar. I also sold through my former website and the online shop an English calendar version "In Southern Africa".*
I started to blog on my former website about my travel experiences to Africa and Europe.
My next bigger lens, the Sigma 150-600mm F5,0-6,3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens, has a nickname "The Beast". This nickname derived from it's bulkiness.
*The Sigma 150-600 millimeter 5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary was created around the concept of maximum portability meets utmost image quality in a variable aperture hyper-telephoto zoom lens. Light weight and compact, this s zoom can handle any long-reach photographic situation one may encounter. This 150-600 millimeter Contemporary boasts updated Sigma technology such as a quiet and optimized Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) and a new Optical Stabilizer (OS) with an accelerometer for improved panning photography both vertically and horizontally, essential for birding, wildlife and motor photography. *
Some of my Bird images were published in 2016 and 2017 in a local hometown Magazine in Nossen, Germany (Nossener Rundschau).
*The image in this article of the Nossener Rundschau from Jan/Feb 2017 was taken with the Sigma 150-600 mm 5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary lens from my former living room window. *
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Even though my camera was now a digital one, my cell phone was not. I didn't had a smart phone until 2017. I simply refused to have one until my next bigger trip.
Soon I needed another break from the care giving.
My bags were packed; my mom was in a short term care home, I was ready for the next adventure.
I boarded in June 2017 an expedition ship the "Ortelius" with Oceanwide Expeditions in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
With my new smart phone I thought, I could call my mom from the expedition ship. But there was no cell phone reception. So I called my mother every evening from the captain's bridge with a satellite phone, talking only for a short time, making sure she was ok and she knew I would not leave her alone. Taking care of someone gives you a heavy burden and responsibility paired with fear and doubts.
* In this image, the left photo in the middle shows me photographing with the the Sigma 150-600 mm 5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary lens. Photographing with this lens for a longer time handheld, it can become quite heavy. *
After I was back from this awesome expedition trip, the routine caught up and my mother was transported back from the short term care to our home.
She was becoming like a child to me, with not only her many illnesses, but also with dementia. When I left the house i.e. for Grocery shopping, she would start crying and it took me a while to calm her down.
My mom was so happy about the teddy polar bear, which I bought for her in Svalbard, that she held it close to her cheek, when sleeping.
I had to sort through the many photographs taken. (every day almost 500 images,
After my mom had passed away in 2019, there was nothing and no-one that could hold me back in Germany, having had no support.
On top of all the care giving I was bullied by many.
My dream to live and work in Canada was finally coming true.
Good-bye Germany!
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Hello Canada...
I arrived in Canada in November 2019. I not only wanted to just live and work here, but also to progress with my photography.
I started to practice again and photographed landscapes and wildlife so far only in Alberta's National Parks, some Architecture in Calgary, some Events in and around Calgary and also during Covid-19, I tried my hands on Food photography.
* I not only photographed the food in this images, but also cooked, baked and decorated it myself.
The images were photographed with the Canon EOS 7D camera and it's EFS 18-135 mm lens (with image stabilizer).*
When my permanent resident card arrived, I was more then happy.
In Canada I opened in 2022 my own company My Nature Photo Art and registered the same Name as my Trademark.
I cancelled my old website and created a new one...this one.
*This photo displays some of my lenses that I use, when I am out in the field and the Trademark certificate, which has been issued by the
Canadian Intellectual Property Office - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.*
In the meantime I have added another lens to my gear. I use this lens mainly for night - astro photography.
It is the Rokinon 14 mm F2.8 AF Full Frame Ultra-Wide lens for Canon. In the image above it is the lens to the left.
* The 14mm F2.8 AF Full Frame Ultra-Wide for Canon EF-Mount is not only Rokinon's first auto focus lens engineered for Canon, but it also is their first model to offer weather sealing.
Designed from the ground up specifically for Canon EOS Digital Full Frame DSLR's, this prime offers a bright F2.8 aperture, uncompromised optical performance, sealing against the elements and a rounded seven blade aperture for pleasing bokeh and star effects. Compared to others in its class, the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 AF Prime for Canon EF Mount provides reduced size and weight, a wider angle of view of 116.6°, and its new AF design takes advantage of the minimized weight and movement of the focusing lens group for accurate, faster, and even quieter in operation than competing systems.*
*Both images were taken with the Canon EOS 7D and with the Rokinon lens.
The image to the left shows the Aurora Borealis dancing over Lake Minnewanka in the Banff National Park. The image to the right with the "Aurora curtain" was taken at Vermilion Lakes in the Banff National Park. *
There is more to my photographer gear.....
At some point a photographer needs a tripod. I bought mine in Germany, but never used it there. I actually use it here in Canada a lot for the Aurora Borealis Photography, to prevent camera movement or shaking and to get a sharper image. I have used it also at Abraham Lake to photograph the landscape and Ice bubbles.
My tripod is the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod.
The image to the left was taken in Prince's Island Park in Calgary. The one to the right was photographed at Abraham Lake. - Both show the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod wiith camera and lens. *
**The Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod allows cameras to be attached to tripod heads quickly and effortlessly.
The tripod is equipped with the travel Quick Power Lock (QPL), which ensures quick and precise tripod setup and guarantees outstanding stability in all settings.
You can change the perspective and height of the tripod without losing camera focus, as well as adjust each tripod leg individually for maximum freedom when taking photos.
The 494 aluminum ball head has a main button to control the ball lock, an independent friction control, as well as an independent panoramic lock.**
Further in my photo-travel bag are some ND filters., which I use sometimes for instance for waterfall photography.
Maps, a compass, a small torchlight, bear spray, hand-and toe warmers (winters can be very cold in Canada), a travel mug, cookies and other lenses are also part of my photography travel bag.
*Don't ever steal my cookies, or you will be in big trouble! *
In 2023 I became a Member of the Canadian Association For Photographic Art and a Member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA).
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Whilst I was photographing in the province of Alberta in Canada, I also looked into alternative ways to create an income from my photography. I partnered up in 2023 with iCanvas in the USA to sell some of my art work to costumers worldwide.
My last and newest camera.....
I added to my gear this year the Canon EOS 5D MarkIV.
This camera was on my wish list for a very long time.
*The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a professional-grade 30.1-megapixel full-frame digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera made by Canon.
The EOS 5D Mark IV camera boasts a full-frame, high-speed CMOS sensor that’s ideal for a broad range of applications with its remarkable high-resolution abilities. Measuring approximately 36.0mm x 24.0mm, the same size and ratio as a 35mm film frame, it records 30.4 effective Megapixels at normal ISOs of up to 32000. It also captures incredible still and 4K video clips suitable for significant post-processing, retouching and cropping. Versatile in virtually all kinds of light and any shooting situation from print and wedding to full-bleed magazine spreads and other commercial or fine art use, the EOS 5D Mark IV consistently produces high-resolution 4K video and image files that are easily compatible with any number of diverse workflows. ISO 100–32000 (expandable to 50–102400). Featuring an ISO range of 100–32000 (expandable to 50–102400), the EOS 5D Mark IV camera is incredibly well-suited for low-light photography. Its sensor has an improved S/N ratio plus an improved noise-processing algorithm to help deliver high-level light sensitivity along with its high resolution, with virtually no compromise in image quality.*
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I continued to participate in Photography competitions in 2023.
*The image to the left is called "Gray Wolf - In the Rain" and it was taken with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and the Sigma 150-600 mm lens. It won me in September 2023 an Official Selection Professional Award at the International Photography Awards.
I was photographing this gray wolf in the rain during a walk through the forest near the Blaeberry River in British Columbia, Canada.
He was climbing on a tree trunk and moved fast around. Even though photographing towards the light in a heavy rain shower, which created a bokeh effect in the background, I was focusing on the wolf and he kept watching me on his lookout. It is not as great as I hoped it would turn out and I was completely soaked. Being a Photographer doesn't always mean being comfortable.*
This should give you an insight about the history of my photograpic gear, my learning curve to become better in photography and the struggles (including the one's I haven't mentioned), I encountered along the way. In the end I always used to say: "it is not the lens that makes a great photographer, but the photographer behind the camera, that contributed the most". Learn to use your camera and it's tools and practice, practice, practice.
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I hope you like what you read and see and if you do, give me some feedback. I am always happy to learn and to give my knowledge to those who want to learn and become better.
Best wishes
Ramona - October 13th 2023 -
*This blog includes 77 images.*
Have any questions?