# New Lens (Finally Feels Like Fall!)



## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

*Warning:* Very picture heavy!

I finally caved and picked up an 85mm f/1.8 a few weeks ago, although I wasn't completely sure how I felt about my decision. It's the most I've ever spent on a lens, and I already did have the 50mm f/1.8. Plus, 85mm on a DX camera just isn't the easiest focal length to work with... But having admired GatorDog/Alexis' photos for the longest time, and then hearing another photographer (on another dog forum) rave about the lens, I eventually decided to go for it. 

Anyway, I didn't get to really test it out with Trent until this past weekend. And holy crap, I absolutely LOVE this lens. LOVE. The focal length is a little inconvenient, but it makes up for it in every single way. I love the quality, the speed, the creamy smoothness of the backgrounds, and how clean the images look. I'm just so thrilled with it.

Anyway, on to the pictures!

Just as I was complaining about how unseasonal my neighborhood looked, the leaves all began to fall.




































Hey Trent, you have something stuck... all over your head









Oh well



























Frolicking


















And posing, of course









Flying leap!



























Gorgeous boy













































And a stacked picture to end the day. The bad graffiti annoys me, but it was the best background I could find.


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

On the next day, we went for an afternoon walk to one of the nearby fields. Unfortunately it's also under construction, so we're enjoying it while it lasts.

More Fall-y pictures









Cute dog is cute



























Annnnd, he's bored


















...so he ran off the bridge and decided to go swimming in the mud. 









"Crap, Mom doesn't look happy. Well, Mom likes it when I climb high places, right?"









Yes. Yes, I do <3
























Later that evening, we headed out for pictures during my favorite time of the day. Hope everyone isn't feeling bored of these golden hour pictures!! I really wanted to test out the lens and _wow _- I love how it photographs light!

These first few are straight out of camera.



























Frolicking again









All smiles!









Spotted a groundhog









Sometimes I wonder if he's part pointer or hound



























Ready to head home!









Thanks for looking!


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## operator1975 (Aug 28, 2013)

Great pictures,What a beautiful dog! 

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## Crocky (Aug 16, 2013)

Those are great! Thanks for sharing!


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## COSprings_John (Oct 18, 2013)

Beautiful photos and a wonderful looking dog ! seems like your new lens is performing up to and beyond expectations !


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Really nice job, gorgeous subject, and wonderful scenery!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

great pics. i really like the ones showing the pollen falling
and landing on him. i might treat myself to a lens around
Feb. or March. i think i want a telephoto lens. i don't know
anything about cameras or lens. i have a Nikon D3100.


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## Redrider469 (Jul 19, 2013)

Great Photos! Why did you want the 85mm if you already have the 50mm? Did you notice similarities in the images? I have both but use the 85 primarily for headshots(people). I'm also using a FF body.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Great photos and beautiful dog! 

I love the 85mm lens. I don't own it but I've rented it before


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Love the photos.

Is that the Nikon 85, 1.8? I've been eying that one for a while.


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## Juno's mom (Sep 28, 2013)

Gorgeous dog! Incredible photos. German shepherds look so lovely against a fall background  congrats on your new lens! Drool...


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

operator1975 said:


> Great pictures,What a beautiful dog!
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks!! 



Crocky said:


> Those are great! Thanks for sharing!


Thank you! Thanks for looking 



COSprings_John said:


> Beautiful photos and a wonderful looking dog ! seems like your new lens is performing up to and beyond expectations !


Thanks so much! And yes, I am so excited about this lens and so happy I got it! 



Shade said:


> Really nice job, gorgeous subject, and wonderful scenery!


Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!



doggiedad said:


> great pics. i really like the ones showing the pollen falling
> and landing on him. i might treat myself to a lens around
> Feb. or March. i think i want a telephoto lens. i don't know
> anything about cameras or lens. i have a Nikon D3100.


Thank you!! I shoot with a Nikon as well  There is a huge variety of lenses to choose through and it can get pretty overwhelming. I'm a big fan of telephotos as well, and there are a lot of great ones. I briefly borrowed a Nikon 70-300mm last month and loved it! It's really nice having that kind of range in focal length. 



Redrider469 said:


> Great Photos! Why did you want the 85mm if you already have the 50mm? Did you notice similarities in the images? I have both but use the 85 primarily for headshots(people). I'm also using a FF body.


Mostly because I saw how much everyone raved about the 85mm f/1.8 and wanted to try it out  I like my 50mm a lot, it's a great lens and very versatile, but I like the quality of the 85mm much more. The images are just cleaner and smoother in general (not sure if relevant, but I'm using the D series version of both lenses). 

It doesn't really make a difference because I post process and then resize to 800x600. But I'm just much happier with the images I'm getting from the 85mm f/1.8 in general. Plus, I'm also trying to take more people pictures, and know that this is a great lens for that 



stmcfred said:


> Great photos and beautiful dog!
> 
> I love the 85mm lens. I don't own it but I've rented it before


Thanks so much! It's a really great lens! I did think about renting it first, but I buy all my gear used so I figure I could just resell if it didn't work out. That said, I expect to be hanging onto this lens for a while!



Caledon said:


> Love the photos.
> 
> Is that the Nikon 85, 1.8? I've been eying that one for a while.


Thank you! And yes, it's the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 D. 



Juno's mom said:


> Gorgeous dog! Incredible photos. German shepherds look so lovely against a fall background  congrats on your new lens! Drool...
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks so much! I'm excited that we actually had Fall colors this year, last year everything stayed green until almost mid-Winter.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

So if I have a Nikon...and I purchase a lens like yours, my dog will look as beautiful????


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## KathrynApril (Oct 3, 2013)

Wonderful photos and such a great subject!


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Lilie said:


> So if I have a Nikon...and I purchase a lens like yours, my dog will look as beautiful????


LOL! Thanks, but you definitely don't need a new lens or even a Nikon for that. Hondo is so gorgeous, he doesn't need fancy camera gear to look beautiful :wub:



KathrynApril said:


> Wonderful photos and such a great subject!


Thank you!!


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## LPLIV (Oct 8, 2013)

*Great Shots!!!*

The Nikon 85 1.8 is one of the highest rated lenses for sharpness and color rendition. (DP Review/DxO Labs, The Photozone) The bokeh is great and your back ground colors are incredible. What type of Nikon are you shooting with? I use a 24-70 2.8 on a FX body and I hope to get an 85 1.8 in the future. 
Thanks for sharing the great pics, your dog is a really good looking dog and you can tell by the eyes and facial expression he is a very intelligent dog.

Phil


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

LPLIV said:


> The Nikon 85 1.8 is one of the highest rated lenses for sharpness and color rendition. (DP Review/DxO Labs, The Photozone) The bokeh is great and your back ground colors are incredible. What type of Nikon are you shooting with? I use a 24-70 2.8 on a FX body and I hope to get an 85 1.8 in the future.
> Thanks for sharing the great pics, your dog is a really good looking dog and you can tell by the eyes and facial expression he is a very intelligent dog.
> 
> Phil


Absolutely! I've read nothing but great things about the lens. Like you said, the color and smoothness of the backgrounds are really fantastic, even straight out of camera. It makes post processing much easier and more enjoyable, even if sometimes the end product doesn't differ by leaps and bounds from that of my 50mm (at 800x600, at least).

I am currently using a D7000. So I think the 85mm lens gives me a focal length closer to 130mm? A little inconvenient, but it's not a big problem when we're outdoors, and it definitely makes up for it in all other aspects! A 24-70mm is my top dream lens, of course, but I'll have to save up first  One day!!

Huge thanks for the kind words on the pictures and my dog!


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## Mr. D (Oct 4, 2013)

It at least seems you guys understand it's the glass and not the camera.


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Mr. D said:


> It at least seems you guys understand it's the glass and not the camera.


Haha, okay, I'll admit that I get a little too excited about gear  To be fair, I'm also trying to work on my photography as well! I'm still a long way off from the dreaded GAS; I'm just a little overenthusiastic. Some of my lenses really have helped me learn more about the technical and creative aspects of photography.

Of course I won't be "there" for a long while, but I like playing around when I can. Plus I'm just in it for the fun, and only started last year, so I don't think I'll be switching to full frame anytime soon. I can't imagine having that extra money and not wanting to spend it on lenses instead!


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Oh my god. These are such beautiful pictures. I really am a sucker for any picture of a GSD, autumn...and sunsets.  The fact that these photos are SO realistic that I feel like I am standing right there...wow. 

Really, your photos always just blow me away. Thanks for taking the time to share them, I really enjoyed looking at them.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Wonderful set of photos! I love the golden hour shots best, Trent is always so photogenic!


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## LPLIV (Oct 8, 2013)

Rei... Sorry to bring us back the shooting but yes.. save your $$'s the 24-70 is my real work horse, I can feel at ease in almost any type of shooting... Landscape, portrait, wedding, events, night/day w/wo flash... you name it... The DOF for your shots is really great, too bad we can't see the exif data to learn from your exposure. 
I too have a D7000 and love it... It was my other workhorse for a year until I broke down and bought a D600. I haven't gotten in to pet portraits yet but am branching out a little to pick up some more business so I may post some shots here as well as on my web site when I start. I am new here and haven't figured out to post w/o out suffering the reprocussions of the attachment version. It seems that my shots of my GSD were ruined when I used the attachment option. I'll figure it out and post some other stuff when I have it..
BTW, no sales pitch but here is my web site, it is brand new and not completed yet... I rushed to get it finished for a big event and then didn't use the section where you can buy directly from my site... Oh well.. Anyway, thanks again, you have given me ideas for pet portraits which I am really greatful for... 

Phil 
Lavie Photographic


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

gsdlover91 said:


> Oh my god. These are such beautiful pictures. I really am a sucker for any picture of a GSD, autumn...and sunsets.  The fact that these photos are SO realistic that I feel like I am standing right there...wow.
> 
> Really, your photos always just blow me away. Thanks for taking the time to share them, I really enjoyed looking at them.


Thank you so much for all the kind words!! It really makes me so happy to hear them <3 

I'm with you on all your favorite things - German Shepherds, Autumn (the best season!), and the gorgeous lighting of sunset and the golden hours. I was worried because I shared so many (even then I had to narrow them down!!) so I'm really glad you enjoyed them! 



onyx'girl said:


> Wonderful set of photos! I love the golden hour shots best, Trent is always so photogenic!


Thanks so much! I love walking around during that time and am thrilled the new lens caught the light so perfectly 



LPLIV said:


> Rei... Sorry to bring us back the shooting but yes.. save your $$'s the 24-70 is my real work horse, I can feel at ease in almost any type of shooting... Landscape, portrait, wedding, events, night/day w/wo flash... you name it... The DOF for your shots is really great, too bad we can't see the exif data to learn from your exposure.
> I too have a D7000 and love it... It was my other workhorse for a year until I broke down and bought a D600. I haven't gotten in to pet portraits yet but am branching out a little to pick up some more business so I may post some shots here as well as on my web site when I start. I am new here and haven't figured out to post w/o out suffering the reprocussions of the attachment version. It seems that my shots of my GSD were ruined when I used the attachment option. I'll figure it out and post some other stuff when I have it..
> BTW, no sales pitch but here is my web site, it is brand new and not completed yet... I rushed to get it finished for a big event and then didn't use the section where you can buy directly from my site... Oh well.. Anyway, thanks again, you have given me ideas for pet portraits which I am really greatful for...
> 
> ...


No problem! I love talking about all things photography related, it's really a great way for me to learn  

Almost all of the pictures are shot at f/2.8, although I'll have to check individual photos for the shutter speed and ISO. I know I was tweaking the latter two quite a bit while I took these pictures. I'll upload them to my main Flickr account later and the EXIF info should all be intact! 

This 85mm is the most I've ever spent on a lens, so it'll be a while before I have enough money to get a lens like the 24-70mm. But it is definitely the dream! I love my primes, but having the versatility and convenience of a zoom is priceless. I only got my D7000 a while ago (started out with a D90) but I'm very happy with it! I purchased it used right after the D7100 came out, so it was a pretty great deal. 

As far as uploading and posting photos, I have never used the attachment feature before. Instead I upload to Flickr first, and then post the images to the forums by copying the link and pasting it using the image code. I know what you mean about the quality being ruined, though, I typically have the same experience with Facebook. 

Your website looks great!! I really envy your versatility, sometimes I think dog pictures are all I can do! But I did buy this 85mm in the hopes of getting more into people portraiture, so we'll see  You have great photographs on the website, huge thanks for sharing! Really flattered to hear that I was able to give you some ideas, too!


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Wow, gorgeous! I would say that lens was well worth the price.  I'm hoping to land a new job here soon and I plan to start saving up for the D7000, will be quite an upgrade from my Canon Rebel xsi! Though I have been enjoying it immensely, took my cheapo 50m lens out last weekend and was pretty happy with the results I got. Pics are here(though first four are a professional photographers not mine), http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/herding/354697-ollie-herding-video-pictures.html

Trent is looking handsome as always, the last few pics in the bright sun are amaaaazing!!


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Carriesue said:


> Wow, gorgeous! I would say that lens was well worth the price.  I'm hoping to land a new job here soon and I plan to start saving up for the D7000, will be quite an upgrade from my Canon Rebel xsi! Though I have been enjoying it immensely, took my cheapo 50m lens out last weekend and was pretty happy with the results I got. Pics are here(though first four are a professional photographers not mine), http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/herding/354697-ollie-herding-video-pictures.html
> 
> Trent is looking handsome as always, the last few pics in the bright sun are amaaaazing!!


ooooh, are you planning to make a switch to Nikon? An early welcome to the club, then  Any reason in particular? Either way, it's a really great camera and I'm very happy with it! I've only been using mine for a few months, but the quality is fantastic, and it gives you so many options. 

Haha, and I still love my cheapo 50mm f/1.8! It'll probably continue to be my walk around lens, mostly so I don't worry as much about banging it around if anything LOL But it's a great lens, and pretty versatile! I'm usually pretty happy with the pictures I get from the lens! 

Thanks for the link! I was just thinking about how I hadn't seen a new Ollie photo thread in a while... and now I see! I don't visit the herding subforum much so I wouldn't have spotted the thread otherwise. Really appreciate the link! And thanks for the nice comments on the pictures and Trent, too!


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## J and J M (Sep 20, 2013)

I actually like the 35mm for a walking around. Makes the camera much lighter. For versatility the 18x200 is amazing but quite heavy. If you can set your distance primes are definitely my favorite.


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## Nickyb (Jul 11, 2011)

Great shots with a great lens.... I almost bought that lens but didn't since my 35mm lives on my camera lol.... I've used it before and like you said, it's not an easy focal point to work with....
I may just have to cave in and buy one although my next lens I plan on getting is the 16-85mm...


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Love the pictures!!!! I've been eyeing the 85mm for my Nikons as well. I adore my 55-300 lens. It's my primary use lens these days.


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

J and J M said:


> I actually like the 35mm for a walking around. Makes the camera much lighter. For versatility the 18x200 is amazing but quite heavy. If you can set your distance primes are definitely my favorite.


The 35mm was meant to be my next purchase, before the 85mm. I only bought the 50mm because I only had my DSLR for about a week or two and didn't want to spend too much more on lenses. The 50mm was $50 so that was tough to pass up!

Meant to get the 35mm but the 85mm was one of my "dream lenses", so when I had the money I figured why not  Next buy will definitely be the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 or Sigma 30mm f/1.4.



Nickyb said:


> Great shots with a great lens.... I almost bought that lens but didn't since my 35mm lives on my camera lol.... I've used it before and like you said, it's not an easy focal point to work with....
> I may just have to cave in and buy one although my next lens I plan on getting is the 16-85mm...


Thanks! I really like the 35mm for sure, and I think it would have been a better option to my 50mm. When I get the 35mm, the 50mm will probably be put away for a while. That way I'll have full body and portrait shots covered, and I can just step back/walk forward for everything in between. Or just crop LOL

The 85mm is really a great lens. Definitely lives up to its hype 

The Nikon 16-85mm would be a great walk around lens, really the perfect focal length for just about everything I take pictures of. I'll have to keep that lens in mind! For midrange zooms I meant to get the Tamron 17-50mm or 28-75mm f/2.8, but I'm not fond of the quality of some Tamrons. Which is why I decided to stick with primes for now... more affordable than a midrange fixed aperture zoom from Nikon. 



KZoppa said:


> Love the pictures!!!! I've been eyeing the 85mm for my Nikons as well. I adore my 55-300 lens. It's my primary use lens these days.


Thanks so much! I got to use a friend's Nikon 70-300mm at an IPO event last month and it was really neat. I loved being able to go all the way to 300mm, which was really useful for the event. At the moment, though, I don't take many event or wildlife pictures so I probably don't need it for now. 

That said, prime lenses are awesome! You should get the 85mm  Or a 35mm!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I'll probably land a 35mm before I pull off the 85. Just not in the budget right now, even used or refurbished unfortunately but it's on the wish list!!! 

My 55-300... I'm pretty proud of it. I have the 55-200 as well but I wanted some extra distance. Both are solid lenses so cant complain! I'd really like a prime lens though.


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

KZoppa said:


> I'll probably land a 35mm before I pull off the 85. Just not in the budget right now, even used or refurbished unfortunately but it's on the wish list!!!
> 
> My 55-300... I'm pretty proud of it. I have the 55-200 as well but I wanted some extra distance. Both are solid lenses so cant complain! I'd really like a prime lens though.


Yeah, for that same reason (cost), I originally planned to purchase the 35mm long before the 85mm. But with everyone showing off their photos from the 85mm, and then the extra bit of money I had... I just went for it! And I definitely don't regret it  Next lens will definitely be a 35mm, though. 

The extra distance you get with the 55-300mm is quite a big difference from the 55-200mm! I have a 55-200mm from Tamron (eh) but when I borrowed the 70-300mm, it was a huge improvement. Definitely nice having a telephoto that goes all the way to 300mm, it gives you a lot of great options!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Rei said:


> Yeah, for that same reason (cost), I originally planned to purchase the 35mm long before the 85mm. But with everyone showing off their photos from the 85mm, and then the extra bit of money I had... I just went for it! And I definitely don't regret it  Next lens will definitely be a 35mm, though.
> 
> The extra distance you get with the 55-300mm is quite a big difference from the 55-200mm! I have a 55-200mm from Tamron (eh) but when I borrowed the 70-300mm, it was a huge improvement. Definitely nice having a telephoto that goes all the way to 300mm, it gives you a lot of great options!


 
it really is a HUGE difference. I love it.


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## Typhoon (Aug 16, 2012)

Wow...

Let me add to the chorus that those are breathtaking.

I'm kind of curious how you shoot -- RAW? -- how you post process, and if you sharpened those any at all in the post processing.


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## Jaders (Jul 8, 2012)

Rei, 
Wow, these are just breathe taking !
Love the golden hours!!

I want your camera, lens, dog, landscape...everything!


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Typhoon said:


> Wow...
> 
> Let me add to the chorus that those are breathtaking.
> 
> I'm kind of curious how you shoot -- RAW? -- how you post process, and if you sharpened those any at all in the post processing.


Thank you so much! 

I shoot in both RAW and JPEG - not the most space efficient, but I have a 32 GB memory card, and sometimes I am too lazy to edit  For example, the majority of the last batch (golden hours/playing with light) are unedited JPEGs, although they have been resized via Photoshop. 

But yes, I usually just work with the RAW files and post process. I used to use Photoshop CS5/CS6 almost exclusively, but I've been making the transition to Lightroom and love it! Every edited picture in this thread was edited with Lightroom 4. 

In LR I usually do sharpen a little (although it's rarely necessary when I'm using my prime lenses); then I brighten the image a little (usually needed to compensate for a fast shutter speed), darken the blacks, tone down the highlights if I need to, and adjust the color balance and temperature. Sometimes I will raise the vibrance levels and take out a little of the saturation for a happier, more accurate medium. 

Next time I edit I'll see if I can take a screenshot of the side panel in LR! I've been meaning to do that for a while, just to share and get critiques on my post processing. Lightroom is still new to me so I really only play with the very basic options.



Jaders said:


> Rei,
> Wow, these are just breathe taking !
> Love the golden hours!!
> 
> I want your camera, lens, dog, landscape...everything!


Thank you so much! I'm really happy with how the golden hour pictures came out, and really appreciate the compliment!

Unfortunately, I'll have a little bit of trouble parting with all of those (camera, lens, dog, and landscape) LOL!! You'll just have to move here to Oregon, and I'll share the camera and landscape


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## TattooedJadey (Oct 30, 2013)

Beautiful shots, really captures your GSD well


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## kaylab123 (Oct 24, 2013)

These photos are so stunning! I especially love the photos taken later in the day as the sun was getting lower in the sky. And I've been really wanting a lens for my D300s that can capture our new GSD mix puppy, Odessa. So, it looks like I'll need to start saving some money for this lens!


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