Hello - I'm looking to purchase a new lens but am overwhelmed by all of the choices out there.  I do studio work (portraits) as well as on-location work (outdoors - families, couples & children).  I use a Canon EOS 20D and have been using the kit lens ever since I purchased the camera 3 years ago.  Time for an upgrade!!  One thing I'd like to know is how to get great quality outdoor photos since this is something I'm not very experienced with.  I'm okay with the studio side of things, but I want to improve the look of my outdoor shots.  I don't know if a lens alone will do this, or if I just need to play with the settings on my camera a little more to find the right ones.  I will be the first to admit I'm not the most technical of photographers, but I'm creative!  :)   My outdoor shots appear a little flat... I'd like a lens that will allow me to have a more out of focus background while the subject is in focus, so the images really pop!

 Any advice would be greatly appreciated... thanks!!!

Jennifer

www.jsphotocreations.com

A great lens for you would be a canon 24-105 is L series. It has a 4.0 fstop so you can get good shallow depth of field. It is also great glass and will give you crisp photos. To set acheive your settings on the fly which you sometimes have to do out doors you can set the camera at f4 and find something close to middle gray to take a reading off of like clothing or the forehead if you can get close enough. Then set your lens between 70-100mm to make it not look so flat. Its also handy to have a flash with a diffuser for fill.  Or you could do the same settings with your kit lens but it will not be as sharp you should always use real glass as often as you can. Hope that helps! And dont forget a UV filter!

Any advice for studio shots as far as what equipment to buy and what settings to use?

What's the purpose of the UV filter?

The UV filter reduces glare but does not alter the look of the photos. It is mainly to protect your lens.  If you ar walking in the woods and a stick hits the end of the lens it will be the $30 filter that gets damaged and not your $1000 lens!  Its just cheap insurance that you can leave on at all times.

Most of the time, a filter will increase glare.  Some say that the UV filter reduces haze in landscape shots, and I don't know how true it is, but the primary use is lens protection.

Thanks for the advice!

As far as studio shooting... currently, I just use two softboxes, sometimes an overhead hairlight, and my camera settings vary depending on the backdrop.  If I'm using my default white photographic vinyl backdrop, I usually set my camera to ISO100, 160 shutter speed and F6.3   Seems to work for me at least!