Squirrel posing like a pro

Last weekend, I took three pictures of a squirrel that I absolutely love. To me, the lighting and composition were perfect, and the squirrel was posing like a pro.

 

From Last Weekend

 A short Video from last weekend hiking. 

This weekend

Here are my picks for this weekend.

This red-shouldered hawk made me walk a lot just to get a few pictures. It seems to be a juvenile—very shy and constantly calling for its mother. Or at least, that was my impression.

I took the opportunity to shot few pictures to create a huge panorama. Here is the result.

This is a 10271x7009 resolution picture. That's a 72 megapixels picture coming from a 24 megapixel camera!

My special mention for this weekend:

Brenizer Method

I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I sometimes create panoramas using my zoom lenses. These aren’t your typical wide landscape panoramas—they can be images of a subject, like a tree, that simply doesn’t fit within the frame provided by the zoom lens. Here’s an example of one of my photos created using this technique.

The Brenizer Method, also known as a "Bokeh Panorama" or "Bokeh Pano", is a photographic technique that combines panoramic stitching with wide apertures to create portraits with an extremely shallow depth of field. This method, popularized by Ryan Brenizer, allows photographers to achieve a look similar to that of larger format film cameras using digital cameras. 

Here is a video explaining this method very well. 

 

Is using AI cheating?

Here’s a very interesting debate: Using AI make the work of wedding photographers easier. Where they once had to manually edit hundreds of photos, AI can now learn their editing style and apply it across all the images automatically. But is that cheating?

I don’t think so. AI is just another tool designed to make your life easier, and that doesn’t mean your final work should be cheaper. Pricing isn’t determined only by the tools you use, but by the demand and the quality of the final product, within other facts. 

Three New Sigma Zoom Lenses

According to a report published by The Phoblographer, Sigma has filed patents for three new zoom lenses: a 300–600mm f/4, a 400–800mm f/8, and a 180–800mm f/5.8–8.4.

The 300–600mm and 400–800mm ranges aren't ones I’d consider for myself, as they seem to be aimed at photographers who need long reach without the need to also capture subjects that are much closer. The 180–800mm is more appealing for that reason—it offers more flexibility.

The bad news is that there’s no mention of Canon RF mount versions. It appears these lenses are primarily being designed for the Sony ecosystem. 

The first Canon mirrorless camera using the RF mount was released in September 2018, and here we are in 2025—with still no widely available third-party lenses for the system, despite ongoing rumors of a possible release from Sigma. This pushes Canon users to buy EF-mount lenses and adapt them to the RF mount, as it remains the only viable option for purchasing lenses that are more affordable than the newer RF lenses.

Is this Canon’s marketing strategy the right one? Apparently, yes—because it hasn’t changed since 2018.

Photographer shot by a sponge bullet

While checking the news, I came across two incidents where a photographer and a journalist were struck by sponge bullets. Covering a protest isn’t as safe as many might think—especially when the protest turns violent. Here are my recommendations for those willing to take the risk:

- Avoid getting trapped between protesters and law enforcement.
- Always be aware of escape routes.
- Constantly scan your surroundings.
- Don’t run unless necessary: Running can draw attention or cause injury in a chaotic crowd.

Nick Stern saw blood pouring down his leg after being shot by a non-lethal round (AP)