Below you’ll find 10 great examples of just what this camera can achieve, as well as how the pictures were taken.

‘Sample 3′ by 600D

Our first example actually comes from Canon themselves, and it’s a great action shot. When wanting to freeze action such as this, a lot of photographers would shoot in Shutter-priority, but, in this case, the T3i / 600D was in Aperture-priority, as the photographer would have known that a lot of light and a large aperture (in this case f/4.5) would result in a fast shutter speed anyway (1/4000 sec). This is the kind of knowledge that comes from experience, so it’s well worth spending as much time with your camera as possible – taking photos is definitely the best way to learn.

‘Stinging Foul’ by LadyDragonFlyCC

I love the dramatic composition, including a bit of foreground interest in the photo as well as the birds in the distance. The photographer used the T3i’s ‘Action’ setting when taking this photo, which means the camera used a fast shutter speed of 1/1250 sec to capture the birds in flight. Using automatic exposure modes like ‘Action’ can be a good way to start to learn more about photography, and the T3i offers a few different automatic modes for various situations. Of course, as you increase in confidence, it’s great to be able to switch to a semi-automatic shooting mode (such as Aperture Priority) so you get more control, but shooting in Auto modes can be a good way to start – and you can capture fantastic images like this!

‘Sample 1′ by 600D

Another Canon sample, this shows that the T3i can take lovely portraits. This was shot in Aperture-Priority mode, with a wide aperture of f/1.8 – this meant that a very shallow depth of field was created, perfect for blurring the background of the photo, and making the subject’s eyes really stand out. Using a wide aperture and focusing on the eyes is a very common – and effective – technique for taking portraits.

‘Relationship’ by Lodderup

A great sense of drama is created in this photo, the wide angle (23 mm) resulting in both the attacker and the victim getting in the frame. A wide aperture of f/3.5 was used so that are eyes are first drawn to the sharp, in-focus attacker, and we then scan across to the blurred victim. When you create a photo that causes your viewers’ eyes to move around a lot, then you know you’re on to a winner!

‘Shadowed Arches’ by west.m

The tones and texture in this shot are fantastic, really suiting to the black and white treatment. The converging lines in the image draw the viewer’s eye down, through the shot – bringing our attention from the edges, right down to the figures at the end of the tunnel. To get such detail in both the light and dark areas of the photo, the photographer used the HDR technique of merging different exposures of the same scene. By the way, if you’re interested in HDR, Stuckincustoms is a great website to learn from.

‘Untitled’ by Dbl90

I love the atmosphere created in this concert photo; the backlight, and great rim lighting effect really make the shot stand out. Great composition, too, as the singer is not bang in the middle of the frame; instead he is just off to the side, which leads to a much more interesting shot. Gig photography is a tough thing, as you’re dealing with moving performers in really lowlight conditions, and – most of the time – you’re not allowed to use flash. This photographer used a high ISO of 1600 so the Canon T3i / 600D was more sensitive to light, and thus could achieve a quick-enough shutter speed of 1/250 sec to get this sharp shot. A long focal length of 163 mm was used to get close to the action, and fill the frame with the performer. If you’re interested in gig photography, I did a tutorial over here.

‘ゆいーちゃんとつむぎーちゃん。。。けいおん by kndynt2099

This is a really great example of the background blur that can be created by using a long focal length (in this case, 100 mm) and a wide aperture (f/3.5). See how sharp the figures are, but how well the background is an out-of-focus mush? And that’s ‘mush’ in a good sense, for sure! I did a guide on how to get blurred backgrounds in your photos which you may be interested in, too.

‘IMG_1284.jpg’ by hamilton.bret

A great example of where a photographer’s creativity can make a normal situation – in this case a gig photograph – turn into ‘something different’. By purposely under-exposing the couple, and thus creating a lovely silhoutte, the photographer has added intrigue, drama and possibly even a hint of romance! Taking ‘different’ shots like this, and making your own vision of a scene, is one of the most exciting things about photography in my opinion.

‘Eddy’s serious ball’ by shannonkringen

Regular readers of LearningTheLight.com may know that I have a bit of a soft spot for dogs, so I just had to include at least one canine photo in this post! I really like composition of this shot; the way the dog’s eyes are positioned towards the right of the frame, giving room in the frame for us to follow his gaze to the left. The photographer got down low, too, to get a nice almost-eye-level shot – which can be a lot more interesting than the normal ‘top-down’ viewpoint we see of dogs in everyday life.

‘Protector of Ewe’ by LadyDragonflyCC

I’m going to finish this T3i gallery with a brilliant photo of a Llama, especially for all you Lllama-lovers out there! OK, perhaps Llamas don’t have as many fans as dogs or cats, but, as the shot above demonstrates, they can be lovely-looking creatures. By taking this photo with the sun behind the Llama, the photographer has managed to capture a great ‘rim’ light, so the subject almost seems to be glowing. I love it!

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 (photo by pete92009 on Flickr)

As my kit lens already went up to 55mm, the 55 – 250 seemed the perfect counterpart – meaning that with both lenses, I could cover a range of 18  – 250, which is a fantastic range! The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 is also very good value for such a long telephoto zoom, at around $220 / £150 (you can buy it at Amazon US and UK).

There are lots of reviews of this lens on the ‘net, many going into extraordinarily specific and detailed technical analysis – my review will instead focus (pun intended!) on my ‘real world’ usage of the lens, and will show you some sample photos I’ve taken with the lens. So, without further ado, let’s start, shall we?

My First Day With The Lens

The photo of the robin, below, was taken on the first day I got my 55 – 250:

ISO 500, 1/250 sec, f/5.6

Needless to say, I was impressed with my new lens right away – see the detail of the bird’s feathers, the sharpness of its feet, and the lovely background blur too. Being able to get such a close-up, detailed shot of the robin, without having to be actually standing right next to it (I was a good few metres away when I took this), is fantastic – if I’d got physically nearer, then I would have frightened it away, so my 18 – 55 kit lens would not have been able to take this shot at all.

By shooting ‘racked out’ (which means using the lens at its longest zoom length – in this case 250mm), not only did I manage to capture a detailed close-up, but it also helped to produce that extensively blurred background that looks so good. Using longer focal lengths like this is one way of achieving such a background blur – if you’re interested, you can find out other ways of how to blur the background of your photos in the seperate tutorial I did.

Carry on to part 2: It’s great for wildlife and candid photography —>

By Brian Hathcock

I love the fantastically-sharp focus on the eyes in this pic, and the shallow depth of field, making everything but the head blurry (by using a wide aperture of f/2.5). Taken with a Nikon D70

By -=RoBeE=-

I love the low viewpoint, and this little cutie is caught mid-run by using a fast shutter speed of 1/4000 sec. The background is also nicely blurred, keeping our focus on the dog, by using a wide aperture of f/2.8 and a long focal length of 150mm. Taken with a Canon 40D. A lovely shot indeed!

By Krisdecurtis

Beautiful soft light, gorgeous catch-lights in the eyes – and the full frame filled with that beautiful face. A great doggie portrait.

By wYnand!

We get a totally different perspective with the use of a 10.5mm fisheye lens – those paws look huge! An aperture of f/8 keeps all of the dog in focus – and what a gorgeous dog it is! Shot with a Nikon D70

By Xanboozled

Just the most amazing expression caught on this dog’s face, I love it! Keeping the camera down low so it’s on the same level as the dogs, and a quick shutter speed to catch those chomping jaws – brilliant shot!

By J. Star

Perhaps the best dog jump ever! A wide 10mm lens makes sure we see lots of the lovely surroundings, and fast shutter speed of 1/500 sec freezes that joyous jump! Taken with a Nikon D50.

By Rodrigo Basaure

A combination of a night scene, street photography and a beautiful dog – you know you’re on to a winner with that combination! I love the light, low viewpoint, and – of course – that playful dog!

By ~Darin~

What sharp focus on the eyes! A great contrast of light and dark, and the 55mm focal length getting in nice and close to this gorgeous dog. Taken with the Canon Rebel XT

By Mommamia

This photo was taken with a Canon Powershot A610 compact camera – just shows you that you don’t need an expensive DSLR to take an awesome photograph! Again, getting down low so the camera’s on eye level with the subject, and good focus on those lovely eyes – great shot.

By Leo-Avalon

The billowing fur, caught beautifully mid-run, coming towards camera…it’s almost a doggy Baywatch shot! Absolutely gorgeous. A fast shutter speed of 1/2000 sec was used to freeze the action, and a long focal length of 150mm means we get in tight. It’s also a good example of breaking the ‘rule of thirds’ to good effect – the dog right in the center of the shot brings a lovely symmetry to the whole scene. Taken with a Nikon D70

By It’sGreg

What fantastic light – creating a great sense of depth and emotion in this photo. The black and white adds to the almost melencholy mood as well – a lovely shot.

By The Pack

The best dog silhouette photo ever! The technical photo aspects aren’t available, but they’re not needed  – this photo works purely because of the fantastic use of light and composition. Brilliant.

By Vaughan

Another example of a compact camera taking a beautiful shot – this time a Canon Powershot S230. I think the key to the success of this shot is the ultra-low perspective – it’s just such a different viewpoint to the norm, as we normally look down on dogs, rather than from underneath! It’s also beautifully composed within the ‘rule of thirds’, and has an overall lovely light feel to it. Gorgeous.

By 27147

A truly beautiful shot! The shallow depth-of-field is obtained by using a wide aperture of f/1.2, meaning our eyes are drawn to the sharp dog and its reflection. Great textures and composition, too. Shot with a Canon 1DS Mark III.

By Randihausken

By using a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/30 sec, this shot has so much suggested motion! If a really quick shutter speed of around 1/1000 sec had been used, then we wouldn’t have the blurry motion at all, and the photo would therefore be a totally different shot. The black and white keeps us focused on the action, and there is ‘room’ in the shot for the water to fly into. A great photograph – taken with a Sony A100

Thanks for reading, and follow me on twitter if you like!

By Michael "Mike" L. Baird

This is a lovely shot, and a worthy first in what will become Learning The Light’s ‘I Wish I’d Taken This Photo‘ section.

What Makes This A Great Photo?

• Great freezing of the action. Mike used a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second to make sure this cute dog was frozen ‘mid run’.
• The reflection. In my opinion including the reflection adds more depth and interest to the shot.
• Giving the dog ‘room to run’. Mike has composed the photo so that the dog has space to ‘run into’ – it’s always a good idea to leave space for a moving subject to head towards, otherwise they can look boxed in, and thus feel uncomfortable to look at.

I sure wish I’d taken this shot!

(Image courtesy of Michael “Mike” L. Baird, flickr.bairdphotos.com)