It's autumn. Really and truly. The leaves have partly dropped, the black walnuts are rotting on the trails, the rain is a mix of sleet and hail, and there is a frost when we wake up. The colors were muted today. We walked up a gravel road, up a hill because the air is crisp enough to feel wonderful filling the lungs. Erin stopped up ahead. I saw the shot. I told her to sit and stay.

This photo reminds me why I love this lens (The Nikon 70-200 f2.8). I can be a distance from my subject, focus in on her and she'll remain sharp as can be. And with the f-stop opened wide (2.8), the background and the foreground blur out. I like the road and the trees out of focus, emphasizing my subject.

On the Gravel Road, f2.8, ISO640 1/320 sec, 70-200 lens at 190mm

Yet, the following two photos are essentially the same, but with a different f-stop (and a slightly different zoom).  The change in aperture dramatically impacts the photo's appeal. Neither are what one might call "keepers" but they do show what a slight change in aperture does to a photo...

ISO 640, 1/1000 sec, 70-200 lens at 78 mm f2.8

ISO 640, 1/1000 sec, 70-200 lens at 70 mm f3.5