Tree Climber

You probably know by now that my go-to gear setup for taking Weekly Fifty photos is a Nikon D750 and 105mm macro lens. After acquiring, and then extensively using, a small but not-too-shabby collection of camera gear over the years it is this combination that I keep returning to because it just does such a phenomenal job in almost every photographic situation in which I find myself. I haven’t done an official inventory, but I would guess that about 90% of the photos I have shared on Weekly Fifty this year (and probably last year) were taken with this camera/lens combination. However, and you probably could tell that this was coming, there are some situations where it just isn’t all that great. The most obvious is, of course, any time that a true telephoto lens would just get better results–particularly when it comes to nature and wildlife. Even simple shots of a squirrel, like you see here, are much easier with a zoom lens or telephoto prime with a focal length of at least 200mm.

And yet, that’s not to say these kinds of photos are impossible with other lenses such as a 105mm. They just require a bit more patience, practice, and to be honest, luck. I often have my camera in hand as I circumnavigate the OSU Theta Pond, but unless I also have my 70-200mm zoom lens it’s just not that easy to get pictures of the squirrels, geese, and other animals hanging around the are. And because that lens is heavy and cumbersome, well, it usually gets left at home in favor of the 105mm or even the classic 50mm lens that started it all. What can I say? It’s the reality of the situation. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll get the 150-600mm Sigma lens I’ve kind of, sort of, had my eye on for a few years. Until then, though, patience is the name of the game and that’s what we’ve got here with this squirrel picture.

I saw this rascally little rodent circling one of the cypress trees near the pond and even though I just had my usual camera/lens combination, I thought I would make a go of it and see if I could get a good, or even halfway decent, shot. Taking photos of squirrels with a 105mm lens is tricky, but not impossible, and sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of a challenge. It mostly meant moving slowly, waiting, moving a bit more, waiting some more…you get the idea. Eventually he held still long enough for me to fire off just a couple of clicks of the shutter, and honestly, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I like that the squirrel’s pose is more interesting than if he were just sitting there minding his own business. It’s like we’re engaged in a bit of a face-off, him wondering what I’m up to and me just hoping he holds on for just a few more seconds while I take his photo. Thankfully, he did :)

I shot this at f/5.6 to keep the depth of field under control, 1/180 second to minimize motion blur, and ISO 400 because that’s what my camera decided to use in Auto-ISO. If you zoom in super close you might find a few things to nit-pick, but overall I think it turned out just fine. I haven’t taken a photo like this in a good long while, and who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll bring the ol’ zoom lens, leave the 105mm at home, and see what else I might be able to get.

Finally, as this image just happens to be posted on December 25, and is also the last one of the year, allow me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy, blessed, and joy-filled new year. Thank you for being part of Weekly Fifty, and here’s to a 2026 full of photographic possibilities 📸