Super telephoto-lenses are synonymous with sports and wildlife photography, and for very good reason. When you can't be right there in the thick of the action, they allow you to get optically closer. But a super-telephoto lens is NOT the be all and end all, and are often misunderstood or not utilised to the best. Here are some of the misconceptions I have encountered around super-telephoto lenses.

It is tough deciding what to bring and what to leave on a shoot. this is how I do it!

How I hacked my tripod to make it better (for me).

Battery grips make your camera bigger and heavier, but they also always make their way into my kit. Want to know why I like them? Maybe you will too!

For wildlife photography, I have always used Aperture priority mode (Av) with Evaluated metering. But is there an alternative, better way?

Buying a camera and lens for wildlife photography can be extremely expensive. Here are my suggestions to fit your budget!

Images too noisy at high ISO? Not happy with the images you make at high ISO? Read this! Part One of my two part series on how to get better images at high ISO.

"Prepare to be spontaneous" is probably the most appropriate piece of advice you can give any budding photographer. But what does it mean? And how do I get prepared?

Nik software image processing suit (google) is now FREE! No brainer really, even if you don't like it, you might as well try it. :)

The point of having a interchangeable lens camera is the ability to adapt it to the exact situation you. Your camera can be a portrait beast, a wildlife monster or a street chameleon, just by changing the lenses. Previously I have talked about my wildlife kit, but here I am going to go through my choice for travel!

"Should i buy a tripod/monopod/batterygrip/filter/blar blar balr?" or words to that affect is one of the most common questions I am asked. I don't mind people asking it as it is an important question. It is easy to get dragged into GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), turning your photography hobby into a collection of all the photo-related paraphernalia you can get your hands on. At this point I will take my turn, stand up and say "Hi, my name's John, and I have GAS". I am a sucker for all camera related items/gadgets/accessories (just ask my wife), but it does not improve my photography (or my bank balance). So, to this end I've been researching what key bits of gear I consider essential, and what aren't, and I came to an interesting conclusion! We really need very little!

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