This is a lot different than my normal Tamron Tuesday post, because I'm sharing a few of my own images. It's important to clarify one key point - although I know more than I often let on, I do not make a living as a professional photographer. My passion is helping you guys with your marketing and raising the bar on your business. However, I'll match my love for imaging with anybody. 

Last Saturday I had a chance to take Tamron's 14-150 mm lens for micro four thirds systems out for a test drive, starting at a very small car show in the area at the Venice Friendship Centers' Campus. If you've followed my posts, then you know I'm having a blast with Panasonic's LUMIX line of mirrorless cameras.

This isn't meant to be a scientific lens analysis, just me having fun on a Saturday afternoon playing with the lens and some of the in-camera creative presets of the GH3. One of the things I love most about car shows is the detail that's gone into the engines. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much at this year's show, but luckily there was a Corvette with an engine so clean you could eat off of it!

I had some fun just playing with presets that are still set up with the factory defaults, but the fun of the GH3 is being able to modify them to fit your own personal tastes. The first shot is just a clean jpeg with no adjustment. The second is what's called "Impressive Art" and finally "Expressive" which boosts the saturation. Had I been posting "live" and had the camera set up with wi-fi, the in-camera manipulation would have allowed me to play with an image and send it right to the Internet.

The bottom line for this post though, is simply Tamron's making great optics, expanding the availability of creative tools for micro four thirds cameras. Put their quality together with the GH3's creativity and you've got a terrific combination!

Then, just to get a feel for the coverage of the zoom, I headed over to one of the small ponds near our house. No tripod, just hand held to show the range.
 

And with that you've got my totally unscientific "test" - but the conclusion is still valid...Tamron's making some great glass! Nothing mathematical, no MTF curves, just a hacker with a camera having some fun.

It's Tamron Tuesday and time to get back to profiles of  Tamron's Image Masters.  

I can't think of a better topic than macro photography and an introduction to Monica Royal. She's based in San Diego and has truly created a niche with fine art macro. Her images are stunning and you'll find her images in permanent collections in the US, Canada and Guam.

On Tamron's Image Masters page she's described as...

Canadian born artist Monica Royal is a published, award winning professional macro photographer obsessed with details.  She brings an infectious sense of excitement to the world of all things teeny tiny.  As a speaker and teacher, Monica wants to give the secrets of the macro world away. She wants to show people how to see differently.   Some of her best selling fine art pieces are of things that you have seen everyday but just haven’t looked at the right way. 

However, I love what she wrote in her "About" piece on her own site even more...

I am fortunate enough to be living my dream. A career in fine art photography allows me to listen and be heard at the same time. I "listen" to the subjects I photograph and then I feel like it allows me to convey something and be "heard" by the viewer.
 
I always have a hard time selecting images for a spotlight post of a Tamron Image Master, but Monica is especially tough. Monica's images aren't just about turning photography into art, but about her passion for so many things we all miss. She's turning every day moments into extraordinary pieces of art! You'll see what I mean as you look at her images. While her passion is obviously macro, she's got some stunning nature pieces. So, I'm not sure there's anything Monica can't shoot and turn into art.

Monica needs to be on your radar.  You'll find her on Facebook, Twitter and definitely take a stroll through her galleries. Also, check out her workshop schedule and pay attention to where she's speaking next.
 

Monica's Tamron Gear Box

SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC (model A007)
SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (model F004)

Usually Tamron Tuesday features a profile of one of Tamron's Image Masters, but they're producing so much great glass, it just seems like a good choice to feature a product this morning!

Plus, Tamron is doing so much to help you raise the bar on your images. This month they're kicking off their legendary Tailgate Tour for 2015. Click on the banner below and meet some of the most talented artists in the industry today. 

The video below might be an infomercial, but it's got great content!  What I love about the way Tamron does these videos is the amount of helpful information they include along the way.  Make it a point to catch up to the Tamron team during this year's Tailgate Tour and while you're there, take a look at the 150-600 mm, along with the rest of their outstanding line!