[aaronmishagus]

That lens and camera pair should serve you well. I enjoy my 18-135, it's compact, has good resolution and the motorized focus is a pleasure to use.

Suggestions.
Point of View. Don't just take images from human eye level. If you're photographing dogs or children, take a knee and get to their level. Try very low level when outdoors looking at wildlife, and try getting some elevation for landscapes, or find that opening in the brush down low and shoot through that. Give the viewer an unusual aspect on a familiar sight.

Points of interest - tell a story. Get some foreground and background details and take photos of both focus points - then see what you think later. You may find the close subject with the background out of focus compelling, or vice-versa.

Sounds like some good advice. Thanks. I'll give it a try. I've used the 18 - 135 a few times now and I'm getting a bit more comfortable with it. It should be a good tool for my level of expertise for a long time.

---------- Post added 01-27-20 at 02:43 PM ----------

Welcome to the forum and hobby! Being in sw Florida gives you a tremendous number of outdoor parks and preserves to shoot in .. The 135mm though not usually ideal for wildlife can give you some very decent shots still of birds and gators, .. check out JN Ding Darling Wild life refuge.. its a car driven loop and of many I have been on its probably one of the best for photo ops close to the road.

Hit up Myakka River state park and fakahatchie strand as well as big cypress board walk, and corkscrew swamp ..These are all great places for wildlife viewing close up.. and theres plenty of great scenery and plants as well.

AL

Thanks for the travel tips. I know about Corkscrew Swamp. I'll look up the others.