DPReview community member DianeMiller (Diane D. Miller) is an active participant in our wider community and a talented self-taught photographer. Although she earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and pursued a career in science, she always had a love of photography.

Her life took a different turn early on, though, after meeting her future husband, a pilot and adventurer. For their honeymoon, the couple flew around the world in a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza – the first around-the-world flight not intended to set a record.

After years spent on aviation adventures and raising two daughters, Diane returned to working on her photography. Today, she is rooted primarily in nature, from studies close to home to expansive and beautiful landscapes and stills of the quiet night skies.

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Meet DianeMiller (Diane D. Miller)

Home base: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Favorite camera and lens: Canon R5 with the Canon RF 100-500mm – her favorite for its remarkable, handholdable reach.
Typical photo scenes: Nature close to home, birds, flowers, landscapes, and, increasingly, astrophotography including the Milky Way, deep-sky objects and celestial events.

“I’ve been playing with cameras since I was 10 or younger. I love being able to capture things I see and things beyond what I can see,” she says.

Diane describes herself as a self-taught photographer who prefers to work alone or with a very small group of like-minded people. While she has traveled around the globe, she has found deep satisfaction in exploring familiar places, discovering beauty in nearby wetlands and in mystical views of the night sky.

Over the last decade or so, she has become much more serious about astrophotography, building a deep-sky setup while also experimenting with wide-angle Milky Way scenes. Recently, she developed a method of using astrophotography software to overcome limitations of shooting with regular cameras – a tutorial she is publishing on her website.

M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, shot with my astro rig. Photo: DianeMiller

What’s in Diane’s bag

• Primary camera: Canon R5
• Main lenses: Canon RF 100-500mm (favorite), Canon RF 70-200mm F4, Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8 (with EF–EOS R adapter), Canon 100mm F2.8 IS Macro, Sigma 28mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, Rokinon SP 14mm F2.4
• Teleconverters: Canon 1.4x and 2x extenders (the 2x is almost always mounted on the 100-500mm for small, distant subjects)
• Tripods: Two RRS tripods – a larger setup with a Gitzo fluid-damped gimbal head and a lightweight hiking setup with a FlexShooter Pro head
• Macro and lighting: Macro light, low-level light, Canon flash gear (as needed), Canon TC-80N3 intervalometer for focus stacking, CP and ND filters
• Astrophotography rig: Askar FRA400 72mm quintuplet APO astrograph telescope, Sky-Watcher EQM-35 EQ Pro GoTo mount with tripod, ZWO ASIAIR Plus controller, ZWO 30mm F4 mini-guidescope, ZWO ASI 120mm mini monochrome guide camera, and ZWO EAF electronic autofocuser
• Bag: A well-worn LowePro backpack (model long discontinued)

DianeMiler’s camera bag. Photo: DianeMiller

What other gear makes a difference?

“For my birding expeditions, I find the Spider hip belt holster and Olympus EE-1 dot sight for fast aiming at extreme focal lengths especially useful,” she says.

Diane admits that her bag is usually packed to capacity. “Maybe I’m too ‘focused’ on photography and I can barely lift the bag as configured for most shoots, so not much else goes along except water.”

Recently fledged Western Bluebird. Canon EOS R5 | 726mm | F13 Photo: DianeMiller

How do you adapt your setup to outdoor challenges?

Diane frequently repacks and reconfigures her bag depending on whether she is heading out to capture birds, flowers, macro shots or landscapes. For wildlife, the long lens and teleconverters dominate. For flowers and insects, macro tools and specialized lighting take priority. For landscapes and night skies, wide-angle lenses or her full astrophotography rig come along.

“It depends on the season and on what I am doing,” she says. “If I travel alone like an explorer, I reduce everything to the minimum. If I have to photograph an organized event and stay in one place for three or four hours, I bring what makes the wait comfortable.”

“My strength is that I always have the right focal length ready. The cameras are set in manual mode, usually with the aperture wide open. If necessary, I close it, but I like to isolate the subject and react quickly.”

Laguna de Santa Rosa on a foggy morning. Canon EOS 5D Mark III | 170mm | F10 | 1/320 sec | ISO 200 Photo: DianeMiller

Diane’s advice for other photographers

Diane’s philosophy is simple and ongoing: “The paint never dries.” She embraces photography as a lifelong process of refinement, curiosity and discovery. She also jokes that she loves her “dimroom, Lightroom and Photoshop!” where the creative process continues after the shutter is pressed.

If you’d like to share your photography setup, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and photography strategies. You could be featured next!

Editor’s note: This article continues a series, ‘What’s in your bag?’, highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you’re selected for a feature, we’ll be in touch with next steps.

Submit your story to be featured in ‘What’s in your bag?’

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