I like to shoot outdoors and with a long lens. I've used a 600mm to shoot models that I had for surfing photography and my dream lens is a 300 2.8 but the price keeps it out of my hands. Right now I'm using Canon's 70 - 200 2.8
I shoot pretty fast and like to change my angle to get a variety of shots so I rarely use a tripod. The main reason to use a long, fast lens is to blur out the background with a very shallow depth of field. I've always liked this technique and it really makes for an interesting image. The object is to create a background that both enhances and compliments the subject.
Here are three examples. The first one I used the rail to lead the eye to the model and the dark background helps the backlite model stand out. The second one is at the beach and the background lets you know where she's at but doesn't distract you from the model. The third one is of the model dressed in camo in a field. Without the blurred background and the backlight the model would be lost in the setting but with the shallow dept of field the model stands out and is complimented by her surroundings.
