CANON 50mm f/1.2 L USM LENS REVIEW

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.


Do you want to get some intense shallow depth of field? Well, there are many ways of doing this, but if you have the cash one fine way is via a full frame camera like the Canon 5D MkII matched with the 50mm f/1.2 lens. I took this photo at our annual San Miguel de Allende Photo and DSLR Filmmaking Workshops last year. This is a straight photo with no photoshop retouching. As you can see, the photo has a very thin slice of focus:

I have used this lens quite a bit since its release, and have found that the images taken at f/1.2 have a soft-ish glow to them, which can either be good or bad depending on your subject matter. From the perspective of a commercial photographer, it is unlikely that they would be utilizing such an f-stop very often. Fashion photographers may enjoy the radical depth-of-field options, but they would not rely on f/1.2 for every shot. DSLR filmmakers tend to play around at f/2.8 to f/5.6 due to moving subjects. So, who could make regular use of this lens when used wide-open (lowest f number)? I think nature, wedding, film & theatre, and street photographers. 

Nature Photography: While you have limited ability to get really close to the subject matter, using a full frame DSLR photographing flowers will result in some pretty cool shots. Here are some more photos that I took in the same cactus garden:

These nature photos are for sale as fine art prints for your wall by clicking here

Street photographers and wedding photographers share a similar skill set; catch the moment in  a split second because if you miss it, it will never happen again. I am not saying that this lens is greater than average regards focusing speed, rather the ability to shoot in darker environments at f/1.2 allows for a greater chance of "getting the shot". Further, if a wedding photographer wants to mix flash with ambient light, shooting at f/1.2 will allow for a sharper image due to a faster shutter speed.

The Canon 1DX sports an incredible maximum ISO of just over 200,000! To put that into perspective, when I used to buy film I would rarely go above ISO 800 except for artistic applications. The Canon 50mm f/1.2 mixed with the 1DX camera body would be able to see in the dark.

On-set stills photographers need fast lenses as shutter speeds are required to be in the range of 1/45 of a second, at ISO 800 or so. When I worked in the movie industry I was always frustrated that I had to jack up my ISO just to get a shot that wasn't blurry (due to the actors moving around). A fast lens on a newer DSLR with usable high ISO abilities would suit stills photographers well.

Finally, you pay a high premium for f/1.2! If you can get by with f/1.8 you can save a ton of money, and still get amazingly sharp images.

Feel free to leave a comment about your experiences with this lens, or any other thing that comes to mind! To hire Mark as a photographer or filmmaker, visit his production company website at www.hemmingshouse.com

PLASTER WALLS!

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

If you come across old peeling and mottled plaster walls, you are in the right place! Take pictures of the wall, and save the images in a folder called "textures". Use these textures in Photoshop as layer style backgrounds. Here is an example:

The wine was photographed on a plain white background. The plaster wall was added next on an additional layer. When the plaster layer goes over the wine photo, simply erase the area above the wine so the bottle can be revealed.

This is a rough explanation of the process, but it will get you started!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

SERENDIPITOUS ACCIDENTS

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

I was shooting interiors for a nice cafe called Magnolia in my home town, and just as I took a picture through a window a customer walked into the frame. I was slightly annoyed at first, and just about pressed the delete button, but realized that it could actually work as a viable image:



It is wise to keep images in the camera until you have had plenty of time to judge the photo's worth when back at the computer.


Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com
Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

INDUSTRIAL TIME LAPSES

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

In late fall we finished a very cool project where we were hired to do a time-lapse of a Potash Mining tower being constructed. While this blog post may not be of interest to many of you, the great thing about films like this is that it is within every photographer's grasp. The entire production was done on a Nikon D300 and Nikon D90, both cameras being prosumer models, and not too expensive:




As our company grows, we continually desire to stretch our creativity by pushing inexpensive (but good) equipment to the limit. While this philosophy will have its detractors, the bottom line is that so far we have received very favorable responses from our clients. Their desire is quality at a low price, ours is quality with as much profit as possible. This is often accomplished by the balancing act of reducing expenses as much as possible without sacrificing on the technical and aesthetic side. Essentially, if you can do the job with the camera that you have, instead of buying the newest and coolest, save that money and reinvest it into your company. Eventually you will need to upgrade, and at that time you will have the savings to do so.



Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com
Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

PHOTOGRAPHING THE SUN

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

I took this photo last week while walking through the woods. In this day of digital manipulation, I have witnesses to attest that this is exactly what we saw in the sky! It was a magnificent "sundog", a ring around the sun that happens on rare occasions.

When photographing the sun, for any reason, here are a few tips:

1. Manually focus your lens to infinity. The brightness of the sun may confuse your autofocus sensors.

2. Set your exposure to Aperture Priority, and underexpose the photo by using your Exposure Compensation +/- dial. The camera's exposure computer will automatically underexpose the photo anyway, as a result of the incredibly bright sun. However, for more dramatic effect, you can use your exposure compensation to varying degrees.

3. Do not look at the sun through your camera viewfinder, as this can cause eye damage. Wear sunglasses, compose and shoot quickly.

4. You can experiment with different white balance settings (for digital) or colored filters (for film). Each change in color temperature offers a different emotion for the viewer.

5. Caution: I have experienced first-hand certain digital SLR's that have a very difficult time handling the extreme brightness of direct sunlight. If the resulting photo looks extremely off, without smooth tonal gradations, it may be best not to submit your camera's sensor to such abuse.

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Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com

Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com