Full-frame vs. APS-C Lenses

I just finished reading "Test Full-frame vs. APS-C Lenses" by Thomas Hoffmann and Sophia Sieber in the Winter issue of c't Digital Photography. They did a thorough test of three different lenses for 3 different Cameras. The three lenses chosen for each of the three cameras were 1. An APS-C Lens made by the Camera Manufacturer, 2. A Full-frame lens made by the Camera Manufacturer and 3. A Third Party Full-frame lens. The three camera tested were the Canon, Nikon and Sony. You should get a copy of the magazine and read the entire article.

To summarize their findings, I am going to use two statements from the article: "Some of our findings were quite surprising." and "At the end of the day, there are no real arguments for using full-frame lenses with an APS-C camera."
Enjoy the article...

Everybody Street Film

Just finished watching "Everybody Street", it goes well with Chris Weeks series "The Human Condition". The film and language is 'frank', not for the easily offended. A must see for street photographers capturing the human condition. http://everybodystreet.com/

In Photography circles you always hear about the Golden Hour, just before sunrise and just before sunset, this is the best light for making images. Here is a quote from photographer Anne McKinnell, "An image should be made when the scene is most dramatic regardless of the time of day". She learned this shooting California Sand Dunes one afternoon. You can find her story here

Five Things I Learned by Photographing in the Afternooon

Carlsbad Flower Fields With Canon

Our recent outing with Temescal Valley Photo Club Meetup
(http://www.meetup.com/Temescal-Valley-Photo-Club) was to Carlsbad Flower Fields. Besides the beautiful flowers in bloom, Canon was on site sharing some of their knowledge of photographing flowers and allowing you to borrow some of their equipment, bodies and lens.

Barbara Ellison (www.barbarajellison.com) from Canon gave a brief presentation on photographing flowers from her own experience. After the presentation I went out and tried to apply the techniques while testing my skills in capturing images at high noon on a bright clear sunny day (the worst light for a photographer). Here are the first 10 items from my notes; with my photographic attempt to capture the technique: (all errors in photographic techniques are my errors in note taking)

1. Give the flower in your image a place to look.
2. Use negative space (for writing and it give the flower a place to look).

Somewhere To Look
Canon 60D, EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM, 1/8000 at f2.8

Looking To The Sky
Canon 60D, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, 1/250 at f8.0, Fill Flash, with a Circular Polarizer Filter

3. Curves give a sense of movement.

Slithering Around
Canon 60D, EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, 1/160 at f11

 In the photo above the curve of the plant gave me a sense of the plant slithering around the pole.

4. A ring flash will give you even lighting.
(note: I did not have a ring flash to get a photo using a ring flash)

5. Back light the flower; you can use a flash, a flash light or the sun.

A Purple Curtain
Canon 60D, EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, 1/640 at f11

6. Under expose the ambient light and use a flash. This will bring out the detail in the sky, such as clouds or a deep blue. Or it can create a black background.

As Big As The Sun
Canon 60D, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, 1/250 at f11, Fill Flash, with a Circular Polarizer Filter

In Mix Company
Canon 60D, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, 1/250 at f7.1, Fill Flash, with a Circular Polarizer Filter

 

7. Use a reflector to fill in the shadow area. Beware of the color, a gold reflector on a red rose will turn the rose a orange color.

(note: I did not have a reflector with me, actually it was in the car and I didn't feel like going and getting it!)

 

8. Color can make or break a photograph. It can be distracting or it can draw you into a certain direction. Red is a strong color, make sure it is the subject of your photo; it will be dominant in your image. Learn the color wheel.

Reaching For The Heavens
Canon 60D, EF 35mm f/1.4L USM, 1/250 at f8.0, with a Circular Polarizer Filter
 

 9. Colorful in conjunction with something that lacks color. (Barbara had a picture of vase with colorful flowers on a old faded wooden table between wooden chairs. This made the flowers in the vase pop in the image.) Too many colors at the same time can make an image very busy.

(note: I could not find a similar setting at the flower fields.)

 

10. Get down on your stomach at the level of the flower.

(note: On my stomach I was above the level of the flower J)

 

To see more images I captured while practicing taking photos in bright sunlight, as well as, images from others in our group; visit our Meetup Group site: http://www.meetup.com/Temescal-Valley-Photo-Club/photos/14451042/#227708012

 

(( Yes it has been a year since my last post and I apologize for that. Life got in the way! And no one was reading it anyway! I will be updating this blog more often now. ))

 



Do I Know You?

Danielle Borao - MM# 2424887

1940's 1950's Pin Up Style

Melissa Meador - MM# 2484992

Engagement Shoot

Here are some photos from a recent engagement shoot