Let there be light… March 29, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Gear, General Comments, Speedlite.Tags: canon, Flash, Gear, Speedlite
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And there was light: specifically, the Canon Speedlite 580 EX II. It’s specifically designed for Canon EOS cameras, and has through-the-lens metering and enormous light output: a Guide Number of 58m at ISO 100.
I kinda left it to the last minute to buy it, but I decided I should get it in case I needed it to shoot pictures of Earth Hour happening. More on that in the next post…
Expand Your Word Power: “Bokeh” March 21, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in General Comments.Tags: aperture, blur, bokeh, depth-of-field, f-stop, terminology
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I have no idea how it’s supposed to be pronounced, but I learned a new word today.
“Bokeh” is the term used to describe the blur that occurs in the out-of-focus areas of a photograph outside the image’s depth-of-field range. More specifically, it describes the aesthetic qualities of the blur.
A “good” bokeh is generally a smooth and soft blurriness, without jagged edges on highlights that distract from the photograph’s subject. Better bokeh can result from having many blades on the lens aperture, as the resulting aperture has smoother, more rounded edges than an equivalent lens with fewer blades on the aperture. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mark II lens has only 5 blades: its out of focus highlights tend to resemble pentagons, and out of focus areas have a rougher texture that distracts from the subject. My Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens has 9 blades, and its out of focus highlights resemble smooth circles, with better bokeh lacking as many distracting artifacts. Here’s a comparison of the two – the f/1.8 on the left, the f/1.4 on the right:
For a more extensive comparison, check out this page (the source of both images above) which has plenty of images that show the difference in results between the lenses: http://photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/.
Another reason to buy a flash… March 19, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Contains Images, Speedlite, Workshop.add a comment
Lol not that I need another reason – I really want a flash for taking dance shots, as I’ve been having some issues taking them in available (indoor… sometimes almost non-existent) light!
But anyways… I re-read through some of my photography notes today before class, and one of my formative assessment items needs me to use a flash for outdoor shots. So I should probably get one sooner rather than later, as I’ll then be able to complete this assessment item (which is due 9 April – not far off!) and start experimenting with taking action shots!
Finding inspiration March 15, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Contains Images, Influence, Portraiture, Practice.Tags: 50mm, afghan girl, depth-of-field, lens, Portraiture, steve mccurry
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I spent part of the weekend studying the work of Steve McCurry, one of my favourite photographers, whose portraiture of culturally diverse subjects has brought him international recognition. Of particular note is “Afghan Girl”.
According to Wikipedia this image was
named as “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the National Geographic magazine and her face became famous as the cover photograph on the June 1985 issue. The photo has also been widely used on Amnesty International brochures, posters, and calendars.
Many of his other portraits are equally profound, and while “Afghan Girl” was taken using a 105mm prime, a large proportion of his portraits are achieved using a 50mm f/1.4 prime – a very similar lens to the one I’ll be using for this assignment. Here’s one example, “Girl with Green Shawl,” taken in 2002 when McCurry returned to Pakistan (where he had photographed the “Afghan Girl” in a refugee camp over a decade before):
One of the features of this image is the shallow depth of field which has caused the shawl around the girl’s face to become blurred, with her face – and those penetrating eyes – in sharp focus. I’m hoping to use depth-of-field to good effect in my own portraits, to put the focus on the subject of each image while retaining a recognisable background. I’m confident I can replicate a similar look if I want to – I happened to take a picture of my cat a couple of weeks ago that has a similar depth-of-field effect with piercing eyes sharply in focus. 
Here it is!
Proposal March 11, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Contains Images, Portraiture.Tags: Assignment, assignment 2, bulbs, earth hour, idea, light, proposal
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I’m going to do a series of portraits entitled “Shedding Illumination”. This is a double pun:
- “Shedding” can mean giving off… or giving up something
- “Illumination” usually means light… but it can be both physical light or “enlightenment”.
So to “shed illumination” could mean to emit light, like a light bulb… it could mean giving up light, as people will be for Earth Hour… or it could mean to emit enlightenment, to “illuminate” an intellectual or spiritual “darkness”.
My portraits will feature people holding light sources: incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs, etc. In some of the photos, the bulbs they’re holding will be unlit, and in these images, I’ll light the subjects attractively and try to light them as if they, themselves, are a source of light or “illumination”. These photos represent people choosing to participate in Earth Hour, people who are choosing to “Vote Earth”. I might pose the subjects in positions that show intelligence or enlightenment – perhaps “classical” poses.
I’ll contrast these with portrait shots of people who are unattractively or harshly lit… these ones will be holding lit light bulbs, and they’ll be representative of people who are not participating in Earth Hour, either because they don’t want to or because they don’t care. I could pose them so that their faces can’t be seen, in positions that represent apathy or perhaps even death.
If I get time, I’ll Photoshop the images so that the “attractive” portraits have incongruous elements in the background, representing nature or earth, e.g. flowers coming through the carpet, plants growing in the sink; and Photoshop the “unattractive” portraits to have images of desolation in the background, e.g. a suburban background with no plants or animals.
This is a LOT to try to do!!! And I’m really not sure how I’ll manage the “lit” lightbulb shots. I certainly don’t want to accidentally fry a model. 
Researching Earth Hour March 10, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Contains Images.Tags: artwork, earth hour, ideas, reserach, shepard fairey
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Spent a good few hours on the Web to see what kinds of things other people have done for Earth Hour. The Earth Hour site itself is pretty good, and has links to lots of promotional images that are available under Creative Commons. These are dominated by artworks designed by the guy who created Barack Obama’s portrait for the 2008 US elections, Shepard Fairey, with the theme “Vote Earth”. I found some of his postcards in the CIT Canteen today and will bring them to class to share on Thursday. This is the artwork on the front of the postcards:
The back of the postcards reads:
Earth Hour
At 8.30pm on Saturday, March 28 2009, millions of people in hundreds of cities around the world will switch off their lights for 1 hour as part of Earth Hour 2009. We need you to be part of this important event. Together, our small actions will represent a global vote for action on climate change.
A bio on the artist follows.
Writing my project proposal March 10, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Contains Images, Portraiture.Tags: Assignment, assignment 2, earth hour, project, proposal
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I’ve decided that I’m going to try and think up a portrait photography angle on this assignment. There are several reasons:
I’m also a keen artist, and my main interest has always been with human figure and portrait drawing and painting. I already have a keen understanding of the human figure and face, which I may be able to apply to photography.- The reason I’ve always been drawn to drawing and painting people is because I think they are amazing. I’m constantly fascinated by the endless variety of emotions, expressions, and stories you can “read” in people’s faces and postures. I’m dazzled by human beauty, and (while travelling through India) I’ve been … what’s the word… overwhelmed… by human suffering too. I want to capture some of those stories any way I can… and a camera seems as good a way as any.
- If I ever decide to make photography more than just a hobby or interest, photographing people (portraits, weddings, etc.) is probably more viable and interesting than photographing objects or landscapes. This will force me to develop my skills in photographing people!
- Photographing people seems like more of a challenge than photographing things or places. I’m always up for a challenge.
I’d like to have something on paper for our discussion session in two day’s time, so I’ll try to think of a good “angle” on the assignment topic before then.
Practice: Glassworks March 9, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Available Light, Contains Images, Indoor, Portraiture, Practice.Tags: documentary, glassworks, kingston, Portraiture, Practice
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Visited the Kingston Glassworks yesterday with a friend who was doing the “Off The Street” beadmaking workshop there. Good practice with the new camera – I set a large aperture / shallow depth-of-field the session as it was indoors and a bit of an artsy place, worth of artsy-looking photos.
Thoughts on the brief March 9, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Contains Images.Tags: Assignment, assignment 2, ideas
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The brief is really very open and will allow all of us to do our work however we want to. I’m interested mostly in underwater, low-light, action (dance), and portrait photography, so I should submit a proposal that appeals to one or more of my natural inclinations.
Underwater photography is pretty much out. Although that would make for some stunning, original shots, and an outstanding assignment, it’s getting too cold to go scuba diving any more this season… not to mention the expense and risk of getting an underwater casing for the new camera!!!
Perhaps it would be interesting to try using dancers to portray Earth Hour themes, and capture it on film? Or else doing some portraits and using this assignment as a way of improving my skills in that particular area.
Practice: Dance Photos March 7, 2009
Posted by Leonard Low in Available Light, Contains Images, Dance, Indoor, Night, Practice.add a comment
This is one of the first photos I took with my new camera. I took it to dance class to see how the full frame sensor + good high ISO performance + f/1.4 lens would perform when taking low-light action shots.
The shutter speed for this exposure was 1/30s: too slow to freeze fast action. Mark and Kellie are dancing to a pretty fast song in this shot, but this shot was timed to coincide with a “hit” in the music where I knew there would be a momentary freeze as Mark dipped Kellie. So there’s some motion blur on Kellie’s foot, but the photo’s relatively clear. I *really* like the “look” of this photo, which doesn’t look artificially lit by a flash, but this is a somewhat hit-and-miss way to get dance photos.
The high ISO performance + f/1.4 lens isn’t going to let me get reliable results for low-light action photography using only available light. To get really clear, crisp dance action shots on a more regular basis, I don’t think I’ve got much choice, I’m going to need a flash.
