I've been in something of a shooting rut lately. I've been taking shots that I've liked, but haven't been pushing myself, nor being especially creative, so thought it was about time for a change. So yesterday evening, when I took the kids up to the village playground, I put my 35mm lens on the camera and promised myself I'd only shoot at f/1.4. Predictably enough, given the very shallow depth of field at this aperture, most of my shots didn't work out.
I did get two that I liked though, this one and a variant of the same scene that I'll probably post on Monday. It's a shot of Rhowan drawing on an old blackboard that somebody had removed from the abandoned school next to the playground. I'm not sure which of the two I prefer, but am pleased with both of them. They were also a lot of fun to shoot so I think I'll leave the 35mm on the camera for a while :-)
captured camera lens aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter image editor plugins (etc) cropped?
comment byJim Denham at 11:52 AM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
Very emotive pic! I've found that shooting wide open is quite challenging - I'll usually close down to 2.8 just to give wiggle room! Good post!
comment bycrash at 12:30 PM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
she seems to have the same look I had every time the teacher sent me up to the board !
comment byDan Kaufman at 01:35 PM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
I often get myself in plenty of trouble when shooting wide open. Your "sweet spot" of focus seems to be at her wrist, but it doesn't seem strong enough to grab me. I like the shot though in its original color mode.
comment byCarlos Garcia at 01:37 PM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
Such a nice capture. I like the color original too!
comment bydjn1 at 02:11 PM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
Dan: I was trying to focus on the writing, rather than her wrist, but I take your point. The next one I'll post focusses on her face, and is (IMO) a stronger image.
comment byChris Yakimov at 07:05 PM (GMT) on 16 April, 2011
It's an interesting image - I actually find the focus on the hand a strong and poetic feature. Maybe it's my years in working with school age kids, but for me, her blurred face poetically speaks of feeling pushed aside and less important compared to her scholastic performance (I AM my grades)
comment byJessica Sweeney at 02:57 AM (GMT) on 17 April, 2011
That's exactly how I feel about math!
comment bydjn1 at 07:27 AM (GMT) on 17 April, 2011
I've been in something of a shooting rut lately. I've been taking shots that I've liked, but haven't been pushing myself, nor being especially creative, so thought it was about time for a change. So yesterday evening, when I took the kids up to the village playground, I put my 35mm lens on the camera and promised myself I'd only shoot at f/1.4. Predictably enough, given the very shallow depth of field at this aperture, most of my shots didn't work out.
I did get two that I liked though, this one and a variant of the same scene that I'll probably post on Monday. It's a shot of Rhowan drawing on an old blackboard that somebody had removed from the abandoned school next to the playground. I'm not sure which of the two I prefer, but am pleased with both of them. They were also a lot of fun to shoot so I think I'll leave the 35mm on the camera for a while :-)
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
f/1.4
1/250
aperture priority
+2/3
evaluative
100
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CS5
none
1x1
Very emotive pic! I've found that shooting wide open is quite challenging - I'll usually close down to 2.8 just to give wiggle room! Good post!
she seems to have the same look I had every time the teacher sent me up to the board !
I often get myself in plenty of trouble when shooting wide open. Your "sweet spot" of focus seems to be at her wrist, but it doesn't seem strong enough to grab me. I like the shot though in its original color mode.
Such a nice capture. I like the color original too!
Dan: I was trying to focus on the writing, rather than her wrist, but I take your point. The next one I'll post focusses on her face, and is (IMO) a stronger image.
It's an interesting image - I actually find the focus on the hand a strong and poetic feature. Maybe it's my years in working with school age kids, but for me, her blurred face poetically speaks of feeling pushed aside and less important compared to her scholastic performance (I AM my grades)
That's exactly how I feel about math!
Thanks everyone :)