Friday 21 October 2011

What Equipment Do I Need to Take a Great Portrait?

!±8± What Equipment Do I Need to Take a Great Portrait?

Under a large portrait is still one of the most important skill to have as a photographer. The need for good photos of people will never go away. Whether for weddings, corporate photography and lifestyle, you will always be the question, if people like the images taken of them. In any case, we want to make a start and look at the camera gear I use.

Fortunately, many of us already have the kit needed to make a portrait fabulous. The kit standard lens that comes bundled with mostdigital cameras should be good enough to get you in the ballpark. When I bought my Canon 5d Mk1, I chose the 24mm to 70mm 2.8 lens as my standard lens. For environmental portraits, (when you take a picture of someone and show some of their surroundings) 50mm is an ideal place to start. It has a very similar viewpoint to what we see with our eyes and so gives us a very natural looking environmental portrait. Be careful not to go too wide, say much below 35mm as the wider angle produces unflattering distortions. The longer end of the zoom range is great for three quarter length/head and shoulder shots. This combined with a wide aperture can separate the subject from the background by throwing the background nicely out of focus.

Although the standard zoom lens is excellent for portraits, most professional photographers prefer something a little longer. I personally use the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens which is out of this world for head shots, the fast aperture blurring the background and the telephoto really flatters the sitter. I think anything above 100mm is too much unless your going for a full length shot and you want that perspective compression effect on the background, say on a tree lined avenue or set of columns.

Probably the most favored of all portrait lenses is the 85mm. Luckily they are pretty affordable for the 1.8 variants, though if your a Canon user the ultimate is the 85mm 1.2. It really is a monster of a lens with a price tag to match. One thing to remember is to adjust the focal lengths if you are on a smaller sensor. The crop factor is normally 1.3 or 1.6. So a 50mm lens becomes a 80mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6.

Now let us take a look at lighting and exposure. Unlike most other subjects, bright sunshine does not make for flattering portraits. It produces harsh unpleasant shadows and causes the subject to squint. If you must shoot in the midday sun, look for some shade in which to place the subject. It will be a lot easier to get a good shot and the light is far more controllable. One of my favorite techniques is to sit the subject on the ground, a few feet under the branches of a tree. I then place a white reflector on the floor in front of them, this bounces light into the shadows that are typically under the eyes and nose. The light coming in from behind you will give you a lovely catchlight in their eyes and you will get an excellent portrait.

Another popular technique is to place the subject with their back to the sun. This avoid the horrible shadows but you now have another problem, exposure. If the sun is behind the subject the camera can get fooled into underexposing the face. In this scenario I either use spot metering or dial in some exposure compensation, a stop or so should do it.


What Equipment Do I Need to Take a Great Portrait?

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Sunday 16 October 2011

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

!±8± Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Brand : Canon | Rate : | Price : $569.00
Post Date : Oct 16, 2011 07:01:16 | Usually ships in 1-2 business days

L1) CANON 100MM F/2.8 MACRO USM EF

  • 100mm macro USM lens with f/2.8 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
  • Secondary diaphragm blocks stray light at f/2.8 for increased contrast
  • Ultra-sonic monitor provides outstanding autofocusing speed at all distances
  • 3-group floating system for exceptional close-up performance; full-time manual focus
  • Measures 3.1 inches in diameter and 4.7 inches long; weighs 21.1 ounces; 1-year warranty

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Monday 10 October 2011

Agility Dog Photography

!±8± Agility Dog Photography

Agility photography is not the easiest to master skills. To change the speed of the dog, along with the rate at which the dogs in the ring, it means that the photographer must be on the ball all the time, and prepared for any eventuality.

Equipment: I personally work with a digital SLR, because the settings are easier to control. You must remove the control of shutter speed to blur the dog. A speed of 1/800th be required to go up to 1/1200th, if circumstances permit. A quickfocusing lens is necessary because the speed of the top dogs. Range on the lens must have a minimum of 100 mm, and usually no more than 200 mm. This is due to the size of the rings.

Location: Where you position yourself in the ring is important and can make or break your pictures. Unless you are very lucky, will not be allowed in the ring, and must be on the outside. Ideally, you want to get a position for a jump at an angle of 45 degrees, to be with a jumpWalking Tall, and an obstacle "other." Various obstacles are things such as tires, dog walk, A-frames, cards, etc. Sit on the side not to jump. This makes recording nearly impossible to achieve.

Works: When the dogs begin, get your attention first to jump or obstacle. To do so, focusing on the top bar of the jump or the device where you want the dog to catch. With a digital SLR, this is easy to reach by half pressing the shutter button. Then, when the dogPosition to jump, press the shutter button. Remember, because of the speed of the dog, you need the shutter just before the action you want to record release. Then go to the next and the next move. With practice it becomes easier. With the dogs completing the course in about 25 seconds, you begin to learn how to create change with a jump next to a very fast speed.

A few small clues, the help photographers Agility:
Looks like the owners of the course on foot. This isTell them where they are and, most importantly, which side of the jumps that are walking. Never be afraid said before, someone ruined race. We do this all the time, and is used as an excuse. Dogs must be able to complete the course regardless of distractions. If it is a distraction that will tell the judge or ring steward. Get down. Remember, dogs are smaller than humans, and the best recordings to get in depth. Establish, if necessary, or at leastSitting on a low chair. Look at the camera settings to the changing light. This is very important when you are out there.


Agility Dog Photography

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Thursday 6 October 2011

Phoenix P09560 Telephoto Zoom Lens 100-300mm F:5.6-6.7 Canon EOS

!±8±Phoenix P09560 Telephoto Zoom Lens 100-300mm F:5.6-6.7 Canon EOS

Brand : Phoenix
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Post Date : Oct 06, 2011 05:00:20
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Tuesday 4 October 2011

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Macro Lens 3554B002 With

!±8± Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Macro Lens 3554B002 With


Rate : | Price : $0.00 | Post Date : Oct 04, 2011 10:00:34
Usually ships in 1-2 business days

This 'L' series lens is Canon's first mid-telephoto macro lens to include its sophisticated Image Stabilization. With the highest quality optics available, combined with near-silent Ultrasonic focusing and life-size close-up capabilities without an adapter, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is simply unrivalled. Specifications Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 100mm 1:2.8 Lens Construction:15 elements in 12 groups Diagonal Angle of View: 23.4 degrees Focus Adjustment: Inner focusing system with USM. Full-time manual focus available. Closest Focusing Distance: 0.99 ft./0.3m (maximum close-up magnification: 1x) Filter Size: 67mm Max. Diameter x Length, Weight: 3.1 x 4.8 in./77.7 x 123mm, 22.0 oz./625g

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Saturday 1 October 2011

Canon - Macro lens - 100 mm - f/2.8 USM - Canon EF

!±8±Canon - Macro lens - 100 mm - f/2.8 USM - Canon EF

Brand : Canon
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Post Date : Oct 01, 2011 21:15:07
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The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Autofocus lens is suitable for macro photography up to life-size (1x) magnification. Inner focusing affords a long working distance of 5.9 inches to infinity.

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