Wanting to try out my new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens on my new Sony a7R V camera, I went to the Bosque at sunset time to see what kind of shots I could create with a long lens, albeit it one with a large aperture capable of very shallow DoF. By the time I got there the light was indeed fading fast. I chose to focus on foreground objects and leave the sunset itself out of focus. This results in a kind of melting effect to how the sunset looks. I actually liked shooting at f/1.4 at 85mm and getting most of what was in the photo out of focus. This is most easily seen in the above photo of the very fine grass sticking out toward the sunset. This grass was so hard to see even with the a7R V’s AI based autofocus, I had to manually focus the lens!
Going and strolling around Christmas lights displays is not really fun or entertaining for me, unless I bring my camera and a large aperture lens, in this case my new Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master, the largest aperture lens I have ever owned. I personally think Christmas lights look better in photos out of focus, so that the frame is nearly entirely bokeh. I purposefully tried to make the photos out of focus to get the most bokeh in every shot and highlight the color and shape of the lights. Which one is your favorite?
Cosmos photos across 13 years of photography history
The first time I photographed cosmos flowers 13 years ago, I was just learning how to become a more serious photographer. That meant I could still be stunned by the amount of bokeh created in these cosmos flowers I made in Tachikawa, Japan. Now many tens of thousands of photos later, I am no longer stunned by creating very shallow DoF in a photo, but I do still appreciate the magic of it. These cosmos were photographed in the ABQ Biopark while bees were busy collecting pollen on a warm fall afternoon. In 13 years will we still be using what we traditionally think of as a interchangeable lens camera to make such photos?
More Creative Real Estate Photography than expected in Rio Rancho
This luxury real estate property in Rio Rancho, New Mexico was first featured in this blog post showing more traditional interior and exterior photos. What is offered here at Jason Collin Photography is far more than just the usual in real estate photography. Looking to push the boundaries of what creative real estate photography for luxury homes can be, at the end of the shoot I walk the entire property with a handheld 50mm lens looking for unique views of a room with a less wide field of view. This may result in a photo with a very shallow depth of field, or only the very corner of a room, or simply featuring the part of the bathroom a prospective buyer will find most relaxing. My goal is to always be more creative, more inventive, even in real estate photography.
Using shallow depth of field and setting your focus point
Since I started Jason Collin Photography back in 2009, I have taught hundreds of people of all levels 1-on-1 photography lessons. In the course of that teaching I repeated some favorite photography advice. Here is one of them:
“Show me something I cannot see by just standing there.”
Another one is:
“A photographer can make something out of nothing.”
In the example photos in this blog post I had my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART lens on my Sony a7 III full frame mirrorless camera. This lens is my favorite lens for making something out of nothing because the large f/1.4 aperture means I can easily create very shallow DoF (depth of field). Making a photo with a very shallow DoF is one of the easiest ways to make something out of nothing.
Photo Tip: take just one lens with you to focus on one type of shot
When I go out with my camera for personal photography, I like to take just one lens with me so that I am really focused on making one type of photo. For a hike along the Tunnel Canyon trail in Tijeras, New Mexico, on my Sony a7 iii was the Sony 90mm f/2.8 G Macro lens. Before I left the house i was thinking what type of photos did I feel like taking that day, and despite possible being out in wide open space, having distant views, I was feeling getting close up, so I chose the macro lens. That said, there were not that many great macro subjects on the trail, but there were some large boulders with moss on them that caught my eye. The lighting was not the greatest, but the macro lens is about showing small details anyway and getting really shallow DoF.
I tell my photography students that for something to be a photograph (and not merely a snapshot), you have to show the viewer something that cannot be seen standing there with the naked eye at eye level. There are many ways to accomplish this, one of which is to use a very shallow DoF (depth of field). For the first time, I own a f/1.4 lens, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART lens that I bought to pair with my new Sony a7R IV mirrorless camera just to be able to create shots like the one above. Because the DoF is so shallow, an ordinary tree branch,, helped by the colors of autumn and warm golden light, looks like an alien world. You cannot see that just by standing there and looking at it. Therefore, the photo shows something different that can attract the eye of the viewer.
