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?
While out watering the hedge in my backyard in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the sudden water shower revealed this sizable praying mantis! I put down the hose and went inside to grab my camera which fortunately already had on my Sony 90mm f/2.8 G macro lens. Not wanting to get attacked by the mantis, but still wanting to get as up close as possible, I eased into making photos of the mantis getting a bit close each shot until finally she/he looked right into the lens as you can see above! It was nice to use my macro lens for this kind of shot, as I mostly use it as my headshot lens.
Headshots for the interior designer herself on location
What better location for an interior designer to have a headshot shoot than in the space she designed herself? That is how we ended the interiors shoot I did for Bailey in Ruidoso. The natural light was so good in the space, I just put on my 50mm lens and made all these headshots without any off camera lighting. As always, I wanted to capture as much personality as possible, so there are some usual smiles and some laughing photos as well as unusual foreground composition headshots. Thank you Bailey for helping with the shoot and then being great in front of the camera for your headshots!
Creative and Covid-19 safe Commercial Portraits in ABQ
It often happens when I shoot at a great new location for the first time, like the Hotel Parq Central, other clients see those photos and want to use it as a location too! Such was the case for Marian, and since she was coming all the way from Ruidoso and needed a hotel to stay at anyway, it was very convenient for her to just take the elevator down right to our shooting location! The purpose of the shoot was to create commercial portraits that were not too corporate or like other traditional speaker photos, especially for speakers who speak about librarians. As you can see, not a single bookcase in any of these photos! In a relatively short time, I was able to make a large variety of photos for Marian thanks to her being open to my ideas, the well designed areas of the hotel, and the unique perspectives a 50mm f/1.4 lens creates. In fact, I never did a shoot this varied exclusively with a 50mm lens before.
Professional business headshots on location in Albuquerque
Lisa is new to Albuquerque and needed a new professional business headshot. She wanted as safe of a Covid-19 headshot shoot as possible, so we chose an outdoor location, Altura Park, for our shoot. During the shoot I wore a mask and maintained social distancing shooting with my Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens that has fantastic image quality, creamy bokeh, and allows me to stay quite a distance from the person I am photographing. Thank you Lisa for meeting at the park and to Jessica for assisting on the shoot.
