Posts Tagged ‘Portraits’

Rainy autumn afternoons leave me somnolent.

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Several cups of coffee into the day I am struggling to keep track of what file I am editing and which services need to be restarted on the servers and my eyelids feel leaden, pulling my chin down to my chest.  So I took a short break to sort through photos from this weekend.

One thing that I am realizing in shooting with the 50mm is my utter lack of technical skill with the camera.  Good focusing that compliments the composition continues to allude me and I really need to carve out the time to really understand white balance bracketing.  However, I am getting better at editing, My ratio of keep to toss is improving as my eye grows more critical, though, the 1:36 ratio seems so far off as I try and climb past 1:6 but I suppose that I am too emotionally attached to most of my subject matter.

Portraits of Gabriella

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Year Two: Week Twenty-Five

Toothy Smile

Hide and Seek

I’m finally coming around to the conclusion that while I have a patient model in Gabriella too many of my shots are junk when taking them indoors.  What I think I need to step it up is a decent flash with a diffuser and, more importantly, a faster lens.  The former is nice in lighting up an area and helping bring attention to the focal point of the picture but the latter means I can leverage the natural light and not blind her as she darts about the house.

In the lens department, I had my heart set on an 85mm f1.8 but in reviewing most of my indoor shots they all seem to cluster around the 50 mm range.  That’s good news for my wallet as the price difference between the 50mm and 85mm f1.8 lenses is a solid $250+.  That said many of the reviewers on Amazon while liking the 50mm f1.8 overall question its build quality and recommend going up a level to the f1.4.  Of course they do.  That erases $200 of savings but likely will result in a lens that will last years of chasing my daughter around the house.

Time to fillout a requsition with Management.

Daughter’s Five

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Shadow Dance

Look into the Sun

Morning Paper

Papa!

For you!

I believe that Gabi sees the camera as much of a part of me as my nose or one of my hats since she is often oblivious or unconcerned with the click and whir of the shutter. When she does take notice, like in the last two shots, it feels less that she is communing with me as she is with the camera for when I pop out from behind the lens she often has a vague look of disappointment .