The Catwalk with a 5D!

I have become one-lens challenged.

At one time, choice in my photography meant using either Tri=X or Kodachrome with my Pentax Spotmatic. Of course, I was rather frustrated and unprotected photographing lions and elephants in Africa with a 50mm SMC Takamur.

Still, a lot has happenned, I underwent conversion to Canon and autofocus and then IS. The world of photography seemed pretty straightforward to me: L glass IS and zooms!
Then I tested the M8 for a months and fell back into doing everything with one 28mm lens.

Then my 50mm 1.2L arrived from B&H and I'm addicted!

So when I was shooting last week, I was reluctant to use either my 70-200 2.8 IS or my 1DII. I mostly went for the 5D and the 50 1.2 that I've been stuck to! I chimped and was so pleased.

Well I went home so proud that I was able to do a great job with my new lens.



Well in typing this I discovered that this was actually at 70mm 1/196 sec exposure -0.7 ISO 640.

So!

I'd better go back and pick some shot at 50mm!

Asher

Yes she is definitely a cat indeed, maybe we should ask our resident ChatKat for her opinion (LOL).

Asher my friend, I like the photo a lot. Here is my personal C&C on it:

Emotions I get when I look at this photo (50-60% of my opinion):
This photo works well for me. It gives met the feeling of being there and seeing it all through my own eyes. The feeling is one associated with a very nice afternoon/evening where one wanders into an event somewhere. It is a professional happening without the "hype" and the extremities. Very pleasant indeed.

Communicating the message / arc of intent of the photographer (30-35% of my opinion):
I think you have done justice to your subject here. The model is shown very nicely and the dress itself is a presence in the picture without being suppressed/overwhelmed by other factors such as the model herself. The photo communicates all the ingredients of a nice fashion show without showing too much details.

Technicalities (only 10-15% of my opinion):
Firstly, I think the composition is good. The low angle is also interesting (do your knees hurt from all that squatting?). I like the lighting too, which flash/stro setup did you use. Even though the spotlights are shining right into your lens at the top, the color balance is very good. Sharpness, etc are right on the spot.

All together, a great achievement Asher for an "amateur" like yourself, if "amateur" is the right word to be applied here <wink>.

PS: After bragging about your 50 F1.2 L lens so much, you go and show us a pic taken with another? Tsk, tsk (LOL). Now show us more!

Cheers,

Thanks for the kind words. In general no flash and none used here. Color matched by eye and memory in Adobe Camera RAW. Otherwise the lighting causes a posterization of the skin with no flash. Why I don't know.

Yes by knees hurt and it must have been amusing to see this alligator sliding around on the marble flore stalking it's prey! But the "cat" got away!

I have more to come but was sidetracked!

Asher

Hi again,

Stephen Eastwood was here and we had a a lot of fun. He's doinfg really great work and it was helpful for him to be going through my work. I'm showing pictures with the 70-200 as reference!

So here another with the 70-200 2.8 L IS at 85mm, 1/60 sec, f=2.8, IS on, ISO 640 again no flash.



and below a crop of thie same picture:



Now the 50mm 1.2L

f=1.2, 50mm 1.2L lens, ISO 1600 1/395 Sec



Crop of image above:



I'll pick more with the 50mm lens shortly.

Asher

This model was really wonderful and her hair was a knockout finishing touch! Great attitude and fast.

An enjoyable person to photograph.




Canon Eos 5D 50 1.2L ISI 1/640 ISO 1600




Canon Eos 5D 50 1.2L ISI 1/640 ISO 1600

I do hope I conveyed some of the warm feeling of the evening to you with a few of my pictures.

I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to try the 28-300 f4 L IS Zoom as this has the versatility of reach to cover the distances in the show from close to 50 feeet away. Also I think that the new 1DIII will focus faster in these circumstances.

Still, the 50mm 1.2L is a versatile lens and with the 5D there's sufficient resolution to be able to zoom by cropping! Why did I shoot at f=1.2? Well I just wanted to know if it could be done and what it would be like. Well judge for yourself how competetent it might be.

I did like it but, it's not quite the lens for the a busy schedule. It's an artist's lens perhaps. It's a portrait lens and perfect for tables of 10 at a wedding or other event. In its favor is the creamy Bokeh and that it can see in the dark!

Asher

Well no comments?

Do I have to post more?

Asher

Asher, I like this last photo. It has that pop to it. The darker background makes her stand out well in the frame. Nice hair lighting efect too.

Asher - nice work - were you at California Fashion Week?. I saw my name up there and thought someone wanted my two meows worth!

That 50 is a favorite of mine too although last week my favorites were the 24-105 and the 70-200 2.8is

With Asher's permission I'm posting two of my variants on his shots.

Originals were very good, so not much work was needed, just a minor touch up

Golden Babe:



Lady In Black:



In both cases I made the model a central figure of the composition by dimming and blurring the crowd. I left the spotlights, though, since it kinda delivers the "being in the spotlight" message. I also left the reflecting floor pretty much intact.

Few other things: removed a few distractions, added some curves to improve the "golden babe" face.

HTH

Thanks for the attention Nikolai. Your appreciation of fashion and fine taste in art certainly is put to good use here.

It is enjoyable to work with beautiful subjects. It is even better to find beauty in the ordinary. But that is a harder challenge!

Asher

Hi Asher,
Nice shots. I don't shoot runway much but really enjoy it when I do and it looks like you certainly did as well. Now about the lenses - I'm liking the 70-200 ones the best - the images look sharper and have more pop. Well I won't be buying the 50mm 1.2 anytime soon. Does it at least focus faster than the 85mm f/1.2?
Regards,
Eric

While I really like Nik's interpretation of this picture, because it focuses my attention completely on the model, which I think Asher captured marvelously, I like Asher's original because it gives context to the shot.

The beauty of the model, in the context of the runway, has more impact than it does in isolation. An effect similar to Nik's could be had by putting her in a studio and arranging the lights, providing a MUA and a stylist, and agonizing over every little detail and shadow.

But, Asher's shot, with its "real world" context, makes me feel more "there" and involved. In Asher's shot, the beauty is not isolated and artificial (or seems not), but is the product of real people involved with a real person (the model).

Not to mention that I'm a sucker for red hair ;-)

Erik and Charles,

Thanks for looking at my pictures! First the 50 1.2 surprised me as to how fast it focused. The limit is not the lens and in truth it shoulf be on a 1DII, 1DIIN or a 1DIII or else a 1DsII.

The 5D is not IMHO ideal for difficult light fast demanding work. Still it's a fine camera and one can do anything with it. When the servo motor is muddled, I turn of the camera and switch it on and now the camera will focus!

I've never used the 85 1.2 so I cannot comment o nthe lens, although I 'd like it. However, with the 50 1.2, I'm now married!

It's now not a matter of choosing the lens, rather choosing another instead, for which I need a reason like wide angle or else telephoto or macro.

Charles, I am pleased that Nikolai cleaned up the image without totally destroying the b.g.

I must say I like the context.

If I was indeed going to shoot the girls cleanly, it would be well lit and using ISO 200 and no noise!

If I have 1600 ISO film look anyway, I can live with the b.g. people too. I could have decreased the b.g. further by using some fill flash. However, these pictures were without added flash.

Note that f 1.2 allows some DOF at the distance used. However, the 70-200 shots are of course sharper!

Asher