Daily Photo – Breeanna in the Window
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Breeanna poses in front of a window in the late afternoon sun.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/500
- Aperture: f/2
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
Composition and Processing
- I don’t usually shoot with the 135mm in my home — the focal length, even on a full frame body, doesn’t leave a lot of room to work. Lately I’ve been thinking more about soft backgrounds though, and how different apertures and focal lengths combine to alter the texture. I used to just toss on a lens and crank it open as far as I could if I wanted to separate and soften everything around the subject. But go too far and it becomes a big smudge; too little and it’s distracting or identifiable. In this case I liked the colors in the distance but wanted to insure they were abstract. I also wanted some pattern to it. The 135mm was the perfect match at f/2.
- I chose to cross process this shot because of the greens and blues in the background. While it also added a yellow cast to the whole image, it matches the other colors and goes with the original color of the low afternoon sunlight.
Original:
May 29 2009 04:56 pm | Photography
Nick Re- nicko_pics on 29 May 2009 at 5:30 pm #
Hi Kev,Nick here one of your contacts from flickr,Just want to say its a cracking picture the ones with the back ground blured out our my Favourite pctures,the only thing is my lenses don’t go down to large aperture so i cannot get these results ATB nicko.
KG on 29 May 2009 at 11:18 pm #
You might give some thought to a 50mm prime. The f/1.8 versions are usually $70 or so, and the the f/1.4 ones are often under $300. Either one will get you the effect above, particularly if you get good separation between the subject and the background.