Freelance Photographer in St Ives Cambridgeshire: Food & Drink Photography; Commercial Photography, Product Photography & Packshot Photography; Event Photography; Portrait Photography; Corporate Photography & PR Photography; Engagement Photography & Wedding Photography and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, Ely, St Neots, St Ives and London. Professional Photography Services in St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Bedford, Peterborough, Ely & Cambridge. | |||
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Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London |
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bokeh photographic: Blog No: 68 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox |
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Different Perspectives Time and time again 50mm focal length lenses come out top in polls of the ‘best’ (most popular?) camera equipment. This is especially true in Food & Drink Photography and fittingly I use the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L USM which offers superb optical performance as it is one of the sharpest lenses on the market. Although I no longer use my Canon 50mm f/1.8 II professionally (Blog No. 14 explains why!), I do use this 'nifty fifty' for non-commercial work alongside the more expensive L-grade 50mm. Incidentally, whilst I don’t generally advocate kit on bokeh photographic Photography Training Courses I make an exception for the 50mm f/1.8 II because for an incredibly cheap price this glass opens up - pun intended - a whole range of options in low ambient light scenarios. However, I’m not wedded to 50mm. In fact, I don’t favour any one lens as I tend to use a variety of glass in any given shoot. Nevertheless, one lens I almost always invariably grab out of the bag is the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM I: note the Mark I iteration as I rate this over later models. Although it can’t open up as wide as my 50mm lenses it is equally as sharp with little optical distortion and it is fast. In fact, it focuses so quickly and accurately I don’t think I have ever missed a shot. Of course, rapid focus isn’t terribly important in food & drink photography. So why do I almost always reach for the 70-200mm? I know what you are thinking but it's not just because of the versatility of the variable 130mm focal range. Examination of the comparative pros & cons of different lenses is beyond the scope of this post. Therefore, let’s just concentrate on one aspect: telephoto compression. In most instances when I’m shooting food & drink (or when I'm working as a Product Photographer) the objective is to make the product stand out so that the viewer unequivocally knows what the image is about. Any potentially distracting elements should be minimised as it is the product and not the background, props etc. that is being showcased. Whilst other factors (including aperture and camera-subject-background distance) are important and need to be taken into consideration we can simplify matters by remembering that a short focal length enhances perspective whereas a long focal length diminishes perspective. In other words, there is greater separation of subject-to-background with a 50mm focal length than with a 200mm focal length as telephoto compression makes this distance appear smaller than it actually is. In theory this means that the greater 3-dimensional depth at 50mm should render a product more prominent than at 200mm. Nevertheless, holding everything else constant, a product captured with a 200mm focal length may perceptually stand out more as telephoto compression aesthetically blurs the background (i.e. 'bokeh') meaning our eyes are drawn to the product in the foreground. Moreover, this is achieved without manipulating actual lens aperture which would affect overall depth of field. This is best illustrated by comparing the two shots below from a recent restaurant shoot where the only difference between the 50mm and 200mm image is camera-to-subject distance to maintain the within-frame proportionality of the bowl. Otherwise both were shot at 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. It’s perhaps important to reiterate that I experiment with different lenses during every shoot and these two images weren’t specially photographed for the blog. Personally I prefer the longer focal length although both work well. I’m always conscious that there may be an equivalent of the ‘blue/black dress vs. white/gold dress’ illusory split when it comes to image perception (differences in how our brains interpret visual signals are only just being understood) and so I’m happy to accept some may prefer the 50mm version. As you would expect, when a brief calls for front-to-back sharpness (e.g. when shooting a product range group shot or when the product is positioned towards the background), I reach for the 50mm or another standard glass. Finally, note the slight perpendicular distortion of the background with the shorter focal length. I’ll save how to correct this by shooting with my specialist tilt-shift Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 for another post. |
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Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking. |
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bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden. |
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bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant | Freelance Photographer | Cambridge, London, UK - Creative Natural Photography And Outstanding Customer Service At Competitive Prices - Food & Drink Photography | Commercial Photography & Product Photography | Corporate Photography & PR Photography | Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') | Event Photography | Engagement & Wedding Photography | Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition | Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 | Email: [email protected] |