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I was taking pictures to illustrate an article on lens apertures and depth of field and was using an old Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 on a new Olympus Pen E-PL2 camera, using an adapter. This was taken wide open at f/1.4 and processed from RAW in Lightroom 3.4RC. It's un-cropped. ISO 200, 1/800th, 50mm (100mm equivalent) f/1.4.
It's a lovely photo, no doubt about that. Also nice that you could be using an older lens on the Pen E-PL2.
If you want a more detailed critique of the picture here goes.
It's obvious it was wide open with the shallow dof. The point of focus is on the leaf in the foreground and her beautiful blue eye. However, the leaf is slightly more sharply in focus that her eye and I'm not sure that was intentional - or was it?
The area of focus is very tight. the edge of the sharply focused area is almost visible - like a tight 'circle' that can sometimes happen with a Photoshopped vignette (though I realise it's from the lens not from PS).
SO - as a demonstration of the lens it's ok. Otherwise the picci lacks overall definition and I imagine the print would probably be rather 'flat'.
The old 50mm f/1.4 is very soft wide open. I have sharpening and contrast wacked right up to extremes with this shot
Also, there's literally just a few millimetres worth of sharp focus. It was difficult to shoot because I was using the camera to focus rather than the focus ring and as I moved slightly back or forward Lara instinctively followed! Keeping Lara still was not easy...
I think I will have a go at printing it - I'll let you know how it turns out!
We would often choose the 100mm f/2 for portrait work, and this lens produces similar effects and feels very much the same in use. I had to smile at the "harmonised" rocking focus, that brought back memories
I'd probably clone away her right shoulder, as it forms a distraction that draws the viewers eye away from her eyes & face. Also I'd slightly darken the green in the top right corner & the patch over her left shoulder.
This picture would certianly rate a place in the family album as there is such a good connection between the two of you, with the eyes and the corner of the mouth, hinting at the smile that is about to happen... It is these very small things that makes these images just that bit more than the usual portrait.
The old 50mm f/1.4 is very soft wide open. I have sharpening and contrast wacked right up to extremes with this shot
Also, there's literally just a few millimetres worth of sharp focus. It was difficult to shoot because I was using the camera to focus rather than the focus ring and as I moved slightly back or forward Lara instinctively followed! Keeping Lara still was not easy...
I think I will have a go at printing it - I'll let you know how it turns out!
Ian
I love what you did for the current Salon with the same lens/camera combination. Similar sort of 'arty-clarty' sort of thing JW does. He likes to work with colour in mind for his arty shots, or certainly did (dunno what his more recent projects are). His work with colours was what inspired my falling leaf shot linked below - though mine isn't in the same league as anything JW produces with his Noctilux F.1 and M8 iirc.
The above is off the Pentax 50mm F 1.4 ... shot wide open. It's also the only one off that lens I ever had printed. The print is nice enough but 'flat' imo due to the very shallow dof.
Another picci I love is Bear's Chamomile picci linked below, though I don't know which lens he used for the shot. I just love the style, colours and superb use of the shallow dof.
And one of JW's 'shallow and fast' people shots from his Leica and M8 an F1 lens especially like the colours, tones and 'dreamy effects he usually manages to capture.
I really like the shot as it stands, I no you were testing an old lens as you said, but this aside, I would have liked to have seen that left eye super sharp as its the first thing I see when I look at the frame. Love the composition.
Ash.
I have tweaked the original by more aggressively sharpening, increased contrast and adjusted the white balance and saturation to remove a slight green cast on Lara's face:
I've also printed this to A4 and the print certainly reveals good sharpness around her right (left as viewed) eye. The print is lovely (if I say so myself!)
I have tweaked the original by more aggressively sharpening, increased contrast and adjusted the white balance and saturation to remove a slight green cast on Lara's face:
I've also printed this to A4 and the print certainly reveals good sharpness around her right (left as viewed) eye. The print is lovely (if I say so myself!)
Ian
Oh wow - that's superb! I imagine Lara must be very pleased with it.
She certainly poses very nicely for you. I love her hair cut too. It suits her very well.
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