Baby Portraits with the Canon 50mm f/1.8

I had the opportunity to break in the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens on my first baby portrait shoot and the lens performed beautifully.  As many previous reviewers have noted, the speed of the lens combined with its very shallow depth of field make it a very useful addition to your portrait arsenal.

The shallow depth of field, while perfect for the baby portrait shoot, did present some challenges during a large family portrait shoot.  I found that I had to avoid the largest apertures when shooting the group as one or more members would inevitably be just out of focus no matter how carefully posed.  However, by moving to an aperture of  f/8 or smaller, I was able to produce clear images in which all family members were in sharp focus.

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Gearing up for portaits

In preparation for some upcoming portrait work, I’ve decided to invest in some additional portrait-friendly gear. Specifically, I wanted to (1) get my flash off camera and (2) add a short focal length lens to my portrait kit. Because I’m relatively new to the portrait game, I’m looking for high quality without high cost.

I have occasionally used my (admittedly ancient) Canon 420EX flash and a shoot-through umbrella for stock photo work; however, when I tried to apply this system to some indoor portrait work, it failed… literally. Somewhere between home and location, my sync cord/hot shoe connections decided to stop working. Even if I had been able to fire the flash, I realized that the sync cords would have really limited my ability to move around my subjects. So, I’ve decided to go with a wireless system and the RadioPoppers JrX basic kit looks like a great starting point. Because the 420EX does not have a built in PC port, I turned to Flash Zebra for a receiver to flash connection. I contacted Lon at FlashZebra and was quickly guided to the proper hot shoe sync adaptor for my Canon flash.

Prior to a trip to Alaska a few years ago, I purchased two of the lenses from my long-time wish list – the Canon 100 mm f/2.8 macro and the Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom. I love these lenses and have used each of them as portrait lenses. However, the time has come to add a shorter focal length lens and the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens seems to fit the bill.

I spent a lot of time researching equipment and, in making my choices, I relied heavily on great posts such as the following:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/08/radiopopper-jrx-questions-and-answers.html

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.8-II-Lens-Review.aspx

I’m looking forward to posting results soon! I’d love to hear about your experiences with the RadioPopper system and/or the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens.

Technorati Tags: portrait, radiopopper, 50mm, photography

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Epson Perfection V500 Scanner

When I switched from PC to Mac in my home office, I lost the use of my Dell All-In-One scanner/copier/printer. I recently replaced it with the Epson Perfection V500. So far, I’m really happy with this scanner. Features include:

• 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution
• LED light source – no warm up time required
• Scan to pdf button
• Built in transparency unit for scanning slides and negatives
• DIGITAL ICE technology for scratch and dust removal
• Includes Photoshop Elements software

What do you use?

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What is the best Canon lens for portrait photography?

As I have been working toward adding a portrait aspect to my current photography efforts, I have been spending some quality time reading about portrait lenses. According to my research, the following Canon lenses are excellent choices for portrait photography:

• The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
• The EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
• The EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

What do you think? What is your favorite Canon portrait lens?

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Keep track of your equipment

If you don’t already keep a list of your equipment serial numbers, there is no time to start like the present! Use a simple spreadsheet to keep track of your camera bodies, lenses, flashes, etc. In case of fire or theft, you will have a record of your equipment. Better yet, include a picture of each item in your list. Don’t forget to keep a copy of your spreadsheet in a secondary location!

Technorati Tags: serial number, equipment, photography, insurance

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