June 15, 2015

Wide-Angle Lenses + Lifestyle Photography = a match made in Heaven

I have a very deep respect for lifestyle photography. And I adore wide angle photography. Luckily for me, I think these two loves of mine make for a very complementary equation.

For definition and clarity purposes, by “wide angle” photography I am specifically talking about a full frame camera utilizing a lens with a focal length of 35mm or less (so typically 35mm, 24mm, 20mm or fisheye).

Some of the reasons why I love wide angle lenses:

1. Wider lenses tend to magnify the distance between objects and allow greater depth of focus (in other words, not blurring as much of the background);

2. A wider lens allows a greater amount of the surrounding scene to be included in the frame;

3. And a wide angle lens typically has a much shorter minimum focusing distance than the longer lenses have.

David DuChemin, in A Deeper Frame, describes the difference between wide and telephoto lenses as wide angle lenses being “inclusive” lenses and longer/tighter lenses as being “isolation” lenses. He explains that the wider the lens/angle, the more the lines of your vision are pushed to the extremes of your periphery, and that the more the lens invades your personal space and pulls you in, the more you are given a greater sense of being there within the scene.

So, what does this mean, in practical terms, for me as a lifestyle photographer? Well, it means that even if I’m in super tight quarters indoors, I can be quite close (distance-wise) to those whom I’m photographing, and still be able to capture multiple people interacting with each other, as well as the surrounding environment, and provide the viewer with a real sense of what it felt like to be there right in their midst.

Exhibit One: observe my dudes as they together build a bookcase in a narrow hallway. I’m quite literally shooting these images mere inches from them. My focal length: 24mm.

bookcase1bookcase2bookcase3bookcase4

See what I mean? Do you feel like you could be there? Drilling that hole? Smirking along with my sons as my husband heckles them? Seeing the final form of the bookcase as it takes shape? Doesn’t it have a delicious feel of intimacy? Close-up, wide-angle photography can lend that intimacy to a lifestyle moment.

Exhibit Two: Once again 24mm, two sons, both creating with Legos, but two very different examples of what wide angle can accomplish. In the first image, I am perhaps 12” from my son; wide angle in this image gives me the ability to grab focus from close quarters. It feels like I’m right there immediately in his space. In the second image below, I’m perhaps 6’ from my son. What I’m using wide-angle for in that image is to wrap the “landscape” of his very messy bedroom all around him and his quiet task. I want the viewer to have a sense of his space, his surroundings, his world, his history. Oh, and so you don’t get the totally wrong idea about my son, he would want me to make clear to you that all that mess behind him is his younger brother’s side of the room. Anywhoooo, in both images, 24mm lends a feeling of authenticity by allowing a wider perspective, more detail, and greater depth of focus.

lego1lego2

Last exhibit: Let’s head outdoors. 24mm again. I LOVE a big landscape. Always have, always will. And I LOVE wrapping a big landscape around people. Here’s a glorious evening at the beach with my dudes. I’m going to just let the pictures speak for themselves, but do please observe a big-wide-landscape, dudes doing their thing, and a feeling as if you could be walking right into their Frisbee zone …

frisbee1frisbee2frisbee3

And that, my friends, is why there is nearly always a wide angle lens on my camera…



June 10, 2015

Galaxy-ography: May 2015

 

Dog Dude walked to Smashburger with us, more caterpillar antics, wildflowers & coffee bean trees, pancake chef, Big Dude dresses up, rain, beach, teeny-tiny mussels & silly glass frames, field trip to San Juan Capistrano Mission, matchy-matchy hoodies …galaxyography may1

rim trail evening walk, Little Dude’s blah-blah-man creation, gaming, stormy beach morning, College Dude pondering Jurassic World, two caterpillars about to transform …galaxyography may2

one chrysalis, two chrysalids, Little Dude as PUCK!, MND at GCA, followed by The Merchant of Venice the next day at Looseleaf Theatre, followed by The Getty Center the very next day.  Culture overload :-).galaxyography may3

More Getty: gardens, Turner, Monet, laughing Rembrandt & van Gogh … so good.  Dog Dude and flowers on a cloudy morning walk.  Who knew? Our Soul is National Geographic yellow.  Big Dude’s office.  Sale sunglasses at Old Navy – some of us bought some, and one of us didn’t.galaxyography may4

June 5, 2015

Evolution of an Edit …

Felt like playing around this morning.  Meet my butterfly baby from a couple mornings ago.  She’s about 3 hours old in this picture, still in the midst of drying her new wings.

SOOC …evolution of an edit-1

+1 exposure, + One Willow Palette Vibrant preset, + edge burn, +Haze-Divine preset, + I bumped saturation a tad.evolution of an edit-2

The above steps are all done in Lightroom.  In Photoshop, I added 2 Lil’ Owls texture Crackle (#5 or 6, I think) – soft light, texture erased off butterfly …evolution of an edit-3

Also in Photoshop, lightened exposure a tad, and added Florabella Milk & Honey action at 28%. evolution of an edit-4

Of course, I’m happy with the image at the Lightroom-finished stage.  But sometimes it’s fun to play a little further …

June 2, 2015

1 Second Everyday: May 2015 ...

In addition to normal everyday Keller shtuff, stick around to the end for the transformation of caterpillar to chrysalis for the cutest Puck ever's soliloquy epilogue, creepy & cute juxtaposed.



Thanks to College Kid for adding beginning & ending frames, music & outtakes.