PhotoSnob

Astrophotography

Also in this series: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8

Part 1 – Landscape Photography
Part 2 – Fashion and Portrait Photography
Part 3 – Astrophotography

Continuing from: Review: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8 – Part 2

Canon 7D Mark II + Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Tracking M42 on Celestron Advanced GT mount

The last step in my evaluation of each lens was to see if I could successfully photograph a DSO (Deep Sky Object) from my backyard. The urban location presented some major challenges in the form of light pollution, smog and haze. This meant that I had a very limited window of opportunity. There simply weren’t that many clear winter nights with great visibility. Wind conditions also posed a major challenge to keeping the camera system steady during extended exposures.

After putting each lens through it’s paces and getting nothing but absolute uncompromising perfection from both lenses, I was beginning to see a stale mate. The whole purpose of this exercise was to determine which of these lenses I should consider adding to my kit down the road. Up until this point it was looking like I may be stuck with the idea that I have to own both. An investment I may very well not be able to justify.

Astrophotography is a highly technical/scientific endeavor that requires you to push every single piece of equipment to it’s maximum regardless of compromises. It turns most conventional wisdom in photography on it’s head. The result is a genre of photography who’s prime objective is to first highlight all the flaws in your camera system so that you can quickly and effectively apply yourself to the challenges of working around or compensating for those flaws with the goal of generating as clear a picture as possible of celestial bodies and DSOs.

I chose the Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) as my test subject because it is readily visible in the winter night sky with the naked eye. You can see its very faint glow in the second photo of the night sky above.

The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
In each of my tests, this lens’ performance wide open at f/2.8 is perhaps the most important property I observed with the highest level of scrutiny. My reasoning was if this is the the single biggest differentiating feature of this lens, it should and must be able to deliver on every expectation, because Canon does make several alternatives to this lens at smaller apertures and they all deliver impressive results for orders of magnitude less in cost.

The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM failed my astrophotography test. Why? Because my first shot of the Orion Nebula wide open at f/2.8 showed some really serious coma optical aberration, even in the center of the frame as shown in the composite below. I had to stop the aperture down to f/8 in order get a respectable image. This obviously severely restricted the lens’ light gathering ability and at f/8, I would sooner use any of the other 400mm f/4 or f/5.6 alternatives that don’t have this aberration. This also means that any attempt to photograph cityscapes and night scenes after dusk will quickly go sour. You can’t just filter or process coma out of your shots.

Orion Nebula – Canon 7D Mark II + Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

As you can tell, in order to shoot at the coma reducing f/8 aperture, I had to extend my exposure, but as I extended the individual exposure, I had to drop my ISO in order to keep the noise from overwhelming the image detail. A drop in ISO meant yet another increase in exposure. This feedback loop finally settled at 15 seconds and ISO-400. At this stage there would not be enough observation time to get enough frames for a proper stacking. I only had a few hours of clear winter sky during the entire evaluation period so I settled for a quick and dirty 15 frame stack with DeepSky Stacker (DSS).

I should also mention that because of the forbiddingly long exposures needed when using this lens coupled with it’s narrow field of view, a properly aligned computerized tracking mount is all but required. In this case, I used a Celestron Advanced GT German Equatorial Mount. I had to fabricate a custom mounting bracket adapter for the mount. If you have ever tried to observe celestial bodies, you must know how fast they are moving across the sky. On this particular night I happened to get a proper polar alignment and good tracking. I kept thinking if this lens was flawless wide open at f/2.8, imagine how much more light and detail I could collect over a 15 second exposure at ISO-100. If Canon can fix the coma aberration in this lens, it would be hands down, unequivocally, the absolute best, most amazing lens ever made.

Despite the coma, the sharpness and clarity is impressive. I was able to make out four stars at the center of the nebula as well as other gas cloud details. Images should be even more spectacular with a 100+ light frame stack in DSS, however once again the coma should also become more apparent the more you stack. This was the least expected deal breaker for The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I expected it to trample any challenge I could possibly come up with in this category.

The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
This lens was up against greater odds in this category. There were no clear skies that week except for the night after my Photo shoot with Charis. Upon my return I decided to stop for a little wine with a friend. I immediately noticed the skies had cleared up for a brief moment at which point I decided to get a few very quick and casual shots for evaluation later. My very first shot hand held led me immediately to my conclusion. I was able to get a clear shot of the Orion Nebula hand held, at f/2.8 with no coma and no discernible chromatic aberration. Unlike the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM, I did not have my German Equatorial tracking mount with me.

Orion Nebula – Canon 7D Mark II + Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

While the above composite may not seem as good as that from the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM, the devil is in the details. I did not have the benefit of a tracking mount. I had much less time to acquire my frames than I did with the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I could shoot wide open at f/2.8 aperture, ensuring that after traveling 1,344 light years, as few photons as possible were wasted. I look forward to making more detailed observations with the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM mounted to a tracking mount and at a more ideal location for star gazing.

It is at this point where I realized the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM was in fact the better lens of the two. It was not only more versatile as a result of its more manageable size and weight but its optics were the most true of both lenses. It obviously does not hurt that it costs almost half the price of the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. This outcome was most unexpected, and I have since gone back several times to double check and question my results.

Review: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8 – Part 2

Posted by Snob on April 28, 2015

Posted in: Fashion, models, Reviews. Tagged: Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM, Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM, Fashion Designers, models, Photography, review, Super Telephoto Lens. 4 Comments

Fashion and Portrait Photography

Also in this series: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8

Part 1 – Landscape Photography
Part 2 – Fashion and Portrait Photography
Part 3 – Astrophotography

Continuing from Review: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8 – Part 1

Canon 5D Mark III + EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Canon 5D Mark III + EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

This is an area of photography I was most curious about how both lenses would perform. Even a broad Google search yields very little material to make a good enough assessment with. These lenses are used almost exclusively for sports, action and wildlife. For each lens I put together a photo shoot with model(s) and talent from the local fashion scene.

The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
This lens is in fact hand-holdable albeit on the upper limits. It requires that you leverage your entire body and center of gravity. I was able to do shoot continuously for about 3 hours switching between the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. My back and shoulders were most definitely fatigued and a little sore the next day, and I have a relatively larger frame at 6’3″ tall. You pretty much have to keep both hands on your camera system at all times and set it down when not shooting. You can read and see more about this shoot here: Fashion: Winnie Stackz Collection.

The image stabilization was so effective, there was never a need to use a tripod. I was blown away by the fact that I could heave such a massive lens with such a long focal length – it is impossible to keep still at 400mm – and click away getting some of the sharpest portraits I have ever seen. The portrait to the left, was taken about 50+ feet away and yet every pore on the model’s skin was visible as well as every strand of hair. What you see is only a quarter of the original image size. All of this hand held. This is perhaps one of the feats this lens performs better than any other.

Wide open at f/2.8 this lens is sharp and true. The depth of field (DOF) is just wide enough to keep most of your subject in focus but then quickly falls off, transitioning into a sublime bokeh (background blur) like no other. It almost does not matter what’s behind your subject, as this lens will most likely turn it into a creamy magically beautiful blur. Even the 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM cannot quite match this, however it does come very close.

The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
This lens was much more at home with this style of photography. It felt like a slightly heavier 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lens, with a bigger front element and hood. I was able to shoot hand held for several hours without fatigue and when not shooting, held the camera system with one hand. I do have big hands so this might be a bit of an issue for some. It required no leverage and IS seemed almost unnecessary. I was able to keep a very fast shutter speed due to it’s amazing light gathering ability.

At f/2.8 this lens appears sharpest. The DOF and fall off is very much reminiscent of the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. The bokeh and subject isolation when up close is just sublime and second only to that rendered by the The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I also liked that I did not have to be almost 100 feet from my subject to get a full body shot. Try yelling your model very detailed, specific directions from 100 feet with the wind blowing and other ambient noise…LOL.

I love how both of these lenses tell a story with every shot. The quality of the image rendered is of the highest order and often so good there was no need for any editing whatsoever. In many cases I just pulled them off the camera and posted them on here. The time savings here are incredible and I can definitely see why these lenses are a favorite for serious sports media photographers – they just don’t have time to fiddle with image editors.

For fashion and portrait photography I think both lenses performed equally well with the The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM having a slight edge in bokeh and subject isolation and the The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM having a slight edge in versatility due to it’s relatively smaller size and weight. In this category I could not come up with an absolute favorite for the two.

For more detailed, objective and in-depth analyses, I recommend reading Bryan Carnathan‘s reviews for the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I am in no way affiliated with The Digital Picture but most definitely appreciate all his hard work and dedication over the years.

Also in this series: Canon 300mm f/2.8 vs 400mm f/2.8

Part 1 – Landscape Photography
Part 2 – Fashion and Portrait Photography
Part 3 – Astrophotography

EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Most of my spare time dedicated to photography has been tied up in some way evaluating what I feel are Canon’s top two super telephoto prime lenses, the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. These two lenses represent the very best of DSLR lens optics and technologies currently available anywhere. They are both peerless in most if not every respect.

Canon makes a host of other super telephoto lenses but none boast an aperture of f/2.8 as well as some of the advanced features and manufacturing processes. They are also within a focal length range which allows them to be still somewhat versatile, multi-role lenses and not so highly specialized that you are limited to only specific types of photography (I have no interest in limiting my photographic expression).

The natural applications for these two lenses are sports and wildlife photography. How these two lenses perform in these two areas has been thoroughly explored and documented. There is no question there, so I will not be talking about those genres of photography. I’ve always thought such impressive optics should not just be limited to sports and wildlife. It would mostly likely be even more appreciated in landscape, fashion, portrait and astrophotography. These are the areas in which I am most active and will probably never find myself camping out in the woods, unless it’s for the stars.

The folks at Canon USA were kind enough to send me a copy of each lens for evaluation. I cannot say enough about how helpful they’ve been, as well as for this opportunity to really run these lenses through their paces. To truly understand what they are capable of and explore the upper limits of photographic expression in ways only possible with zero compromise tools like these. To all the folks at CPS (Canon Professional Services)… Thank you!

Landscape Photography

EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Seamless panoramic, Tower Bridge at sunset.

EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Seamless panoramic, Downtown Sacramento sunset

I do a lot of very high resolution landscape photography (approaching or exceeding gigapixel resolution) in the form of very wide panoramas of my subject, usually cityscapes and skylines at sunset. I also often shoot full bodyscapes of models. For this, you can never have enough reach. I typically use the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lens all the way at 200mm and traverse my subject to generate impressive amounts of detail.

The field of view is often compressed enough that the images can be stitched manually using layers in GIMP with minimal fuss. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM both take this to an even high level of accuracy. None has the advantage in my tests here. They are both so accurate that complex subjects such as tree branches match seamlessly from one side of the frame to the other when stitching. It is just a matter of overlapping one image over the other and you are about done. The time savings here are incredible! Even compared to a very advanced and mature solution like PTGui.

Most of my landscape shots are at f/8 or narrower aperture where both lenses perform identically. The only advantage with the 400mm is that you can obviously extract more detail from your scene depending on distance and how many passes you use. Otherwise they are identical. The 300mm is almost half the size of the 400mm and much easier to carry around farther into locations where I would simply not venture with the 400mm.

Other than subtle differences in light levels between frames as the sun was setting, it is very difficult to find any seams. The panoramas above are composed of unedited shots and have been reduced to less than 1/10th of their original size. The detail is staggering. Both lenses are so sharp that you will be hard pressed to identify any image degradation before running into the actual pixels of the 5D Mark III sensor. This makes them ideal for high density sensors such as those in the 7D Mark II and 5DsR.

Below are some quick cell phone shots to show you my distance relative to the subject. In both cases the lenses were able to render details inside each office/room in the buildings as well as every nut and bolt on the Tower Bridge.

View of the Tower Bridge relative to my position

View of Downtown Sacramento relative to my position

For more detailed, objective and in-depth analyses, I recommend reading Bryan Carnathan‘s reviews:

Foodie: The best Burgers are served in Vancouver

Posted by Snob on April 22, 2015

Posted in: Food, Travel. Tagged: canon 5d mark III, Food, Foodgasm, Foodie, Hamburger, hamburger joint, Moderne Burger, tokina 16-28mm f/2.8, Vancouver. Leave a comment

A while ago I took a quick hop up across the border to Vancouver. It was a surprisingly short and cheap trip. A great way to get out of town for the weekend. After talking to a few locals it became pretty evident I had to stop by a hamburger joint called Moderne Burger. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because this is after all a hamburger we are talking about. Coming from the USA, I thought to myself, “what could this guy possibly do to a hamburger that I haven’t already seen done and tasted of not tried myself?”.

I was blown away! Unlike every other gourmet, fancy restaurant chef’s interpretation, which often takes the hamburger to all manner of places one should not, Moderne Burger takes the hamburger back, way back to it’s humble beginnings, in a very unique way I have not seen before.

Upon arriving I met the owner Pete and introduced myself. Fortunately I arrived early in the day – as suggested by many – because this modest joint does get unbelievably busy. Pete got right to it. He recommended the Classic Burger with a BBQ onion sauce. Condiments are kept to a minimum. They detract from the subtle flavors in a good hamburger and pickles numb the palate. They are often used by many to mask the lower quality meats and non-fresh ingredients used by most in hamburgers as well as the copious amounts of seasoning to give some semblance or flavor to an otherwise bland hamburger patty. I couldn’t agree more! This has been my never ending frustration with almost every hamburger I’ve tried to stomach here in the states.

After many years of being on the road for work, Pete decided to address the lack of a true and honest to goodness hamburger. Moderne Burger has been serving it’s only menu item for over 14 years now. Every serious foodie in Vancouver has no doubt indulged. This is a definitive reference burger joint.

Fries are cut fresh to order and come in a side serving big enough for two or three, but honestly they were so good, I could eat the whole plate myself. They are not drenched in salt (like everywhere else) and come with a small side of creamy house dip. The taste pairing was spot on. The buns were baked in-house that day and caramelized to lock-in the moisture, as opposed to toasted which dries out the bread and renders it dry and brittle.

Pete walked me through his signature hamburger eating technique which did in fact turn out to be very effective and efficient. Next he recommended one of the house special milk shakes. The creative options were staggering. We settled on a coffee and malt milk shake. He also went over the best technique to drink a milk shake so it does not melt. The milk shakes also came with a small glass of Coca Cola as a chaser and palate cleanser. I looked at Pete as though he was off his rocker, then I tried the chaser and the pairing was something out of this world I had never experienced before. It made every sip of the milk shake taste like the first sip… magical, sublime. If there ever was a Foodgasm, this must be what it feels like…LOL.

Just when I thought the gastronomical roller coaster ride was over, Pete suggested desert – a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a tangerine balsamic vinaigrette reduction. “What!?” I exclaimed. At this point I had resigned all my faculties and submitted my stomach to whatever he recommended. Desert was out of this world.

It is not often that I go to eat somewhere and every item served hits a home run; that I sit back and smile in disbelief every time I think about my experience. My cheeks are aching from smiling the entire 30minutes I’ve been writing this post. I had to take a break after sorting through the photos last night.

Thank you Pete and Moderne Burger. I will fly out to Vancouver just to have another Moderne Burger.

Photo shoot with Charis

Posted by Snob on April 21, 2015

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models. Tagged: Canon EF 300mm, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM, Canon EF 400mm, Canon USA, Charis, fashion, model, Old Sacramento, photo shoot, railroad tracks, telephoto lens, Urban. 5 Comments

Charis on the tracks – 5D Mark III + Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

A few weeks ago I was wrapping up my evaluation of the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM super telephoto lens. Just like the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM I had evaluated a few weeks earlier (see my post Fashion: Winnie Stackz Collection), the folks at Canon USA were kind enough to send me a copy for review. This is the second in a series of posts in which I will be discussing my observations and results of my evaluation. I had one last item to cross off my evaluation list and that was to run it through at least one photo shoot with a human subject aka model.

This lens is nothing short of spectacular. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM are in a league of their own. They both represent the pinnacle of lens technology and the very best of the best money can buy. They are both uncompromising pieces of precision gear. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM was perfect for, if not more at home with the task of fashion/model/portrait photography. The resulting images required no editing whatsoever. The clarity, sharpness and contrast were on point. Perhaps this lens’ strong suit is how well it performs wide open at f/2.8, affording shutter speeds that will stop any kind of shake. The amazing IS was almost unnecessary in daylight. The depth of field is very well defined, none too shallow (perfect), but what sets both lenses apart was how graceful the fall-off is and sublime transition to creamy bokeh. I will be writing more on this soon and which lens won my shoot-out.

Canon 5D Mark III + EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Charis was gracious enough to volunteer. I have photographed Charis before and posted about it in 2015 Sacramento Fashion Week and in Retrospect Vintage Fashion exhibit at Demin Spot. She has a look I always found intriguing, is an all around great person to collaborate with. Beautiful inside and out. New for this shoot was our hair and makeup artist Nicole Matta. This was a last minute shoot and she was a breeze to work with given my time and scheduling constraints. What I like most about her work is her execution – clean, seamless, and picture ready – which means much less work in post processing. My good friend and fellow photographer Steve Phang also partnered with me for this shoot to assist me in making the most of this opportunity. I have often drawn creative inspiration from him over the years, over numerous photo excursions and assignments.

Below are some behind the scenes shots to give you some insight into what it entailed. In all it was a very productive afternoon. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to share any thoughts, questions or ideas you may have.

Jacqueline in motion

I recently covered one of the shows organized by Sacramento Fashion Week. The show featured Emerging Fashion Designers and stylists in the area. I was very impressed with the caliber of the work exhibited. One of the designers/stylist that stood out was Winnie Stackz. There were a few of his looks that I wanted to explore a little more off the catwalk/runway. I was also evaluating some gear from Canon USA and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to put it through it’s paces.

A lot of Stackz’ looks have a very urban feel so I wanted to capture them with some of the amazing graffiti hidden around downtown Sacramento as a backdrop. I also wanted to incorporate the ‘in motion’ aspect of an urban setting into some of my shots. I thought this would take the looks from static and lifeless to more fluid and alive. The Models Jacqueline, Kevin and Anthony were perhaps the best part of this photo shoot. They were all as good-to-go as I have ever seen any model be. My best experience so far. Here are some highlights from our shoot.

Canon 5D Mark III + EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

For this shoot I used mostly the Canon 5D Mark III with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lens.For the wider shots I used the 7D Mark II with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. I also used the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 IS II. The later is an an amazing piece of gear which I’ve had the pleasure of evaluating over the past few weeks courtesy of Canon USA. I will be posting my thoughts on that later. Here are some behind the scenes shots from our session in the alley way at sunset.

Vintage Versace: Photo shoot with Jin

Posted by Snob on March 1, 2015

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models. Tagged: canon 24-105mm f/4 L, canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Hanna Be of Retrospect Vintage Fashion, Jin, Jin n Tonic, photo shoot, Retrospect Vintage Fashion, Vintage Fashion, Vintage Versace. Leave a comment

Jin in Vintage Versace look by Retrospect Vintage Fashion

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of doing a creative photo shoot with Jin. I posted a little about it in Valentines day photo shoot with Jin. Capturing this Vintage Versace look was the main objective of that photo shoot. The entire look and styling was put together by Hanna Be of Retrospect Vintage Fashion. Definitely check out her one-of-a-kind outfits she puts together. I’ve covered her work previously here: Retrospect Vintage Fashion exhibit at Demin Spot

There is something about this ensemble that just inspired me to photograph it and since last fall I had been casually looking for the perfect subject to model it for me. Enter Jin. We got some good shots and I think at least one of them will make it to limited edition print. It was a great creative exercise.

For the photographer in you: this shoot was done with the Canon 5D Mark III. Both the EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM and EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lenses were used. For lighting I used two Canon 430EX speedlights.

2015 Sacramento Fashion Week

Posted by Snob on February 20, 2015

Posted in: Art, canon 5D mark III, Events, Fashion, models. Tagged: catwalk, fashion designer, fashion show, Federico Beauty Institute, Helen Romero, Rebeka Garn, Sacramento Fashion Week, Sinan Dunlap, Theresa Truong, Tyniece Hall. 2 Comments

Yesterday evening I had some free time on my hands and decided to venture out into the local fashion scene. The annual Sacramento Fashion Week had organized the Emerging Designer Showcase. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to appreciate what local stylists and designers were up to. The event was hosted by the Federico Beauty Institute.

The emerging designers featured were Tyniece Hall, Helen Romero, Theresa Truong, Sinan Dunlap, & Rebeka Garn. Below are highlights from the show with minimal processing so you can hopefully appreciate the details and creative expression. I thought they all put together a great collection. There was something for everybody from each of the designers. A great evening. No doubt.

Please contact me if you have more more info about this event, it’s organizers or the designers you would like to share. Feel free to use/repost these photos with credits.

Thanks for stopping by.

Las Vegas Sunset Aerial Panoramic

Posted by Snob on February 17, 2015

Posted in: Aerial Photography, Architecture, Canon 7D Mark II, Cityscapes, Landscape, Travel. Tagged: canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Canon 7D Mark II, helicopter, Las Vegas, panorama, panoramic, Sin City, sunset. 2 Comments

Las Vegas Sunset Panoramic

About a month ago I had the unique opportunity to photograph the Las Vegas skyline at sunset from a helicopter (video here). This was the shot I envisioned. It took 20 shots to make this 240+ megapixel high resolution panorama. Each shot itself a composite of multiple shots. I must say while it may not be readily apparent, this is in fact the hardest most challenging photo I have taken yet. Simply getting to where I could take the shot, took several days.

Once in the air, strapped in and hanging out the door of the helicopter, an avalanche of constantly changing variables stood in the way of me getting a clear shot. Back at my workstation, it took me several days to stitch the final composite shots manually (all other tools simply failed). Editing the photo came close to impossible as the base file exceeded 1.5GB (Gigabyte) in size. Layers simply had to be committed and split into multiple 1.5GB files totaling 7GB in image files.

My 8-Core 4.2GHz workstation maxed-out it’s 16GB RAM every time I opened just one of the files and often crawled as it tried to handle editing the the 40,000 x 6000 pixel layers in real time. I am not quite sure what format to make this shot available, but I do know it will be a limited edition print.

This shot was taken with the Canon 7D Mark II using the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lens. It was taken from about 1500 feet out the side of a helicopter. My experience with aerial photography has been a humbling one so far. It makes every other genre of photography I’ve done so far look like walk in the park.

Valentines day photo shoot with Jin

Posted by Snob on February 14, 2015

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Canon 7D Mark II, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, girl, happy Valentines Day, Jin, model, Pinup, Retrospect Vintage Fashion, Valentines Day, Vintage Versace. Leave a comment

Jin doing Pinup Girl

Happy Valentines Day!
Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Jin. I had a specific look I wanted to capture. The look was a Vintage Versace look by Hannah Be from Retrospect Vintage Fashion. She’s an amazing stylist. Jin, my model was the perfect model for the look. She came up from Los Angeles for our shoot and has a great creative sense, style and energy. Her experience in front of the lens really made all the difference as far as how much we got done in just a few short and quick hours. After giving two looks a thorough treatment we still had a little time left. She suggested we play around with some pinup looks for Valentines Day. Here they are along with a few behind the scenes shots. I didn’t put much thought or effort into getting these shots just right but thought they were cute none-the-less. I hope you enjoy them and have a happy Valentines Day.