Background.
Small world. The daughter of my college roommate from Utica, NY…
…happened to attend a college in a whole other state that is 20 minutes from my house.
Well, she graduates this year. So I offered my photography services. This is the digital edition from that session.
The lens?
Of course. It covers everything, performs wonderfully across the focal range, and I heart it.
Bokeh sidebar:
My personal preference is bright lenses used wide open if at all possible. I often only half jokingly say, I hear tell you can adjust the aperture on this lens. Blow the background to smithereens! But… Was reminded of that not everyone sees things as I do. Slow lenses would often do it seems. Started with the 35-150mm wide open, naturally. I showed her an early image and Maya asked, “Could I see more of the background?” And I saw her point right away. These photos were being taken in locations that were important to her along her college journey. To blow them away into a blurry haze would make them unrecognizable. So of course I did as asked and closed the aperture down further. See? I can do it. So basically a kit lens would have been fine this day. Thankfully she did humor me later on with some ridiculous aperture pics.
Close bokeh sidebar.
Along with the lens I used a go to camera, Sony A7RV but any modern Sony body would have been fine, and light, the AD300. Had no assistants free this day but fortunately I have moved from a cart full of stuff to one bag courtesy a recent acquisition and a determination to focus on what I will actually use. So…
- One wheeled camera bag.
- Two bodies.
- Never used the backup.
- Two zoom and two prime lenses.
- One V1.
- Usually for use on camera bit this day as back up to…
- AD300.
- Backup batteries and other brick-a-brack.
- A film camera.
- More on this in the next post.
- Two bodies.
- Light stand.
- Sand bag for said light stand.
- Realized along the way that this can be sat upon the rolling bag to make things even easier.
- AD300 snap on softbox modifier.
An easy drag behind me carry along combination. Which is good. Because for the second location I was told that it was not far. But… this was young folk who are used to walking a college campus not far. Not closing in on retirement, drive nearly everywhere, only walking I do is in a climate controlled room in my house on a treadmill not far. My miscalculation. It went fine but followed up by another photo session the next day I am feeling it today. Thank goodness I pared down my kit. I would have felt ridiculous wheeling my Lowe’s garden cart about campus. And that was not necessary. I had everything I needed. Honestly could have made do with the camera, 35-150mm lens, and the lighting rig.
Below I will share a few samples from the session mostly with the 35-150mm and a couple with an unnecessary but fun nonetheless lens.
Ok. After we checked off her photo list Maya humored me with two background blown to smithereens pics.
Follow up thoughts.
Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8
I could make do with just this one lens and a recent Sony body… or recent Nikon body also since they make a Z mount now also, an AD300, and a light stand for all of my portrait work. My fancy pants primes are nice to have but optional for my purposes. Other than the last two pics above I did also break out a wider zoom when I ran out of space to back up on the sidewalk for one pic, but I could have easily trampled some mulch by stepping a bit further back also. No surprise here. It has been my go to lens since purchased when it came out.
More lens thoughts.
Seeing as I was using f/5.6 and above all day I could have made do with a slower aperture super zoom. I enjoy the available brighter aperture of the 35-150mm but I would classify that as a nice to have, not a have to have.
AD300
Once again this light was all I needed. Not much larger than an AD200, enough power for use outside, comes with bare bulb attached rather than having to assemble the bare bulb on site with the AD200, and has a compact folding snap on softbox that eliminates the need for an S bracket and Bowens mount modifier. Easy. And it had plenty of power for the day. I bring a backup battery, compatible with the AD200, but I have yet to even come close to depleting a battery during a session. Could go a couple more without charging if I needed to.
That is all for this digital entry. Film entry for this day up next.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 