Gear – Page 4 – Peter Oshkai photography

November 17, 2014

Dressing for the weather

Dressing according to the weather when shooting outdoors may seem like an obvious thing to do, but it is easy to under-estimate how cold and/or wet it can be outside when packing for the shoot in the warmth of the house. Having appropriate clothes can definitely make a difference between an enjoyable and miserable shooting experience, but even in terms of photography itself, having an extra reserve of comfort often gives me that extra bit of patience that is necessary for waiting for the perfect shot or for trying another vantage point or focal length or exposure time.

Being able to try different types of shots or just being patient enough to wait for the perfect conditions is particularly important for night photography. The photo of the the Temple Bar at night (see above) is one of my personal favourites from my sabbatical in Ireland back in 2010. I took this long exposure shot on a very cold January night. Despite being very substantially bundled up, I waited for the lonely motionless woman to be separated from the passing crowd for such a long time, all the while experimenting with different exposure times to get the motion blur “just right”, so by the the time of this shot my fingers were in excruciating pain, and I was just about to call it a day (the knowledge that only a few steps separated me from the warmth of the pub and the comfort of a pint of Guinness was only adding to the test of my will).

Likewise, during the rowing photo shoot a few weeks ago, by the end of the rainy day, only one layer or dry clothes separated me from being quite happy with the all the action shots and probably leaving early (and likely, sick) without the best photos.

I find that the most important cold-weather clothes are:

Shoes. I find that a good pair of hiking boots works best for most situations.
Gloves. Recently, I bought a pair of HEAD Digital Sport Running Gloves, which I find excellent for photography, because they have silicone bumps on the palm side that are not too thick, but just substantial enough to really improve the grip. These gloves also work on the touchscreen of my iPhone. One note for size selection: the material is somewhat stretchable, so it’s good to err on the smaller side.
Hat. A toque works great for me.
Base layer. I like a merino wool top, because it can be worn as a turtleneck without the top layer is needed. The bottoms are also a must for me in cold weather.
Mid layer. I like mid layers without pockets, because I almost always wear a shell on top.
Jacket. I like a wind-proof shell with pockets and a hood.
Pants. Most often, I wear jeans or ski pants.

Note: The links above are affiliate links – they point directly to Amazon.

November 11, 2014November 12, 2014

Live concert and performance photography

For live concerts, the choice of gear is very important, and it is primarily dictated by the extreme low-light conditions. I wrote about dealing with dimly lit environments, such as restaurant interiors, but a live performance adds an additional challenge of fast action. Using flash is obviously not an option, as it would interfere with the performance and even if it would be allowed, it would destroy the dramatic character and ambiance of the stage light.

The most important piece of equipment is the lens. It needs to be “fast”, i.e. have a large maximum aperture, and it needs to be sharp at that maximum aperture, because I really want to shoot it wide open. In my experience, as a minimum, an f/2.8 lens is required, such as the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (I shoot Canon, so this lens is my workhorse, by Nikon has a counterpart for nearly every lens I mention, for example, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S). For even better results, I often use still faster prime lenses, such as the 35mm f/1.4L USM, which is good for wider overview shots, or the spectacular, unique-to-Canon 85mm f1.2L II USM. The latter lens not only gathers enormous amount of light at f/1.2, but also produces very pleasant background blur (bokeh), which is great for isolating the subject from the background.

Even with a fast lens, I have to shoot at a very high ISO (around 16,500) in order to keep the shutter speed high for freezing the action. Fortunately, modern professional DSLRs, such as the Canon EOS-1D X or Canon EOS 5D Mark III, have excellent low-light performance (i.e. relatively low levels of noise at high ISO).

My camera settings (on a 1D X) are usually the same as for indoor sports: manual mode with the aperture wide open, the shutter speed of around 1/800 sec and auto ISO.

One note is that the 85mm f1.2L lens is perfect for close quarters, but would be too short in larger venues. In any case, in line with what I wrote about involving other people in photo shoots, it is always best to develop a relationship with performers or the organizers of the event and obtain an accreditation or some sort or permission to be close to the action, either in front of the performers or backstage.

November 9, 2014

Choosing a lens for portraits

I think there is not single lens that would work equally well for all situations and any kind of portrait. Today, a friend asked my opinion on which lens would be better for a head-to waist portrait in terms of the background blur: a 200 mm f/2.8 or an 85 mm f/1.4. This is an interesting question, as one of the lenses has wider maximum aperture and the other one has longer focal length. Both of these parameters affect the depth of field the same way – increasing either the focal length or the aperture, while keeping other parameter the same, makes the depth of field shallower (thus increasing the background blur). To what degree these parameters affect the depth of field is more difficult to say without doing a rigorous cross-comparison of the lenses. So probably, there background blur would be comparable for the two lenses.

There is another factor to consider when choosing between these lenses – the distance between the camera and the subject. For a head-to-waist portrait, I would prefer a 200 mm lens, as it would make me shoot from farther away, which would result in more flattering facial features. Generally, the closer the camera to the subject, the more prominent the protruding parts of the face (mainly, the nose) are. Subconsciously, most people find smaller noses more attractive. This is a gross generalization, of course, but it is, generally, a fact. it is based on the tendency of humans to associate smaller noses (and larger eyes, for that matter) with young age. The longer lenses compress the perspective in the image, so the noses appear not as prominent as in portraits shot from a closer distance with wider lenses.

I use a Canon camera, so for me, the lens of choice for portraits is a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (a Nikon equivalent is a 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S). Sometimes, I have a chance to use a 85mm f1.2L II USM lens. It is wider than the 70-200mm, but the bokeh produced by the f/1.2 aperture is just incredible and is well worth the inconvenience of the fixed focal length. This lens is unique lens to Canon; the closest Nikon counterpart is a 85mm f/1.4G AF-S.

November 4, 2014November 5, 2014

Carrying a DSLR with a long lens

During some sporting events, photographers are not allowed to move along the the side of the playing field, as it is the case at the MLS soccer games, for example. In such cases, using a monopod or even a tripod (if it is allowed at the stadium) is a great idea, as it reduces the camera vibrations and helps to keep the frame level with the horizon, not to mention that it reduces the stress on your arms, as telephoto lenses are quite heavy.

However, if moving around is allowed, it can add great variety to the shots and often makes the difference between a rather boring and an exciting photoshoot. In my experience, hand-holding a lens longer than 400 mm is simply not feasible due to the weight of the system and the amount of camera shake. Attaching the system to a monopod is the solution in this case.

I often shoot sports with a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, sometimes combined with a 1.4X tele-extender, attached to a Canon EOS-1D X body. I also carry a second camera body (5D Mark II) with a shorter lens, such as a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, which I switch to if the action comes close. I carry the 1Dx-300mm system on a Black Rapid Y-strap over my left shoulder, so that the camera is at my right hip when not in use. The second camera with a shorter lens is on my left hip, attached to a SpiderHolster. My Spider carrying system has another holster on the right side, but the 300mm lens is too heavy for it. In fact, my friend tried to carry a 300 mm lens in a Spyder and found later that the pin that attaches the camera mounting plate to the belt became bent because of the weight. I suppose, this is not the worst that could have happened. At least, the pin did not break and the camera did not fall!

Initially, I was not keen on using the SpiderHolster, but I really like how the camera that is attached to it rotates and does not hit the ground if I crouch to take a low-angle point of view, which, by the way, almost always works better for sports than shooting from a standing position.

As an alternative, sometimes I use only one camera and lens at a time. I would switch lenses couple of times throughout the game to take a variety of view angles. In this case, I carry the camera on a Y-strap. It gives a good combination of mobility and weight distribution.

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November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

Using highlight tone priority in a Canon DSLR

Recording only JPEG images during a long photoshoot has many advantages over keeping the RAW images, but the main drawback is the loss of flexibility in adjusting the exposure in post-processing. When shooting RAW, even if the photo is incorrectly exposed, it is often salvageable in Photoshop or Lightroom. With the JPEG files, if the photo is over-exposed, the highlights cannot be recovered after the fact. I usually enable the highlight alert in my camera, so that any over-exposed areas in the photo appear as blinking white/black light when displayed on the LCD screen. By monitoring the highlights, I adjust the exposure as I shoot.

Sometimes, the dynamic range of the scene (the difference between the dark and the light areas) is too large for the camera too handle, so some loss of information in the recorded image is inevitable. This was the case during the first day of the Canadian University Rowing Championship last Saturday, when the bright sun was reflecting off the surface of the lake, and the rowers appeared as dark silhouettes. To minimize the over-exposed areas, some image processing can be done in camera, at the time of shooting.

In Canon DSLRs, such as my 1D X or the very popular Rebel T5i or 70D, there is a function called “highlight tone priority”, which accomplishes this. Nikon DSLRs have a counterpart called “active D lighting”.

Screenshot 2014-11-03 22.24.35

The highlight tone priority can be activated as follows (the instructions are also on page 156 of the 1Dx manual):

Press <MENU>;
Select the second tab in the Camera group of menus (see picture above);
Select [Highlight tome priority] and press <SET>;
Select [Enable} and press <SET>;
Take the picture.

As a side note, the JPEGs can still be adjusted, to a degree, in post-processing. For the rowing pictures, I used a combination of in-camera- and post-processing. The photos ended up being contrasty, but I think it generally works well for sports images.

November 1, 2014November 2, 2014

Best Canon lens for basketball photography

During today’s basketball games, I experimented with four different L-series lenses. I used all of them on a Canon EOS-1D X DSLR with ambient light (no flashes). I shot them wide open, i.e. at the maximum opening of the aperture (minimum f-number). Here is the breakdown of their advantages and limitations.

1. Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM lens
(see photo above)

This is the fastest lens of the four I used, and it is my top choice for shooting indoor basketball for this very reason. It gathers enormous amount of light at f1.2, and thus allows shooting at moderate ISO even when the shutter speed is quite high (around 1/1000 sec). This, in turn, results in low noise. Another nice feature is the ability to separate the subject from the background due to incredibly shallow depth of field.

The main disadvantage of the 85mm f1.2L is that it focusses very slowly compared to the other three lenses. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to follow the subject by continuously “riding” the focus button. Because of the slow focussing, this lens produces the highest number of outtakes. However, when it does focus, the result is spectacular.

2. Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens

This lens is also very fast, and it offers a unique, wide-angle perspective with little distortion. It also focusses very fast.

Te main disadvantage is its short focal length. It is simply impossible to photograph close-ups of the players with a 35 mm. Another related limitation is that the depth of field is quite large, even at f1.4, so subject isolation from the background is not as prominent as for the other three lenses.

3. Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens

This lens is the opposite of the 35mm f/1.4L in that it only allows the close-up shots. The focussing speed is superb, and the background blur (bokeh) is very pleasant.

The main limitation is that the field of view is so narrow, that it is quite difficult to frame the moving subjects. Like the 85mm f1.2L , it takes a lot of practice to achieve useable results, but the few successful photos are impressive.

4. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens

The main advantage of this lens is its zoom range. It is incredibly easy to frame the action. The lens also focusses lightning-fast, and it is very sharp.

The main drawback of the 70-200mm f/2.8L is that, like the 300mm f/2.8L, it is not as fast as the other two lenses (max aperture is f2.8), and therefore produces relatively noisy photos.

So, which lens would I choose if I could only bring one to a basketball game? It depends on the level of experience. For a novice photographer, I would recommend (if cost is not a factor – all this lenses are very expensive anyway!) the 70-200mm f/2.8L. It would give the highest success rate and flexibility. My personal favourite right now is the 85mm f1.2L , despite being the most challenging lens to shoot.

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