Comparing focal lengths on a crop sensor...

There has been a lot of talk recently (on a photography forum I'm a part of) about the effects that different focal lengths have on a picture. I've read up on this, as well as found awesome blog posts comparing, but I wanted to do my own little experiment.
The following were taken with my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Now remember, I'm using a crop sensor camera (the 50D, which is a 1.6X crop, not to be confused with Nikon, which is a 1.5X crop...they just have to be different, don't they?!) which means that a 50mm focal length is actually equivalent to an 80mm focal length...someone correct me if I'm wrong...anyway, for my purposes, this doesn't really matter, as I don't own a full frame camera. One day, right?
Anyway, back to the experiment at hand.
I chose Sarah as my subject, basically because she was facing our front door, there was gorgeous light spilling in and creating gorgeous catchlights in her eyes, and even though she was in her walker, she was remaining stationary...a must for this experiment to be "accurate".
Okay, so let the fun begin!
Here is Sarah (roughly three feet away from me...I didn't measure) at 28mm:
Notice how she appears "farther away". The background is "part of the image", as you can see Hannah dancing in the background, as well as all of the clutter...ahem, those are toys...my house was decluttered before children...

At 35mm:
The background is starting to disappear, but is still a part of the picture. This would make more sense had I been a little farther away from my subject. I'll have to save that for another post...oh, there will be another post!

At 50mm:
50mm is supposed to be exactly as our eyes would see...no distortion, no forced perspective...

At 60mm:
Not a huge difference from 50, but it creates a more "fill-the-frame" shot from where I was standing. Sarah is taking up almost the entire frame.

And finally, at the longest focal length that the Tamron offers, 75mm:

My 100L arrives today, so I may add it to the experiment later on.

So, can you see the difference? I was most surprised by how little of a difference I saw between 35 and 50mm, which is good to know since I was possibly considering the 35mm as an additional prime to add to my bag. It still may happen at some point down the road, but I think I can live with the 35mm on the Tamron for the time being.

If you look closely (or maybe not that close...), you'll notice there is distortion on the 28mm-35mm end. It is less with the 35. To me, Sarah
s head an the front of her walker are disproportionate in size. The wider angles give you that bit of distortion if you're not careful.
I do like the wider angles. They add a little fun to the picture. As many like to refer to them, they are the "story telling" lengths. You can fit much more in your picture if shooting with a 28mm than with the 75mm end of the Tamron. The 75mm adds compression to the image, making the background far less apparent. This focal length is great for portraits, as you want your subject to really stand out.
But what about the times when you want to really tell a story? When you want your background to be as much a part of your image as your subject? A wider lens will allow you to do that, as you'll fit more into the frame and there will be less compression.

It was a fun experiment for me! And I got some really cute shots of
Sarah, albeit they still do need some editing tweaks. ;)

Happy Wednesday!

I am Mom.

The past month or so has been extremely rough on me. The girls got a cold at the beginning of June that hung around for over ten days. Coughing, snot, and more Vick's Baby Rub than I care to mention.
Since this spring-time cold (and seriously, are not spring and summer colds worse than their winter and fall counterparts?) we have had serious sleep issues with the youngest of the Price clan. Sarah, while not the world's best sleeper, usually made it until around 4:30 or 5:00 every morning...maybe getting up once to be either comforted or nursed. For the past three, almost four weeks, I'm lucky if one hour goes by through the night where my eyes are shut and no one is crying, nursing, or squirming. It's been a little rough, but I am Mom, and I will survive.

Lack of sleep makes a person do all kinds of crazy things. Today, I ordered a new lens.

I debated and debated after having rented the glorious 24-70L. I LOVE that lens. It's nothing short of outstanding. I promptly listed all of my lenses for sale to fund the purchase of my first L lens.
This has been my plan for several days. Finally, I've acquired enough money to buy, and I've changed my mind.

Above photos taken with the Canon 24-70L

After all of the thought, the debating, the dreaming. I've decided to pass.

Which one did I choose, you ask? It's a nail biter, isn't it?!

Instead, the glorious 100L will be mine in just a few short days!

This decision makes Sarah all kinds of happy. See?!

Oh yeah, I am Mom. And I get to call that gorgeous face my daughter. I love her. I love them both.

While I almost passed out while pressing buy at Adorama.com, I'm totally thrilled with my purchase and I can't wait to use it to capture more moments like these:

That is my Grandmother. I love her so. She's made such a positive impact in the lives of so many. She is a wonderful example of Mom, Grandma, Sister, Aunt, Great-Grandmother...we are so thankful for such a wonderful woman.

I love being able to capture fleeting moments with my camera (and lenses!). My girls will have the above pictures forever. I want them to know how much Great-Grandma loves them. To be honest, that alone softens the blow of the large chunk of change I just spent.

All Moms need a break. Tonight, this Mom and my Mom will be heading out for dinner and shopping. It'll be a well-deserved break. :) And before it's time to head home, I'll find myself itching to return to my girls. My loves.

Until next time...

The glorious 24-70L!!

Although this lens is absolutely beautiful, both in appearance and performance, I must admit there is a serious learning curve. I doubt it has as much to do with the lack of IS and more to do with my lack of experience and skill...:(
Anyway, I've struggled a bit with this beast, as it is quite a bit heavier than my Tamron. On day 2 of the rental (which is today) I feel a little more confident and hope to have it somewhat "figured out" before I have to mail it back on Tuesday.
So, with no further adeu, a few snapshots.
Hannah was still napping when the lens arrived, so I grabbed Sarah for an impromptu "photo shoot".

The above picture is basically SOOC {straight out of camera} with little more than a bump in exposure and contrast. The colors are truly beautiful, and I do think an improvement over my Tamron...but I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison to really make my final judgement. ;)

Aren't they cute? I got a really nice picture of my Mom with her gorgeous blue eyes, but I'm sure she'd kill me if I posted. However, I doubt she really reads my blog...that may be a great way to see if she does, eh Mom? ::wink wink::
This is my brother, Mark. He'd kill me, too, but I know for a fact he follows my blog but never reads it. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? Sarah absolutely adores her Uncle Marky...like, everything stops when he walks in the room. No matter what she's upset over, just his mere presence puts a huge smile on her face. Is there anything sweeter?!

I love the above image...weird crop and all. I wanted to see how sharp the lens was. It looks like it's pretty darn sharp to me, and I'm thinking any lack in sharpness was probably user error.

And onto today. I felt guilty for neglecting the lens all day. I grabbed Hannah after her nap (hence, the wrinkled shirt) and made her stand outside in a similar spot to the pictures I took the other day. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison, although it won't really be relevant, as it would be two different times of day, etc. Oh, and I don't know how to do that in Photoshop. And I'll probably forget I ever promised a side-by-side until it's weeks later and everyone's all but forgotten that I even had something to compare. Whew. Raise your hand if you just took a breath for me! ;)

My review of the lens is this: I think it's amazing. The build quality far exudes that of any of my other lenses. And that red ring? Whoa. It just makes me feel good. haha
In all seriousness, I do see an improvement in my SOOC shots. They require less editing which makes me exuberant. I hate editing. Maybe it's because I kind of stink at it. Either way, whatever will save me time in post processing makes me happy. Getting a properly exposed shot in camera obviously means less work post. Having great glass is another step to a gorgeous shot. Oh, and awesome photography skills help a lot, too. :) I'd like to buy some of those. Any suggestions on where to get them? :wink:

Lillies.

My Mom picked up a few lillies last year to plant in her rock garden. She wasn't totally sure they would thrive, so she bought three in different colors.
Can I just say that not only are they thriving, they are GORGEOUS! The colors alone are enough to take your breath away.
While I've never thought I'd truly enjoy macro photography (not that I've really even scratched the surface), I was actualy pretty into getting these shots, and I contorted my body into positions it hadn't seen since high school. No, really. The landscaping rocks aren't the most comfy thing to sink down into, but I think it was worth the discomfort to get "the shot".

This has unfortunately made me want yet another lens...the 100mmL...and with a price tag over $1000, it'll be a little while until it's mine. Plus, there are a few others that I just have to have first. Looks like I have a lot of saving to do!
In the meantime, I opted for a set of extension tubes. They'll allow me to get a little more up close and personal with flowers and such without the hefty price tag of a designated macro lens. So, for several hundred dollars less, I'll be able to get a little closer to the image I'm shooting for...no pun intended...if that even applies here. ;)

I'm currently renting the glorious 24-70L ::swoon:: and have been playing around with it since it arrived yesterday. I haven't had it out enough and am feeling a tiny bit of guilt that instead of dragging the kids outside this morning to shoot, I've been inside washing the 3+ baskets of laundry, dusting, and cleaning. We are having a FHGI meeting here tonight, so I guess it needed to be done. Having kids sure does involve a lot more preparation! Between spilled juice, the multitude of crumbs that find their way between my couch cushions and embedded into my carpeting, to the drip of ketchup that Hannah flung onto the wall...never a dull moment here!
I'll post some pictures I've taken with the glorious 24-70L as soon as I can! I can't wait to really spend some time outdoors to see what it can do!

Has it really been a week?!

I just can't keep up anymore!

It's a little crazy here this morning, so I'll just post a few pictures and run. ;)

Micah and I had the chance to go on a quick date the other day. He brought a Mustang home from work, so we jumped in the convertible and headed to lunch. It was so nice to have alone time with him!

We came home to this:

Can she be any cuter?!
Hannah was still napping. It was a fabulous day!

Baby Levi

If you recall, I did my first newborn "shoot" for my best friend, Brittanie. I also did her maternity shoot a few weeks ago. She's a great sport and let me photograph sweet baby, Levi at just 10 days old.
He certainly gave me a run for my money between his long wakeful time, dislike of any and all poses I tried, and a little mishap on my blanket. Overall, he was a great little sport, and regardless of what I did/didn't do correctly, he is so adorable that I (and I'm sure Mom and Dad!) like every picture. It's seriously been hard to narrow them down!
Here's just one from the session. Once again, please excuse the gross watermark. Lightroom and I have all but been in a tug-of-war with this issue, and Smugmug is not recognizing my watermarks that I've uploaded recently. So, this is what it is at this time. Luckily, I have a friend coming over for a picnic this weekend who is going to try and help me sort through the watermark issue. Thank goodness!

Isn't he just the sweetest little boy?! I'm so happy for Brodie and Brittanie. Congratulations, you two!


And for those of you who view my blog to see pictures of my gorgeous girls, I'll be putting some new shots up shortly. Stay tuned! :)

Torrez Maternity Shoot

I met up with Samantha Torrez and her husband A.J. this weekend to grab a few shots of her baby belly before little Emma makes her debut in just a few weeks.
They were so much fun to work with and came prepared with some cool props and ideas for pictures!
Here's a little sneak peak! (Please bear with me as I am having watermark issues)

Can you believe how detailed 3D ultrasound pictures are?! You can even see her tiny little eyelids! What a miracle!

Samantha looks absolutely fabulous and is just glowing! Dad-to-be is glowing, too!

Congratulations, you two! I can't wait to see little Emma!