Oragne County Wedding Photographer Jen OSullivan » 50mm

Photo Tips

Jen — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:00:24 +0000

Welcome student of photography! Here you will find some helpful tips and tricks when it comes to everything photography and some business thrown in.

Got a Question: Email Jen at jen@jenosullivan.com
LEARN SOMETHING NEW!

PHOTO TIPS
Using Clean Light
Bounced Light
Diffusing Flash Photography
Passion Is Everything
Window Lighting
Darkening Day
Lens Flare
Be a Copy Cat
Catching the Moment
Cocktail Hour Candids
Getting It All Done
Senior Portraits (To The Senior)
How to get an “A”
Image Concepting
Composition Basics
Tangancies
Framing
Angle of Vision
Reflections
Foreground Background Relationships
Depth of Field

WORKFLOW
Photo Actions for Watermarks
Surveys and Feedback
RAW vs. JPEG
Black and White Conversions
Photo Actions for Watermarks
Blogging
Free PhotoShop Actions
Batteries
Group Portraits
Shooting Singles
Paper Cutters
Computers
Album Design: Principles and Elements of Design
Album Design: Printers and Binders
Album Design Tricks
Adobe RGB vs. sRGB
Post-Production Services
Printing
Proper Image Labeling
Creating Categories for Online Wedding Previews
Archiving
Staying Healthy

TECHNIQUE
Bounced Light
Shutter Drag
CF Card System
Tips to Give Your Clients For Great Photos
Interior Photography
Irrational Composition
Going Unnoticed
Camera Handling
The Beginning
Portrait Lighting Using Reflectors
Studio Strobe Lighting
The Magic Hour
Camera Control
Manual Camera Operation
Understanding ISO
ISO Offenders
Custom Function 4 (focus tracking using the * button)
Canon EOS 500D Rebel T1i
Best Starter Camera For Your Money
Understanding Lenses
Sigma 50mm 1.4 EX DG HSM Lens
Printers
Hard Drives
Tripods
The Essentials

STUDIO BUSINESS PRACTICE
Your Identity
Branding Yourself
Picking a URL
Your Email Address
Surveys and Feedback
Retouching
Insurance
Etiquette
What’s In a Name?
Be a Pro Photographer
Pricing
Client Profiling
Contract Writing
Terms of Service (Copyable text for your contracts.)
Writing a Business Plan
Creating a Theme
Belief Setting
Goal Setting
Creating Your Catch Phrase
Portrait Studios
Assisting
Assistant Wages

MARKETING
Who’s Your Market?
Doing Charity
Branding Yourself
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Who’s On Your Team?
Got Print
Staying Connected
Custom Booklets
Twitter
Promo Printing

Beverly Hills Wedding Photographer, Jen O’Sullivan is a boutique wedding photographer who specializes in portrait journalism.

489 South Robertson Boulevard, Suite 200, Beverly Hills, California 90211 ~ 120 West Bellevue Drive, Suite 20, Pasadena, CA 91105

jen@jenosullivan.com ~ 310-890-8174

QUICK TIP: Bounced Light

Jen — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:55:20 +0000

Lighting is crucial to a great photograph. How big your light source is in relation to your subject is also key. The smaller the light source the harsher the light. The larger the light source the softer the light. As an example, the sun, while in reality, it the largest light source we know, however in relationship to us (the distance away from us) it is a very small light source albeit strong. This is why our shadows are extremely sharp. When the sun sets we get some of the best light possible because the sun is reflecting into the entire atmosphere around us and now the sun is no longer our light source but the atmosphere is. In relationship to us the atmosphere is huge because it wraps around us. With this idea in mind, whenever you are shooting outside in the bright sunlight, look for a shady spot that is opposite a big wall that is fully lit by the sun. It is easy to find in cities and why I can always do photo shoots in the middle of the day in places like Pasadena. The above shot was taken in full shade between two buildings with the sun reflecting off a big building wall just in front of Cheri as well as the big white sky above her that creates a really nice shape. Notice the soft light on her face as well as the reflections in her eyes. You know your lighting is good if the specular highlight (white reflection) in your subject’s eyes is large and clear. This shot was taken with a Canon 5D with a Sigma 50mm 1.4 lens. There was no post production work on this shot other than very slight darkening of the four corners and the addition of my logo.

To view more helpful photo tips go to JensTips.com and learn something new today!
Copyright © 2009 by Jen O’Sullivan http://www.jenosullivan.com

Mother’s Day 2009

Jen — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:58:48 +0000

Today was the perfect day, thanks to my husand and little man Jacob. Here are some shots of me and Jacob at the park.

Raymond & Mariama

Jen — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:39:15 +0000

Raymond and Mariama were such fun to shoot today. I took them on a little walk about in my community and then inside for a few studio shots. Check out this girl’s eyes. She is gorgeous! They made my job pretty easy. I look forward to playing with them again in June!

Sigma 50mm 1.4 EX DG HSM Lens

Jen — Sun, 03 May 2009 09:02:03 +0000

Last month I purchased the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM instead of getting the Canon 50mm 1.2 saving myself a bunch of money ($460 for the Sigma compared to $1,380 for the Canon) and potential headache. Click HERE to read more on the headache factor. Having used this lens for most of April I can honestly say I love it. The speed is good and the bokeh factor is so much better than that of the Canon 1.4. The only drawback was having fun with the little 58mm barrel size of the Canon 50mm 1.4 compared to the larger 77mm barrel size of the Sigma 50mm 1.4 when doing reverse lens mount macro shots. The 77mm is a bit too large to cover over the entire camera body opening and so you cannot get as clear and crisp an image as the the Canon (more light flair.) I am sure the same would be true for the Canon 50mm 1.2 with a 72mm barrel size, however I have not tried it in the reverse position.

Most comparisons you will read are between the Canon 50mm 1.4 and the Sigma 50mm 1.4 however, I feel that other than the aperture size, the Sigma 50mm 1.4 compares more to the Canon 50mm 1.2 due to size, mechanics, blade construction, reduced aberrations, focus methods, the lens coating methods, and the fact that it is weather sealed. All these important factors make the Sigma 50mm 1.4 a much better choice over the Canon 1.4 which is $400. Honestly, why would you NOT buy the Sigma for an extra $60.

I tend to buy all my lenses through Amazon because they have the best return policy and usually the best price. Make sure you test any lens you buy within the first 30 days to make sure you do not have any front or back focusing issues. (click the above headache factor link to learn more about focus problems with lenses.)

Below are a few links to get you to the appropriate Sigma Lens for both Nikon and Canon shooters. I have also included the Canon 1.4 should you REALLY want to have the ability to shoot macro with it held inverted.

CANON USERS:
CANON 50mm 1.4
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

SIGMA 50mm 1.4 for Canon Cameras
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

NIKON USERS:
NIKON 50mm 1.4
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

SIGMA 50mm 1.4 for Nikon Cameras
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Sigma 50mm 1.4

Jen — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:03:11 +0000

In preparation for tomorrow’s wedding I tested out a new lens that came in the mail today. I had recently done some research on a new lens that came out last year (2008): Sigma 50mm 1.4 (same basic specs as the Canon 1.4 but more beefy like the Canon 1.2 and weather sealed unlike the Canon 1.4) After looking through hundreds of comments on all three lenses, I decided to toss my Canon 1.4 and try the Sigma. For around $450 it has a better build than the Canon 1.4 more closely matching the 1.2 in the bokeh department. What I mean by this: the Canon 1.4 tends to compress (squish into semi-circles) the circles of confusion (blurry rings in the background from ambient smaller lights). The Canon 1.2 does not do this, nor does the Sigma 1.4. There are not too many “off” brand lenses out there that compare to the build and quality of a Canon or Nikon pro lens, but I though I would give it a try. A BIG thing with this lens in comparison to the Canon 1.4 is that it is weather sealed and the Canon 1.4 is not. In my book this is a big deal. So if you are in the market for a new lens, you might try this one out. I will give you my full opinion on it after I use it for a while. The above is a test shot from today of my little man, Jacob.
Settings: 50mm | ISO 100 | f/1.4 | 1/2000 sec.

CANON USERS:
CANON 50mm 1.4
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

SIGMA 50mm 1.4 for Canon Cameras
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

NIKON USERS:
NIKON 50mm 1.4
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

SIGMA 50mm 1.4 for Nikon Cameras
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras