PHOTOGRAPH INFO

I've been wanting to use the Canon 50mm f/1.2L lens for a number of projects so I rented it this past week. It's been a joy to shoot with.

We had an impromptu pizza picnic out on the lawn last Thursday. The afternoon started with a brainstorming session about how to photograph brightly-colored bubblegum bubbles, but we got hungry and decided to eat pizza instead. We eventually tried the bubblegum, but the "Bubbliscious" brand was too tough to chew and didn't make big enough bubbles for the shot I had in mind.

I stood on a stepladder for this photograph. The kids were lying on a housepainters' canvas.

Camera settings and post-processing: Shot with the Canon EOS 5D and the Canon 50mm f/1.2L lens at 50mm, ISO 400, shutter speed 1/160s, aperture f/8. Curves adjustments, color balancing, converted to Lab color and added slight vignette & blur to the edges.

Thank you for visiting Durham Township!

-- Kathleen

Good work with the edges,gives it a slight shallowness to the DOP. What do you use for post processing these days? Lightroom, Aperture or just good old Photoshop?

Interesting shot, and it looks like a fun time. But... pizza plus bubblegum plus milk?? If that combination isn't illegal in most states, well, it oughta be.

You are amazing, Kathleen!
I can't even imagine taking such a quintessential candid shot standing on a stepladder over my subjects.
Awesome!
And how different is f/1.2L from 1.4 at f/8?

Cute slice of life (and slice of pizza) Nicely done, I like the expression on the faces.

Fun layout...and one slice left for the tardy guest.

The big smile in the middle reminds me of the "faces" that woke me this morning. Two of my sons and I were camping in the Owyhee Mountians and we awoke to nearby screams. Dwelling in that partial consciousness of first waking, I slowly realized that the screams went unabated for quite a while. Curiosity finally won out. I climbed out of my sleeping bag and went to investigate the source of all this daybreak excitement.

I found four boys (none over 5) hanging onto all sides a four wheeler, screaming for dear life as if careening down a treacherous canyon wall.

I watched this animated display of youthful enthusiasm for a couple of minutes then walked off to find my own boys and some breakfast, Looking back, had to smile at the the "riders" still laughing and screaming in mock terror. The four wheeler had not moved the entire time.....it didn't matter.

Oh, and thanks for the party invitation, and saving that slice. Funny how even if only on in the front lawn, camping out improves the taste of pizza.....if not the gum.

Kathleen ,
Great to see the 'kids' having fun thanks I'm sure to your consurned direction . Enjoy ! Enjoy!
Adolph

What a beautiful composition. And you always get so lucky with the color! nicely done.

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There is still one slice left! Looks like you had a funny day!

looks like a lot of fun. great capture.

so cute. love the hand on the tummy. one too many slices of pizza maybe. :)

To capture together the often photographed three
Their faces lit up with amusement and glee.
Remnants of a lunch
Enjoyed by the bunch....
How happy an occasion for us to see.

Kathleen, it has been a joy to watch your photography evolve. I fell in love with your landscapes, and loved them even more when you added friends and family to the scene. Now you're capturing moments in time, and these photos are going to be priceless treasures as the kids grow up.

You're very gifted, and I always look forward to what you'll try next.

This is different than most of your work and i like that. With that kind of a picnic, it's no wonder these kids are happy =)

Did You really, REALLY drink milk with pizza?

Corey: Still using Photoshop CS2! I use it in the most basic ways so haven't bothered to upgrade. I'm told LIghtroom does a better job with the basics so at some point I'd like to try that.

Anthony DiSante: The kids drink milk with everything! (By choice, too!)

Anupam: I haven't done any real comparison work with the two lenses at f/8. But the f/1.2L does some amazing things wide open and there's no comparing that. :)

david tinnon: Awesome story! Thanks!

Marta: Not me, but they do! (You can see my full glass of water there as proof.) :)

Lovely infectious laughter shot.

I must say Lightroom is a godsend! I love it for it's organizing and all the layout for adjustments. You should give it a spin. From reading the kind of adjustments you do on your photos Lightroom would fit you like a glove. Go to Adobe.com they have a 30 day free trial.

I love this photo! Such a fun glimpse into their lives :)

What fun!

This has so much whimsy and it makes me wish I'd been there for the "party".

I love the looks on their faces.

I've been using lightroom for the basics for some time now, probably a year or more(?). It is a great organizer too.

I am amatuer from the Jersey side and just found you through Google "NJ photo blog" search. Fantastic. I enjoy shooting similar subjects (landscapes, people) so your photo blog is beautiful, inspirational and informative for me. I just bought Canon XSi and thinking of renting to get feel for different lenses before purchasing some. Have you rented much and if so where do you rent your lenses? Thank you.