300mm

The last weekend of January, and I'm stuck in doors. Saturday I was busy which meant it all depended on Sunday. We were going to Flower Farm for breakfast; cake and tea. It would make up for me not cycling yesterday.

I woke up to heavy rain being blown against the bedroom window. I was just about to send an abort text; Matt beat me to it.

So what to do with my day? I haven't had a photoshoot since this one. After breakfast it was time to get the camera out before it started raining again.

I have plans for March that include using a 300mm prime lens. It's not one I use very often so I needed to see how it performed as a portrait lens. I wanted to use it at its maximum aperture. This would blur the background and help the subject stand out. Giving a 3D effect. I don't think a camera phone can do that, even with the software and two lens trickery they now have. I have previously used a 80-200mm for portraits but I hadn't used the long end of the zoom for full length shots. Preferring around 100mm because I could still use the flash on camera to obtain the right exposure balance. With a longer lens the flash would have to be closer to the subject. This would be difficult without an assistant.  In March I have a second person helping me, so he can hold the light.

Photographing my bike which isn't very tall meant I had to open the side gate and leave the garden to get it all in, I ended up over thirty feet away.

I like the result, I think it does have a 3D feel. High speed sync meant I could control the ambient, or background light with the shutter speed. The trigger allowed me to adjust the power of the flash remotely, so no walking back and forth. I intend to test this setup again to make sure there are no problems in March when there'll be people to wonder what the problem is if I stop shooting. The bike just stood there impassively, only showing some impatience by falling over. Although that could have been the wind or the bricks moving.

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