Photography Minute » Canon 5D Mark II

Interview with Photographer – Pat O’Brien

Eric D. Brown — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:41:11 +0000

I reached out to Pat O’Brien (www.obrienstudios.com) last month to ask him some questions about his photography, his approach to this passion of ours and his thoughts on where the field of photography is headed…below are Pat’s questions and answers.

Pat has some great insight into the industry…looking forward to see what comes out of his camera in the future.

Q: Tell me about yourself (bio etc)?

Hello, my name is Pat O’Brien and I consider myself a “professional amateur” photographer. What I mean by that is, photography isn’t my full time job, so that makes me an amateur. It’s a passion of mine and I’ve been lucky enough to have a few paying assignments which have been published, so that’s where I like to tack on the professional title.

Q: How did you get started in photography?

When I was younger I would play around with my parents camera, and finally I got my own 35mm film camera. I remember taking pictures of everything. I tried to get newer cameras as I got older and had some money. When I was in the Army, my unit Commander noticed my interest, and wanted a photographer to take photos of unit assemblies and field training to be used for public relations. So I was sent off to a simple and quick Army photography course. Unfortunately I was assigned the position late in my Army career and didn’t get to take any interesting photos of my unit. When I got out, however, I took that training and kept going. Since that course, I have mostly taught myself what I know through a lot of reading and online resources.

Q: What type of photography interests you most (landscape, people, etc)?

I’m into many different forms of photography, and while I have done portraiture and product photography, I mostly enjoy taking photos of landscapes. For me, I enjoy being outside with beautiful weather and hiking around the landscape to find the right angle, and get “the shot”. Most of the time I’ll hang out until near sunset to capture some HDR sunsets of the landscape as well. When the weather is bad, I’ll tend to do product photography. I find that since the subject doesn’t move much, I can experiment more to get a better angle.

Q: Where do you see the field of photography heading in the next 3 to 5 years?

In the next 3 to 5 years I see the photography industry having more of a shift to DSLR hybrid camera bodies that can do video as well. We already see that now with the Canon 5D Mark II, and the Canon 7D. As more of these camera bodies will be produced it will become more cost effective to use them in more applications – such as making movies.

Q: Do you see the field of photography and professional photographers growing or constricting?

In sort of the same light as the previous question, I believe the field of photography will be growing. With camera bodies coming out with video, and the newer bodies getting even better (e.g. faster processors, higher ISO with less noise, and faster FPS), I see the field growing considerably. Again, as technology progresses, these features will become more cost effective to manufacture, and that’ll draw consumers in.

Q: Canon or Nikon?

I shoot all Canon equipment. I’m not sure why, to be honest. My first DSLR camera was a Canon 10D, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve had some great luck with Canon.

Q: If you could put together your ‘dream’ setup of camera and lens(s), what would it be?

At this point in my photography life, I’ve recently purchased my ‘dream’ setup. I have the Canon 5D Mark II, with the Speedlite 580EX II and Canon 24-105mm f/4L. I also have the Canon 50mm 1.4, and the Canon 70-200 f/4L. Of course, I guess the dream can live on… I’d love to be able to own the100mm Macro, the 24-70 f/2.8L for low light, and a nice super telephoto such as the Canon 500mm f/4L to get those long range landscape shots.

Q: Is it the camera/lenses or the photographer?

I believe it’s the photographer. Sure having nice equipment can get you a good looking photo, but having some sort of artistic vision of what you’re trying to achieve is going to be better in the long run. The camera isn’t able to “think” for you, so it won’t be able to get the best possible angle. That’s where the photographer comes in!

Q: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I invite you to check out my portfolio website (www.obrienstudios.com) and follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/obrienstudios)!

I hope to make this a regular feature of the blog…if you’d like to be featured (or know someone who would, please let me know).

Canon 50mm f/1.2 L Lens Review

Eric D. Brown — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:24:25 +0000

I borrowed my wife’s Canon 50mm f/1.2 L lens today….and figured I’d do a review of this stunning lens. This thing is built like a tank but isn’t too heave…and it produces some excellent photographs.

Before I continue…I am NOT the target user for a 50mm lens but I thought I’d write this review up anyway. My strengths are birds, wildlife and landscapes…or at least that’s what I like to shoot. The 50mm lens is made for portraits, street photography and close up shooting.

While sitting at home today waiting for the carpet dude (long story), I grabbed Tracie’s 50mm 1.2 and started taking photos. It’s quite different using a 50mm compared to the 24-105mm L (is my primary Canon 5D lens)….the ‘feel’ of taking a photo with a 50mm prime is different than with a zoom lens. I actually had to move to get the proper composition…imagine that!

I was amazed at the ability to use available light in our dark house and get pretty decent shutter speeds at decent ISO’s. This lens is fast to focus and produces an amazing bokeh.

See for yourself below.

Photo Samples

Here are a few shots from around the house…both shot at f/1.2…notice the fast falloff of focus.

Flower Vase with Canon 50mm 1.2 L

Tiles with Canon 50mm 1.2 L

While neither of these photos are exciting, they show the value of the 1.2 aperture as they were both shot with available light indoors.

Like I said before, this lens isn’t really for me as I’m not that great at the type of photography that the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L is built for. But…I figured it’d still be worth sharing this review…at least to show that I can take photos of something besides birds and animals

If not for me, then who?

This lens IS perfect for any professional photographer. My wife uses it almost elusively as a boudoir photographer and newborn photographer and in fact, it’s the default lens on her Canon 5D Mark II.

To do this lens justice…let me share some of her photos taken with it:

This is a great lens. If you’ve got $1500 to spend and want the a 50mm prime that can get you an aperture of 1.2, run and get this one. I’m told that the Canon 50mm 1.4 is almost as good for a lot less money (~ $350 at Adorama).

UPDATE: I always forget about the Canon 50mm f/1.8 at an extremely low price of $99.95. This cheap lens is an a great value and has been well reviewed around the web.

For a comparison of the 50mm 1.2 L vs the 1.4, check out Thomas Hawk’s Review of the Canon 50mm 1.2.

Wonderful video recorded with Canon 5D MKII and Canon 7D

Eric D. Brown — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:00:17 +0000

I saw another wonderful video from Philip Bloom on Vimeo. This one, titled Skywalker Ranch, is an amazing experience and really shows off the creativity of the photographer / videographer as well as the capabilities of the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.

Jump over to Bloom’s blog to read the behind the scenes of this video.

Skywalker Ranch from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.