Hello, there!
Ah, it's been a busy few weeks since Malacca and I still have more to finish before the semester ends in January.
Even so, I got myself to go out a bit and take some shots with a newly acquired AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED from Nikon!
I found it in one of the dry cabinets in my university's photo lab and my lecturer said it was fine if I wanted to borrow it.
So, here it is:
It is a very good telephoto lens, and most professionals have the two latest versions, either the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR or the latest VRII.
I've been planning on getting the VRII but I'm not making money off my photography (yet) so I'll have to postpone buying it for now.
The last 5 days of using this lens, I felt a new and unique thrill of taking photos.
It's different from my usual street photography, since this is a huge lens to carry around, I leave it at home when I go to classes.
I have to carefully calculate my distance from my subject and have to get used to the minimal 80mm focal length.
And also, since I'm on a DX format camera, the minimal focal length goes from 80mm to 120mm FX equivalent, which basically means I have to be at stalker distance instead of a more socially interactive distance with my subject.
Here are some of my favorites so far:
Besides that, I've decided to shoot in black & white for my December challenge, which will be called THE B&W CHALLENGE.
Of course, all my challenges up till now have been going pretty well, albeit a less frequent A PHOTO A DAY routine.
I've been getting used to RAW files and my 18-200mm has been serving me really well.
Sometimes I think it's much better for street shots instead of my 35mm f/1.8G (don't tell Kai!).
As I said, it serves really well in the practicality of it.
The reason for shooting in black & white is so that I don't burden myself by looking for frames with colors that blend well and just look for a well-composed, beautiful shot of a good subject.
I have this sort of fetish for colors and I usually ignore subjects that don't have nice colors.
People back in the day used to just shoot black and white, and one very legendary street photographer, Henri-Cartier Bresson took his best shots in black and white.
As a person who's just starting out, it'll be a good exercise for me to try out different styles and methods of photography so down the line, I'll be able to figure out which suits me the best.
Of course, I'll be milking the 80-200mm till the day I finally have to return it.
I hope to present beautiful shots next month.
Three weeks left of the semester and I'll be going on vacation in Bali during Christmas!
Can't wait for it.
Till then.
Ah, it's been a busy few weeks since Malacca and I still have more to finish before the semester ends in January.
Even so, I got myself to go out a bit and take some shots with a newly acquired AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED from Nikon!
I found it in one of the dry cabinets in my university's photo lab and my lecturer said it was fine if I wanted to borrow it.
So, here it is:
Nikon D7100 + AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED
(photo taken using my iPhone 5S)
It is a very good telephoto lens, and most professionals have the two latest versions, either the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR or the latest VRII.
I've been planning on getting the VRII but I'm not making money off my photography (yet) so I'll have to postpone buying it for now.
The last 5 days of using this lens, I felt a new and unique thrill of taking photos.
It's different from my usual street photography, since this is a huge lens to carry around, I leave it at home when I go to classes.
I have to carefully calculate my distance from my subject and have to get used to the minimal 80mm focal length.
And also, since I'm on a DX format camera, the minimal focal length goes from 80mm to 120mm FX equivalent, which basically means I have to be at stalker distance instead of a more socially interactive distance with my subject.
Here are some of my favorites so far:
Portrait, my partner in crime.
f/2.8 | 1/60 sec. | ISO-6400 | 170mm
This is a photo I took indoors, where I bumped up the ISO for a faster shutter speed. The large aperture allowed for a much faster shutter speed, even at a zoom focal length of 170 mm.
Wrong street, homie.
f/2.8 | 1/30 sec. | ISO-6400 | 80mm
This photo was also taken indoors, with the only light source being the window next to Elmo. Even in low-light, the focusing is good and the large aperture means I don't have to bump up my ISO too high, which reduces noise.
Portrait, Leo.
f/2.8 | 1/250 sec. | ISO-1250 | 100mm
Some photographers regard the 70-200mm lenses ( in my case 80-200) as a perfect portrait lens, so I also wanted to test it out. I think that it is a good choice for portraits as there is less distortion when shooting using longer focal lengths. One downside is that you'd be far away from your model, which could cause communication breakdown.
Ayah.
f/2.8 | 1/5000 sec. | ISO-640 | 200mm
Bokeh! The real reason for such a heavy and pricey lens. The tact sharp focus of the subject with the 100% blur of the background is what photographers would spend thousands on. Zooming out to 200mm, you get a very blurred, compressed background that makes a very stunning photo. You can also see that the colors are wonderfully retained and VR isn't necessary with a very fast shutter speed.
Besides that, I've decided to shoot in black & white for my December challenge, which will be called THE B&W CHALLENGE.
Of course, all my challenges up till now have been going pretty well, albeit a less frequent A PHOTO A DAY routine.
I've been getting used to RAW files and my 18-200mm has been serving me really well.
Sometimes I think it's much better for street shots instead of my 35mm f/1.8G (don't tell Kai!).
As I said, it serves really well in the practicality of it.
The reason for shooting in black & white is so that I don't burden myself by looking for frames with colors that blend well and just look for a well-composed, beautiful shot of a good subject.
I have this sort of fetish for colors and I usually ignore subjects that don't have nice colors.
People back in the day used to just shoot black and white, and one very legendary street photographer, Henri-Cartier Bresson took his best shots in black and white.
As a person who's just starting out, it'll be a good exercise for me to try out different styles and methods of photography so down the line, I'll be able to figure out which suits me the best.
Of course, I'll be milking the 80-200mm till the day I finally have to return it.
I hope to present beautiful shots next month.
Three weeks left of the semester and I'll be going on vacation in Bali during Christmas!
Can't wait for it.
Till then.
"“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson"
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