Yesterday, I attended the annual Chalk It Up event, a free open-art festival for families. I’ve photographed this event many years in a row, but this was the first time using my new 25mm lens. In retrospect, I should have adjusted my aperture a lot wider, as many of my shots had missed focus, or better yet, went with my zoom lens. Regardless, it was a wonderful time. I was blown away by the talent.
Let me know if you have a favorite shot and have a fantastic day
- These photos were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII with a 25mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
3 and 15
But all the pictures look unique and great
Aww! Thank you. I’m so glad you liked those.
OMG! Snoopy and Dolly Parton! Those are my favorites! Great photos, Bridgette!
I was so excited to see the Dolly Parton! All the artists were so talented and kind. I can’t draw at all, so it feels like magic to watch them work.
I like the lighthouse and Snoopy best Bridgette. A good set of photos
The artist doing the Snoopy was seriously the sweetest! Glad you like those. Thank you!
Very nice.
Thanks! So glad you like these.
You have worked up quite a feast of photos from the Chalk It Up event. It is difficult to pick a favourite, because different images seem to be saying different things beyond the drawings themselves. Numbers 1 to 7 are particularly nice. Number 7 really pulls me in, and so does number 13.
You mentioned that you should have opened the aperture a lot wider. You have done just that in number 15, and there it is all about the bokeh, which the 25mm lens handles very nicely.
It’s such a lovely event and I’m glad you enjoyed these photos. You are right that number 15 was wide open, but with the others I kept adjusting trying to not get in too much light (it was really bright out). I’m excited to attend next year and try to do an even better job at capturing the magic of this event. Maybe I’ll have a better camera by then.
The best camera is the one behind the viewfinder.
So true, but mine isn’t a full frame camera, so it does struggle with light more than I like. I’ve been working hard to learn how to counter it, but it would be nice to not have to do that.
I understand that. I am a Nikon user: it has got some pretty lenses in its catalogue. You might want to have a look at its 135mm Plena for portrait photography. The 85mm f/1.8 is pretty close with less than one-fourth the price, though.
Forgive my ignorance, but can I use a lens like that on my Olympus? I’ve been really loving my 25mm (50mm equivalent) and have been wanting an 85mm, but prime lenses are so pricey.
Typically, the major full-frame systems — Nikon, Canon and Sony — offer a relatively affordable 85mm portrait prime around f/1.8, and these lenses are generally excellent. They deliver perhaps 90–95% of what most photographers will actually see in photographs from the much more expensive f/1.4 or f/1.2 versions, which can cost three or four times as much.
The faster lenses certainly have their advantages — a little more subject separation, smoother bokeh, better low-light capability and, often, more sophisticated construction. But in most real-world photographs, especially once you move away from shooting wide open, the differences become remarkably small. Put the finished pictures side by side without labels, and most people would be hard pressed to tell which lens took which photograph.
I’m a pushover for anyone who has artistic talent – here I can’t get past #2 and the faraway look in the subject’s eyes. Then your #7 illustrating the preliminary sketch work.
Thanks! I’m the same. I have no drawing talent myself, so it feels like magic when I watch these artists work.
Talented artists. Thanks for sharing your photos.
They really are! Thank you for taking a look.
Umashankar has excellent advice
He always does. 🙂