Digital Camera World (2019-06)

Shootout

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com JUNE 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^95

Challenge 2

Olivia Faye

or the second challenge,

Olivia could have chosen any

one of a number of animals

from around the farm. In

the end she went with one

of her favourite subjects on the day –

the micro-pigs had clearly made a big

impression. Switching to her 70-300mm

telephoto lens for this shot, and using

a focal length of 90mm (equivalent to

135mm on a full-frame camera), allowed

Olivia to maintain a reasonable distance

from such a young animal – contrast

this with her use of a 10-20mm lens for

other (larger and more mature) subjects.

Focusing on the eyes and using the lens

at its maximum aperture of f/4.5 to give

a shallow depth of field has defocused

the human hands slightly. Coupled with

a pleasing composition, it shows that

Olivia has a great eye for a photo and

the technical flair to realise it.

Both participants submitted a choice of

colour and mono images, and going black

and white for this shot was certainly a wise

choice. Human skin tones and the light

brown tone of the micro-pig would have

produced a mono-tonal photograph,

so converting it to black and white and

making this image focus on tone and

texture really adds to the overall appeal.

Expert opinion

Olivia has done a great job of capturing a

tender moment. The black-and-white finish

is the right choice for this shot, as any

colourful distractions are eliminated. The

hand in the frame holding the pig not only

reveals what size the animal is, but also the

human connection these farmyard animals

have to us. By using the long lens with

a wide aperture, the background has

blurred, isolating the subject perfectly.

F

Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Exposure 1/500 sec at f/9, ISO 320

‘Good’ distortion

Although not recommended

for shooting portraits, wide-

angle lenses can lend a

distinctive look in certain

situations. And that’s what

Olivia has achieved here, with

her Sigma 10-20mm used at

a focal length of 14mm (21mm

on a full-frame camera).

Camera Nikon D5300

Lens Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

Exposure 1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 800