Canon EOS 7D update & new Fine Art Print

I just added this image on my other site nolaPIC.com I took at Lafreniere Park in Metarie, LA at sunset (once I uploaded the shot on Flickr my photostream was on fire with comments!). I love the soft tones, narrow dof and the bokeh  of the Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM ! The fine art photo is available as a 10″x 10″ or 20″x 20″ for the US, and 8″x 8″ and 12″x 12″ for European customers. To purchase this or other high quality open edition prints please visit: www.nolaPIC.com.

Photo taken with (my favorite lens!)  Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM @ f1.4 and a Canon EOS 5D Mark IIwhich is by far my favorite lens.

Canon EOS 7D Available!

October 24, 2009: Finally Amazon is delivering the new Canon EOS 7D! The body only is now available as well as the Canon EOS 7D Kit with the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Get yours while you can and enjoy its killer new features, I could use a better autofocus myself and the 8 fps speed!

Oct 24, 2009 | Photo Gear, Prints for Sale | Leave A Comment »

Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Autofocus Speed Test

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Since I were once worried myself about the Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM AF speed and I hate reading charts and numbers, (they do not really tell me how a lens performs in the real world) I have finally found the time to do a quick and empirical autofocus speed test, using the lens coupled with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II body. This quick animated gif may help people making up their minds and fork out the hard earned $ once and for all.
The Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM AF speed is indeed slower than “regular” Canon L Ultrasonic lenses, but fast enough for the average user and even faster than I actually thought… really! Considering that the autofocus on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II it’s quite old and slow ( the camera shoots at only 3.9 frames per second) the quick test showed and confirmed that you can be assured you can achieve decent AF results, I would be very interested in seeing a similar test done with a Canon body with a much faster autofocus and fps like the 1DM3 or even with the new Canon 7D since its newly re-designed autofocus . The images were shots wide open at 1.2 by the way, so you know they have been shot at the shallowest DOF possibile. The SUV is approximately moving at 45 MPH and I used the center AF which is its only cross point. The animated Gif is slowed down a bit so you can see the focus is dead on.

If you are shooting portraits with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
or with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM I would strongly suggest you order and install the Canon Eg-S super precision focusing screen which only takes 2 minutes to install!

Please see my other post about it here, with details from Chuck Westfall.

Oct 03, 2009 | Photo Gear, Photo Tips | Leave A Comment »

Dreamy Bokeh, Mississippi River and French Quarter Pictures

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans

To see  more New Orleans photography and purchase high quality prints please visit www.nolaPIC.com

Matassa's Market in the French quarter of New Orleans

Thanks to a very low humidy record during the past  weekend (unheard of  for Louisiana in August!), I shot a few (IMHO) great images with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, at the Hale Boggs Mississippi River Bridge in Luling , LA and in the French Quarter in New Orleans, LA. The small slideshow doesn’t do any justice, since the images should be really viewed at larger size to fully appreciate the feel them and the dreamy bokeh. Open edition prints are for sale and available from 8″x12″ to very large prints sized @ 20″x30″ and can be ordered and shipped in USA and Europe.

These pictures in the flash gallery below and other prints of images taken in Louisiana (New Orleans French Quarter ) and other areas can be purchased at nolaPIC.com

Please be sure to always check out my gallery of available images nolaPIC.com since new photos are added on a weekly basis and may be harder to find on this blog.

The embedded gallery below from nolapic.com is named
“Bokeh Addiction“.

These pictures in the flash gallery below and other prints of images taken in Louisiana (New Orleans French Quarter ) and other areas can be purchased at nolaPIC.com

The embedded gallery below from nolapic.com is named
“The River“

To see  more New Orleans photography and purchase high quality prints please visit www.nolaPIC.com

Aug 24, 2009 | Photography, Prints for Sale | Leave A Comment »

Need VERY interesting faces, young, cute, old, older…

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I need some very photogenic and cute kids between  2 and 8 years old too.

You must be in the Metairie area (or you’ll need to drive here) and willing to sign a release form for you or your kids. Pics will be taken outdoors in Metairie or New Orleans depending on type of shoot.

Thank you in advance…I look forward to hearing from you!

Aug 11, 2009 | Photography | 1 Comment »

New Orleans Lake Lawn Cemetery Photography

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Did a run for a few hours yesterday at the Lake Lawn Cemetery, it was incredibly HOT, but I managed to get a few killer pictures before I had to run away from the heat! I need to go back soon in the morning since they open at 7 am.

The images can be viewed and purchased here (look for the “New Orleans Cemeteries” gallery). Open edition high quality photo prints, in 5 sizes to choose from and/or framed.

Getting ready now to go to New Orleans for the Michael Jackson Second Line celebration, please come back tomorrow to see some photos!

High quality open edition prints of the New Orleans cemetery Lake Lawn (and others) are now available at my e-commerce enabled site www.nolaPIC.com

Prints will be ALSO be available for European Union and United Kingdom viewers as well as payments in Euros!

To see  more New Orleans photography and purchase high quality prints please visit www.nolaPIC.com

Jun 28, 2009 | Photography, Prints for Sale | Leave A Comment »

Testing with Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

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The Canon Eg-S Focusing Screen helps a lot too and I’ d suggest you get it if you have a Canon 5DmII too. It’s only $45.00 from Amazon but keep in mind that the Super Precision Matte screen improves the ease of focusing when doing manual focus, but it’s not recommended for use with lenses slower than f/2.8. With these slower lenses, the viewfinder will actually look darker then with the standard Eg-A screen.

If you do install the Canon Eg-S precision matte screen, do not forget to change the  C.Fn IV -5 setting to match the focusing screen type. This is to obtain correct exposure.

The full  frame sensor of the 5Dm2 and its depth is a dream come true! Picture taken @ 1/2000 sec.  f 1.2 ISO 400. Click thumbnail to see a larger image.

Jun 11, 2009 | Photo Gear, Photo Tips, Photography | Leave A Comment »