Super Sexy Bokehlicious Photos, a Nerd Perspective
Sigma 85mm ƒ1.4 DG DN Art
Photography is something enjoyed by millions of people. Every single person with an iPhone, is now a “photographer.” Over filtered selfies on Instagram, need not apply. But what makes a photographer “good.” Is it the story they tell? The composition of the image? The perfectly exposed photo, taking every light source into consideration? How about the equipment they have? Is it true that the most important part of producing good images is the 12 inches of space directly behind the camera? Well, I’d say yes to all. One thing these all have in common is money. Albeit time spent composing the image, editing the image, the equipment used, or the value of yourself as a photographer, it cost money to produce a good photograph. It’s not always as easy as mindlessly clicking that shutter button. Unless you’ve got a million social media followers; then you can mindlessly click that shutter.
“Date your camera body, and marry your lenses.”
Understanding the technical details of photography help in making you a good photographer. Like chromatic abboration and light diffraction associated with the aperture blades in your lens. Speaking of aperture! All these things come into play, but one thing that often gets buried is equipment. Sure, great images can be taken with older equipment, but was the old equipment actually good equipment when it was released? As far as I’m concerned, you get what you pay for… no matter how old it is. Camera body technology seems to change each time the wind blows, but good lenses can last decades. What’s the saying? Date your camera body, and marry your lenses.
“…but is it bokehlicious?”
Let’s face it, there are some things that can’t be done with a basic kit lens. Assuming you, the reader, knows the basics of photography... Let’s dig in. Let’s talk about portrait photography. Portraits can be a wide range of composures and techniques, but one thing that seems to remain the same, is keeping your subject the focus of the shot. So while there is a difference in studio and site portraits, I’m specifically talking on-site portraits. Many times we want to really focus on the eyes and blur the background into a Bokehlicious creamy background. Can this be done with a kit lens? While most kit lenses have a maxmimum open aperture of 3.5, we can obtain a little bit of background blur, but is it Bokehlicious? Not a chance. Without digging too deep… focal length, along with a wide open aperture, will play a good role into fabulous Bokeh. (Notice that I’m such a Bokeh snob, I capitalize the B. Without question.) It’s a combination thing to achieve these results without distorting your image; unless that’s the look you’re after. That’s why I chose an 85mm prime to do the majority of my portrait work; one with an ƒ1.4 aperture, so that I can achieve those super sexy Bokehlicious results. That focal range and fast aperture, paired with good optical glass, can yield some of the sharpest images with that eye catching, soul lifting, make your day better Bokeh. But this comes at a cost: The current prime lens I use to achieve these results cost $1,200 alone. Before any taxes, thanks big brother. This, along with one of my camera bodies cost in the neighborhood of over three grand, just to take a single portrait to my liking. For me to achieve different results with different focal lengths, call for different lenses. Something a zoom lens can only get close to, and something a kit lens couldn’t fathom to catch up with.
Photography costs can get outrageous. Those sitting fees plus purchasing the digital image can add up quick for the clients. The majority of my pricing includes all the images I’ve captured and culled through. I enjoy, no, scratch that, love to take photographs. …but at what cost? Good photographers have to know their worth. Whether you have the “pro” equipment or not, if that creative brain of yours is firing on all cylinders, and you have good images… don’t ever sell yourself short.