Today I have to return to Canon the 50mm f/1.2L lens that I’ve been enjoying so much.  It is remarkable just how superior this lens is to the 50mm f/1.4 that I have been using for a few years now.  Is it sharp?  Of course, the 50 f/1.4 is no slouch, either.  However, the contrast and the bokeh of the 50 f/1.2L are simply amazing.  Am I buying one?  Not right now, but it’s definitely on my “wish list” for the next couple of years!  Highly recommended.

Why is Chris Dunn sad? | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/100 sec. @ f/2, ISO 160

Ah...her Sweetarts were stuck in the vending machine! | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/2, ISO 160

Mito seems to have the same expression, though... | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/160 sec. @ f/1.2, ISO 160

Tags: Canon 50mm 1.2L, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, Thirty Days
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Calin Ilea at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park | Canon 1D Mk. III and 50mm f/1.2L; exposed 1/320 sec. @ f/1.2, ISO 100

Two more reasons to like this lens: the smoothest background one could ask for that isn’t solid sand/water/etc., and ridiculously sharp wide open.  This is f/1.2, folks.  Shallow depth of field but helped by a couple feet of distance?  Sure.  But the 50 f/1.4 can’t do this.  Why Calin looks so concerned about the grill is another matter altogether…

Tags: Canon 50mm 1.2L, EOS 5D Mark II, equipment
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Stumbling home | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/160 sec. @ f/1.2, ISO 2500

Tags: Canon 50mm 1.2L, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, Thirty Days
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Sunset over Seventh Street | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/640 sec. @ f/1.2, ISO 200.

Today is the last of the photo-a-day images, and I would say that it’s been an interesting, challenging, and productive month.  There’s a relief that the pressure is off, but there’s also a sadness that the same pressure is absent.

However, the next time I would do a project like this, I would prefer to make it one more akin to Jim Brandenberg’s Chased by the Light, where he made only one image per day over the course of ninety days. It would be more time-intensive, and require much more dedication and thought–and I would need a theme or a subject to focus on for a larger project like that.

Unfortunately, given the nature of my world at the moment, there just isn’t time for something like that. But some day, hopefully sooner than later.

Tags: Canon 50mm 1.2L, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, Thirty Days
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Rita Reed at the lower level of the capitol rotunda | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 35mm; exposed 1/40 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Yesterday, I drove down to Jefferson City, Mo. with Rita Reed and Maggie Walter to photograph their reception of the Missouri Alliance for Historical Preservation’s Osmund Overby Award for their contributions to Arrow Rock: Where the Past is the Future, edited by Abigail Pheiffer, Shane Epping, and Leah Gallo.  Shane was there, as was Alex Cooney, who photographed a portrait series for the book.  I’d never been to the capitol, and the whole thing was a gas.  A few more photos below:

Tags: EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II
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No Waste | Canon 5D Mk. II and 50mm f/1.2L lens; exposed 1/1000 sec. @ f/1.2, ISO 200.

Tags: Canon 50mm 1.2L, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, Thirty Days
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