I am a still-life photographer. In general, daily shooting is divided into two types, one is commercial product shooting, and the other is life atmosphere shooting, which can also be called as ‘lifestyle’ shooting.
In commercial product shooting, we are aiming to highlight the subject and present highly qualified details. Therefore, the clarity and sharp effect of the image are required. Usually a relatively small aperture value is used for shooting. However, in lifestyle shooting, it is more necessary to create a sense of space through blurring bleach. It can express the sense of atmosphere and mood.
Personally, I like the soft and colorful feeling, which produced by bokeh of the lens. Even in the common scenes in daily life, the large aperture can make the image very beautiful. Those photos can give people a sense of healing, and the soul softens with the blur of the focus.
When I got this 50mm F1.0 lens, my first reaction was I could use it to shoot the dreamy spot bleach. It fulfiled my wills. When the camera arrived, it was the midsummer in Beijing. Thus, I planned a series of summer refreshing drinks shooting.
F1.0
F2.8
This scene shot a cup of MOJITO which is in vogue recently. When the aperture is fully turned on, the size of neon light spots in the background are very big. The image looks delightful when the color blocks overlap each other. The shape of the center spot is a smooth and complete circle. This result meets my expectation. When the aperture adjusted to 2.8, it is obvious that the color blocks are significantly smaller, and the edge of the light spot changes to angular octagonal shapes. The spots are no longer that colorful and special. Thinking back, I was not completely satisfied with the shooting results, until I met the right lens 50mm F1.0.
When the F1.0 aperture is fully turned on, it gives some soft focuses. To pursue a more distinct and sharp image, you can reduce the aperture to 2.8 or even smaller, it becomes much sharper than F1.0.
In comparison of these small daisies photos, larger the aperture values address more the subject. The different aperture values also create the different sense of atmosphere.
F1.0
F2.8
I really like to use soft blur bleach to express quiet and deep feeling. This lens gives me a lot of surprises, and I couldn’t put it down.
When framing the picture from the top, if you want to create a sense of hierarchy between the subject and the background, besides increasing the height difference, the aperture size is also a very important factor.
Shooting with F1.0 can separate the subject from the cluttered background. It creates an in-to-out visual effect. When shooting with the foreground effect, it can combine the shimmering effect of light and shadow into the image very well. In this photo, I used tin foil in front of the lens in order to create a foreground effect. The light spots overlap each other and form each other like a whole. In the image, you can distinguish the subtle changes in light and shade. The photo is dreamy but also shows the details.
Another advantage of F1.0 large aperture is low-light shooting. It is obvious. The higher shutter speed and the five-axis anti-shake of the X-T4 body allows me to easily increase the film production rate and photo qulaity in a darker environment. It removed more restrictions on shooting. The main light source of this group of photos is the modeling bulb on the flash, and there are two candles in the scene. The morrow fill more light for the flower, and the handheld shooting is no pressure in this image.
Except the large aperture, this lens also performs very well in other aperture parameters. The focusing speed of this lens is very sensitive. When this lens is for using with X-T4, it can easily competent many requirements of commercial shootings.
For the people who like to shoot still life, food and street photography, this is the lens can support a variety of styles. It can be gentle and sweet, but also clarity and sharp. It makes my shooting full of surprises and creates more “impossibility” styles.
