Greg Molyneux Photography

Tag: 50mm

Photographs tagged here taken with Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens.

  • Grab Your Gear and Go Warmly

    Grab Your Gear and Go Warmly

    Shallow depth of field photograph modeling a canon body and hand knit fingerless gloves
    Grab Your Gear and Go Warmly — 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 1000 | EXP 1/60

    I don’t like mail. It’s antiquated, burdensome, and resource intensive. Last week I liked mail. My dear friend ifmidnight sent over a pair of bad ass fingerless gloves she knit custom made for me! Spoiled much? While I was out in California visiting this past September she took my measurements and set to work. Fast forward a few weeks as I finally bust open a burgeoning mailbox burdened with neglect, a large squishy manila envelope shone through the din. My gloves! Eager I ran inside, opened—gasp!—my mail in a timely fashion, and put on my new gloves. A perfect fit!

    Taken with myself at the hands of this exceptional gift I grabbed my camera, popped on the fifty, made for the bathroom, and, and, . . . modeled? So yeah, that’s me up there trying to look cool in my newly acquired swag. In all seriousness, though these gloves will not go unused. My prime shooting season happens over winter, and having the gift of warmth as you’re staring in the teeth of a sea breeze while waiting on the sun in January is invaluable.

    In the interest of full disclosure no gloves were worn in the typing of this post.

  • Touchpoints

    Square format photograph of cross processed purple coneflowers with rich bokeh and shallow depth of field
    Touchpoints — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/8000

    It was just this past Sunday I dropped such deep knowledge on the Twitters. Insert very strong sarcasm. Flippancy aside I really do like the shallow depth of field. Recognizing its existence was for me revelatory. As someone who spent the better part of 30 years willfully ignorant toward anything photographic, seeing exposures for the first time elevated composition to a new plane of understanding in my sometime left dominant brain. More so, it shed light into why, despite being rather skilled with any kind of fine art pencil work, I could never grasp the nuance and subtleties of painting—I’m especially looking at you, oils. I never understood depth of field. I never saw it. It’s as simple as that. I never understood you could just blur out elements, whether in the fore, mid or back grounds, with purpose to better move the eye across your subject and through its story.

    Art, man. It sounds so simple in retrospect. But I really do like the shallow depth of field.

  • Public Health Hazard

    Public Health Hazard

    Ceramicist and potter, a hooded Jeff Ruemeli smokes the last of his cigarette as he stokes the soda kiln fires in this low key black and white portrait.
    Public Health Hazard — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 8000 | EXP 1/40

    Obligatory Disclaimer Alert: Kids, don’t be like this hobo hipster wizard. Smoking is bad for your health.

    This past Thursday longtime pal, ceramicist, glass blower and acoustic romanticist, Jeff Ruemeli, invited us over to the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences to check out this here soda kiln firing he’s been waxing poetic about for weeks. The outdoor oven apparatus—roughly 5 feet by 5 feet by 7 feet (not including the chimney) of what I’m guessing is some kind of volcanic brick—was quite cool; and glowed something fierce in the dark of night as he and his colleague worked diligently to get the temperature up to a balmy 2,300°F.

    While I was unable to get a serviceable image of the natural gas kiln itself, I did manage to make this here modest portrait; highlighting the perils of gnarly beards and nasty cigarettes. Both insidious threats to civil society. Hide your children; hide your wife.

    Without question I have a fear of portraiture; personal space and comfort issues, damn you to hell. In the future, if I find some subjects I’m comfortable enough with, it’s an area of photography I’d like to explore. As such a speedlite and portrait lens may be in my future. Hooray for cash eating hobbies!

  • Soft Spot

    50mm shallow depth of field photograph of rain soaked daffodils
    Soft Spot — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/1600

    With the first turn in the weather, the calendar mandates it’s time I get back to my photographic roots. After a toddling period of crash course trial and error in the early days of 2012, flower photography quickly established itself as my go-to comfort spot behind the camera. It’s where I first felt some semblance of control in the process of making satisfactory photographs. Everything else—most certainly landscapes included—felt far too unwieldily and daunting at the time.

    But with a diverse array of flowers in abundant supply in just about every corner of my property, I had plenty of eager subjects waiting to help me learn and grow. Here I more often than not unwittingly stretched my creative muscles through soft focus and shallow depth of field with my petaled muse. I remember being quickly drawn to the way bokeh and soft focus when juxtaposed with areas of clarity can move the eye throughout a photograph, bringing layers and depth to an image. This exact relationship is what was entirely lost on me as a high schooler struggling with painting—for whatever reason I was too engrained with this hyper-realistic bias where everything had to be clearly defined and in focus. Never understanding that all that clarity, when deployed incorrectly creates competition and noise throughout a composition.

    So while the sunsets and landscapes are sure to continue, a steady dose of flowery soft focus and shallow depth of field is on the way. For now we’ll start with this daffodil—the first of my flowers to bloom.

  • Meet Mack, Beagle Bulldog Puppy Mix Master

    An adorable low key black and white portrait photograph of a Beagle-British Bulldog puppy mix named Mack, with a red 'Angry Birds' squeak toy between his paws.
    Meet Mack, Beagle Bulldog Puppy Mix Master — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 5000 | EXP 1/800

    Female canines you have been put on notice. This little guy’s just about as cute as can be, and he’s got the smooth disposition to match. I mean just look at that furrowed brow and those eyes. This is one awesome dog.

    While I regret to inform you Mack is not my own, he is, however, the latest fur-child welcomed into the loving home of my cousin and his most wonderful bride. Mack joins his two big brothers—Rottweiler and Pit Bull—and is never one to back down; rolling his fur up, getting down and dirty wrestling with the big boys. Between naps and play fights, Mack enjoys cuddles, snuggles, head butts and red Angry Birds squeak toys. I also hear he likes chess, but I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

    He’s melted all of our hearts, and now he can melt yours.

  • Can a peony bring one peace?

    A cross processed macro photograph of a pink peony as it opens to the world. This cross processed picture is cast in a pinkish hue highlighted by beautiful bokeh and the shadows of flora.
    Can a peony bring one peace? — 50mm | f/2 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/1000

    It’s been some kind of day. One of those gems where nothing quite seems to work as it should—as you need it to. I’ve been holding onto this peony photograph for a few days and now seems like the opportune time to post; I can use a bit of lift. Scheduling woes, chronic procrastination, and an upcoming art show have wrought the end of the rope for this guy. I’m a terrible multitasker to begin with and there’s just too much on my plate. But I’ll live. And I’d do well to remind myself the problems I have are largely the good kind. I will overcome and I will not lose sight of those truly struggling under the yolk of real strife. I will get beyond my struggles of the first world.

    That about covers it for this rant. Thanks for listening.