Inspirations
Stunning imagery from the world of Canon photography
Come face to face with these striking Canon portraits from our monthly Photocrowd competition
01 UNTITLED BY JIŘÍ ŠNEIDER
A haunting portrait that begs so many questions. Who is the child, why is the child behind a cage, what are those big almond eyes saying? On a technical level the image also boasts fantastic isolation, even at f/4.5, and Šneider has absolutely nailed focus, despite shooting through fencing.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8l USM
Exposure 1/250 sec, f/4.5, ISO400
02 BLACK PERPETUAL BY TEMIDAYO JOHNSON
“I had Rume (the model) over at the studio and we were experimenting with different looks but none captured how his skin looked,” says Johnson of the contest’s winning shot. “I decided to go through my prop stash. I went with this wooden neck piece and placed it over his face.”
Lens Canon ef 24-105mm f/4l is usm
Exposure 1/100 sec, f/9, iso100
03 FALL REFLECTIONS BY TODD MERICA
“This was early fall (October) and I wanted something different,” says Merica. “I knew the trees across the lake had changed to a golden yellow, so I timed it right for the reflections.” When asked of the challenges, he concedes that it was difficult to get low enough for the reflections without getting wet – and praises his very dedicated model!
Lens Canon ef 70-200mm f/2.8l is usm
Exposure 1/125 sec, f/3.5, iso100
04 MAN ABOUT TOWN BY ANDREW ROBERTSON
This stunning example of narrative street photography was taken in Soho, London. However, the wonderfully shallow depth of field doesn’t just isolate the subject literally and narratively; it obscures the background enough that the image could have been taken anywhere.
Lens Canon ef 85mm f/1.2l ii usm
Exposure 1/320 sec, f/1.2, iso1250
05 CAMBODIAN OLDTIMER BY STEFAN NIELSEN
“I visited a small Cambodian village and saw this man sitting in a doorway,” recalls Nielsen. “I instantly knew I had to take his picture as I just loved the expression on his face.” To achieve the crunchy HDR look, it was a fairly basic process – a simple Raw conversion in Lightroom, then a black-andwhite conversion in Silver Efex Pro.
Lens Canon ef 70-200mm f/4l is usm
Exposure 1/200 sec, f/5.6, iso400
06 YES MISS BY ZOE HATTON
“While we were waiting for the rest of our party I spotted a school group being shouted at by their teacher through a megaphone,” says Hatton, of this brilliant capture taken at Chengdu Panda Centre in China, moments before the group moved away. “This guy stood out for me with such a miserable face.”
Lens Canon ef-s 55-250mm f/4-5.6 is Stm
Exposure 1/160 sec, f/5.6, iso2500
07 TOGETHER TILL THE LAST LIGHTS OF THE DAY BY MARCO TAGLIARINO
The image that brought a genuine smile to our face is this shot by Marco Tagliarino – who was recently crowned Photographer of the Year by our sister publication, Digital Camera. Shot on the full extension of his trusty 70-200mm lens, he captures the cheerful farewell smiles of these happy commuters at the end of a work day.
Lens Canon ef 70-200mm f/2.8l is ii usm
Exposure 1/500 sec, f/2.8, iso320
08 THE TINY HERDSWOMAN BY SANKET KHUNTALE
Shot on the wide end of the Tamron 15-30mm, this fantastic environmental portrait is a perfect example of an image that disproves the rule about not shooting portraits with a wide-angle lens!
Lens tamron Sp 15-30mm f/2.8 di VC usd a012
Exposure 1/5000 sec, f/2.8, iso125
09 FOUND BY CLEMENTINA CABRAL
Many photogs try to achieve the high-end beauty look, but end up with plastic-looking skin with no detail, this shot is the opposite because of texture – the patches of dirt, creases in the skin, patterned freckles, the tonality of the hair… it adds up to a perfect portrait full of tactility and character.
Lens Canon ef 200mm f/2.8l usm
Exposure 1/250 sec, f/4, iso800