Low light and a big aperture lens
Nora relaxes under our Christmas tree. A low light situation perfect for the 50mm f/1.2 lens. Even with a f/1.8 aperture the ISO was 6400 to keep the shutter speed at 1/40 seconds.
Shallow Depth of Field and Sharp Focus
The picture below is a zoom in showing the amazing detail in Nora’s eyes. You can also see the shallow depth of field where her eyes are in focus but her ears and nose are getting blurry. This is the impact of the large aperture at f/1.8.
Why not f/1.2?
Why did I not shoot this wide open at f/1.2? Well there are a couple of reasons. First, Nora has a habit of moving when I take her portrait and I wanted just a bit of leeway in the focus field. Second, my f/1.2 lens was a little new when I took this picture and I did not completely trust my skill in getting a good focus at f/1.2. I also was laying on the floor when I took the shot and not necessarily the most steady.
Canon 50mm f/1.2 L | Canon 5D mkIV | 1/40 sec at f/1.8
