Right around 2009 is also when I noticed what seemed to be a new trend in photography, (at least I think it was new)… a movement of young artists who solely for the sake of fun and expression were creating an entirely original look of what I would call surrealist photography. Much of it focused on self-portraiture.

Artists such as Brooke Shaden and Joel Robinson  weren’t just capturing the world around them, they were creating new worlds with their photography.

Even though my photography journey took me down another path, I still love admiring the worlds these artists create.

I was absolutely thrilled to learn that one of those artists lives right here in Yorktown, less than 5 minutes away!

Carol of Carol Persons Photography has  a passion for for what she does.

She creates art with photography.

Her photography is influenced by both surrealism and fashion photography, but she is always thinking up new and interesting ways to be original.

She arrived at a beach on the York River at 6:30 in the morning to meet me.

As a personal exercise on an overcast day, I decided to shoot mainly film.

Shooting slower with film allowed for her to practice her passion.

She set up her camera on a tripod and using a remote shutter release and a timer took self-portrait after self-portrait.

I couldn’t help but admire that…

There I sat, next to my Pelican case filled with gear, two cameras in hand…

And watched her with one camera, one lens, one tripod, and one remote trigger, creating art.

That was really inspirational.

She inspired me to get back even more to the basics of what it is I love about photography, which can even be translated into wedding photography…

And that’s not snapping away… but looking for that one special image…

One that really captures your imagination.

Here’s one of Carol’s self-portraits taken in Yorktown, mixed with a little bit of Photoshop wizardry..

Thanks for inviting me to capture these portraits of you, Carol!

film: fuji400h // contax 645 // developed by Richard Photo Lab

Check out Brittany’s fantastic shots as well as her review of her experience here!

Part I

Part II

xoxo, Carina (and Mike)

This is Part I of our mentoring session with Brittany. Part II (all film) will follow tomorrow!

We are in LOVE with primes.

All of our lenses are prime lenses. A prime lens means that it is a fixed focal length, or “not a zoom.” You can still zoom with them, you just have to use your feet.

Zoom lenses aren’t bad. They can be extremely useful, especially for their versatility, and Canon for example makes some tack sharp zoom lenses such as the 70-200mm 2.8 L IS II lens, a “a must have lens” of most wedding photographers.

What’s so great about primes then?

Primes can have huge apertures, meaning they can basically suck in light in situations where zoom lenses would struggle.

This also means you can achieve a super-dreamy depth-of-field effect by shooting “wide open,” with an aperture of f1.2-f2. You just have to really know what you’re doing to make sure that your images are in focus – with some lenses, such as the Canon 85mm 1.2, shooting wide open leaves you with a field of focus as shallow as the length of an eyelash!

Also, even cheap primes can be tack sharp if you find the right f-stop or “spot” with a bit of practice.

Finally, prime lenses are lightweight and comfortable… which can make a difference when you’re shooting a 10-12 hour wedding. That Canon 70-200 I mentioned earlier… it can quickly give you a backache!

To get back to your question, what lenses do we recommend for portraits?

There are a lot of nice portrait lenses that are out there; choosing one should be based on how it flows with your shooting style.

The 85mm 1.2 is an all-around epic lens but carries an epic price tag. Still, we’ve used it before and it was made for portrait photographers. It is, however, a little slow to focus. But for portrait photography, you can take more time with shooting than you might need, say, in the spur of a moment at a wedding.

The 135mm L f2 lens is one of our favorites and it’s a great portrait lens. Sharp, great in low light, and great for candids because you can stand off in a corner, using it’s extended, zoom-like focal length to get up close to subjects.

The 35mm L f1.4 lens is great for environmental portraiture, that is, portraits where you want to include some of the environment. It is a bit contrasty though and because it’s a wider focal length, it tends to distort if you get too close.

Our favorites though… hmmm…

Probably a toss-up between Canon’s 50mm f1.2 L lens for Canon dSLRs and the Zeiss 80mm f2 (I’m not linking to it because it’s hard to find by itself) lens for the Contax 645.

Both have a similar focal length, as the 80mm on a medium, 645 format camera equals roughly 50mm on a standard 35mm-format dSLR.

The 50mm 1.2 is just so versatile. It’s definitely our everyday lens. With an aperture of f1.2 we can shoot in just about any kind of light. We can also achieve that dreamy depth of field that we love so much in all of our photographs. It is also extremely sharp. I mean, make-sure-you-keep-your-Band-Aids-handy sharp. It’s what stays on our digital cameras most of the time. It gets a great, shallow depth of field but you can also back away a bit and get a nice, environmental portrait using elements of your surroundings.

It has some distortion, (distortion disappears around the 85mm focal length), but not much. Since it mimics the viewpoint of the human eye, we find it also creates a feeling of intimacy whereas longer lenses tend to add a more formal atmosphere to photographs. Granted, it can get a little close-up sometimes in small rooms, but with a little creative composition, we feel getting close-up just creates more sense of connection in photographs. A photographer once said, “If you feel like you’re too close, get closer.”

For our film work, our ultimate favorite is the 80mm Zeiss Planar T* lens. It’s just… hard to describe. It’s sharp, but the depth of field on medium format is just something else.

I hope this helps! Please note I wrote this from the perspective of a Canon full-frame/Contax shooter. If you want to buy any of these lenses for a “cropped sensor” camera (Canon 7D, Canon Rebels, etc.), just remember the multiplication factor!

And while all of the lenses I’ve mentioned are somewhat pricey, there are plenty of cost-effective alternatives! The 50mm 1.4 for example is a fantastic lens for photography on a budget… just don’t bump into anything with it
Enjoy these samples! 

Zeiss 80mm f2


Zeiss 80mm f2


50mm f1.2


50mm f1.2


50mm f1.2, no editing (straight out of camera)


Zeiss 80mm f2, no edits, straight scans


Zeiss 80mm f2


Zeiss 80mm f2


Zeiss 80mm f2

film: fuji400h / developed by Richard Photo Lab

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Ebony and Jesse are finally tying the knot!

Their still looking for their wedding venue but they decided to have their engagement session before.

You could see the love in his eyes as he held her.

How she smiled when he told her about when he first fell in love with her.

These high school sweethearts from Hampton are going to have a beautiful wedding.

film: portra 400

developed by Richard Photo Lab

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This time of year there is such beautiful light and such atmosphere in the Hampton Roads area, just perfect for photography.

In the middle of a lot of engagements, and weddings, it was a fun, creative experience to photograph two best friends in this mini portrait session. 

Fuji400h. Portra 160. Contax 645s and 80mm Zeiss lenses.

Two beautiful ladies.

Could it get any better?

…we love taking walks in the woods with our little dog August…and I love getting love letters from my husband

<3, Carina

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Shot on both digital and medium format film. Fuji 400H, developed by Richard Photo Lab.

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]]> http://www.michaelandcarina.com/becky-and-josh-engagement-virginia-wedding-photographers-fine-art-film-michael-and-carina-photography/feed/ 0 http://www.michaelandcarina.com/maternity-fine-art-film-virginia-wedding-photographers-michael-and-carina-photography/ http://www.michaelandcarina.com/maternity-fine-art-film-virginia-wedding-photographers-michael-and-carina-photography/#comments Sat, 31 Aug 2013 16:41:22 +0000 michaelandcarina http://www.michaelandcarina.com/?p=6464 A recent maternity/family session captured on film <3

Heather and Bran are high school sweethearts; it really doesn’t get much sweeter than that. Skyler is anxiously awaiting his little sibling.

We are honored to meet such lovely parents and such spirited children…

Fuji 400, developed by Indie Film Lab , all natural light, location: prayer garden in Gloucester, VA

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Sarah and Jeff have been inseparable for years. They love the outdoors, their dog Bailey and hanging out with friends. They are also business partners! And we think they are also secretly models.

Yorktown Beach is one of our favorite spots in Virginia for engagement sessions. And when the light is right, it’s just magic!
<3

All film. Fuji 400H. Developed by Indie Film Lab.

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The summer sun, the light breeze and the sparkling river water just made their wedding magical. Plus, we are in love with Elaine’s gorgeous dress and all the little details! We think the yellow sun umbrellas / wedding favors were a fabulous idea!

This was also the first “First Look” we ever photographed. It was so special, so intimate. She was so excited…and he might have been even more excited

All images were taken on our Contax 645, Fuji H400 and developed by Indie Film Lab and Richard Photo Lab.

special thanks to Will Hawkins for assisting us! 

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Virginia | Richmond | Williamsburg | VA Beach | Yorktown | Hampton Roads | Engagement + Wedding Photographers | Michael and Carina Photography