Except for a couple of shots, I used a Canon 50 1.4 I picked up off craigslist. There's a strobing to some shots I've never noticed before that bothers me a lot; perhaps it's been discussed on the board. It's very noticeable in the shot at :59 - 1:01. I love the lens, though. I shot it wide open, of course, at ISOs ranging from 125 to 250.

Times Square by 50 on Vimeo

Very cool work. Nice editing. Nice music. Super well done!!

I absolutely love that lens. That IS my favorite lens. I also have a Canon 7D. The other two lenses I have are:
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM...

But my 50mm f/1.4 is my favorite. The creamy bokeh I can get with it, I cannot achieve with the other two.

It is the most temperamental of the 3 when it comes to focusing. But once mastered, it is unreachable!! ;)

I always try to shoot at 1.4, however sometimes I have to for up to 2.2 or even 4 or 8. But I always try 1.4 first. I love that aperture, IMHO I can get the prettier best looking results.

Check out my bike's photo section. All done with my Canon 7D and 50mm f/1.4 (except for the first five pictures of the album):

My Steel Horse - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bentolosa/sets/72157624906465024/)



Few questions about your 'Times Square' video...

No release form for all those people right? Just because they are on a public place right?

The music, very nice. I am looking for music for my movies, but somebody recommended my this website where you can find music in the public domain and you can use it for commercial work as well. I just cannot find that website. I remember it was a .org website, but I just can't find it.

Where did you find yours? Is it royalty free or public domain music?

I'll appreciate the info!!

Nice work!!

I agree, great job.

Thanks for the kind remarks.

Yes, no release forms. My vague understanding of the law is that if something is shot for editorial use, that is, "news," or something that is not intended to generate revenue, there's more leeway in shooting someone in a public space. Those people looking directly into the camera knew they were being photographed and gave me their e-mail addresses, so I suppose that could be considered tacit permission. As far as the music, that's a real-live song (Harry Connick Jr.) that I'd never be able to afford to license for, say, an independent film, but for a piece I've put together merely for the enjoyment of doing it, I don't think anyone is going to come after me (I hope). A Google search of "royalty free music" will turn up any number of resources, many of which you can download off their Website. Even better, if you find an unsigned band with a CD or two, they're usually thrilled to let you use their music for free for the possibility of exposure, and it usually sounds better than the royalty-free stuff.