Final instructions

I photograph commencement each spring and fall and this part of the ceremony I find particularly interesting.

The students line up in the wings of the stage, waiting to walk on and receive their diplomas. Just before they walk on, a faculty marshal, in this case Professor Gary Robson from accounting, gives some final instructions. His words of advice?  Leaning over he says (to many of the students), "Look at those people, dragging their feet," he jokes. Naturally, no one is really dragging their feet. "I want a quick walk and big smile."

Quick walk and big smile. Sage advice for more than a few situations.

Technical Data: Canon 7D, ISO 1600 at 1/40th. Tokina 11-16mm at 11 mm and f/2.8. Despite the wide aperture, the shortness of the focal length keeps the depth of field fairly deep. 

I think this shot really shows the usefulness of this particular lens. One thing I've noticed is that in the most extreme lighting situations, and it is very dark off stage, off-brand lens will not focus as reliably as a Canon lens. The Tokina 11-16 did just fine here; from experience I can say that the 16-50 would have difficulty locking focus. Note: The relaxing musicians in the right of the frame aren't noticiable to the audience in the hall.

The second photo is also with the 11-16 Tokina. The third shot was taken with the Canon 50mm f/1.4 at f/2.8. The 50mm is very sharp, but has a naturalness to the sharpness that I really like. Exposure on all the shots was manual.

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