About John - and the camera

Hi — I’m John Mackey, a Los Angeles-based composer of “concert” music. That is, not movie music. I write music that you’d hear in a concert hall (if I’m lucky) — only I promise it’s more fun than you’d think.

I also enjoy taking pictures. I’m not very good at it yet, but it’s a fun hobby. Lordy McCash, it’s also an expensive hobby. I take pictures of concerts, trips, food, and my cat, Loki. You’ll see lots of pictures on my blog — some of them better than others.

Enjoy. Or mock — whatever you wish.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT
I have used several cameras over the course of the life of this blog — an old 4 megapixel Canon, then a Sony DSC-T9 (sucked), then a Canon SD800 IS (a great little camera). Want a nice point-and-shoot? Go with Canon, and avoid Sony unless you want your pictures cartoonishly processed.

I used a Canon Digital Rebel XTi during the summer of 2007, and in September, I stepped up to the Canon 40D.

My current setup is the Canon 40D with these lenses:
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (an ultra wide-angle lens — lots of fun, but tough to use well)
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS (a great all-purpose lens)
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L (a spectacular, if a bit expensive, prime lens. I use this lens the most, including for almost all of my food shots.)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (a fantastic prime lens, and a relative bargain)
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS (great for concert and sports photography - but it’s a heavy beast)

I use Hoya Pro and B+W filters on all of the lenses, rather than lens hoods. (Hoods are too bulky, and also seem to freak people out.)
I also occasionally use a close-focus lens attachment like the Canon 500D, which allows lenses like the 70-200mm to function as a macro lens.

I had the Canon 100-400mm lens for a few months, but I never used it. Here’s the 100-400mm…

I finally sold it and replaced it with the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS. (It was an awfully expensive toy to just sit unused.)

Here, left to right, are the Canon 40D with the XTi’s kit lens, the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, the 50mm f/1.4, the 24-105mm f/4 L IS, and the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS. (The 35mm f/1.4 L is not pictured.)

I almost always shoot in aperture priority. I rarely do any post-processing other than a little exposure correction and maybe some cropping, but I’m generally too lazy to even do that much.

When I travel, I take the 35mm f/1.4, and if I’ll be at an important concert, I take the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. The other lenses see much less action. I can’t speak highly enough of the 35mm f/1.4. If I can only bring one lens somewhere, it’s that lens. If there’s a chance I’ll need more range, I bring the 24-105mm f/4 IS, which takes a beautiful picture. (I just wish it were f/2.8, but then it would weigh almost as much as the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS.)