Photographing a kite festival with the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lenses

"Kites are very important in Javanese society because of their connection to the gods," says Canon Ambassador Ulla Lohmann, who photographed a colourful Indonesian kite festival using Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM and Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lenses. "People love to fly them."

During the dry season, when powerful easterly winds blow across Indonesia, kites dot the skies above rice paddies and homes. But they're not just the small kites you're probably thinking of. At the many summer festivals held annually around the country, spectacular traditional kites can reach 10 metres in length, large enough to lift people clear off the ground.

At Parangtritis Beach in the province of Yogyakarta, brightly-coloured kites of many shapes and sizes, some taking the form of fish, birds or dragons, are flown along the coastline set against a dramatic landscape where lush green hills meet volcanic sand and raging surf. This colourful, dynamic display proved the perfect opportunity for Ulla to test out two Canon RF lenses upon their launch – the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM and Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM.

Shooting with the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R, Ulla explored the shoreline with the two RF zoom lenses. "I was using the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens when I wanted to capture a lot in the image, such as for landscapes, while the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM was my all-round lens for pretty much everything else," she says.

"It has an angle which is still wide enough to shoot in most situations and, at 70mm, enough zoom to isolate the subjects from the background, especially with the f/2.8 aperture. The bokeh worked really well, and I also like that that you can do a really nice sunburst on the wide-angle lens."

Ulla's focus was on the whirling rainbow kites soaring through the sky. "I was really captivated by the size and power of the kites, because they were so big," she says. "They had to have big tracks for tying the line. It was scary feeling the force of the wind. One time they were adjusting the lines and a man was even taken up into the sky – quite high actually."

Working close, Ulla caught the moment one of the kite runners was lifted off his feet, as well as wider shots on the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens, showing the shapes and patterns of the kites reflected in the sea washing against the shore. As the sun started to set, Ulla was able to test the low-light capabilities of her equipment from a higher vantage point.

Pin-sharp images with 5-stop Image Stabilization at f/2.8

"Where the festival is held is a very important beach in mythology because there's a link between the volcano – basically the centre of the earth – and the Sultan and the beach," she says. "It's an important place for Indonesians and I tried to capture the special, mystical atmosphere with the images at sunset.

"One of the big advantages of these lenses is that you can open out to f/2.8, so you get wonderful depth of field, with a really nice blurry background. You can also use the lenses in low light without any problems, because they have Image Stabilization and are really fast, with beautifully smooth autofocus," says Ulla. "They work very well with the Canon EOS R, which is amazing at focusing in very dark environments."

The 5-stop Image Stabilization built into each lens meant Ulla was producing pin-sharp images, even during the fading, fast-changing light at sunset. "It is a big plus to have the Image Stabilization because it's not only better for filming, but also for low light. I was shooting images handheld at long exposures up to one second, to try it out. That isn't something I would have been able to do with previous lenses."

When examining her images on her computer, Ulla was particularly impressed with the sharpness and overall image quality. "The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens is the sharpest lens I had worked with so far, and my reference point. The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lens is at least as good, and I think it offers a whole new world of possibilities."

The future is mirrorless

Ulla is known for her intrepid photography, which brings her and her cameras face to face with the elements – wind, dust and even acid rain – so her kit needs to keep up with her. She is impressed with the robust build and durability of the Canon EOS R System with these lenses, even in the fierce winds and sea spray of the Indonesian seafront.

"We've had the Canon EOS R mountain climbing, on the paraglider and on a volcano. If a camera is not waterproof and weatherproof enough, within a very short time I manage to destroy it. But I've not destroyed this yet! For me, it works."

Up till now, the Canon EOS R was Ulla's go-to for more active shoots, thanks to its smaller size, but it remained a back-up body which she used with her existing EF lenses, using the Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. Across her trip in Indonesia – plus another project documenting reforesting efforts in Madagascar – thanks to the new native RF lenses, Ulla found herself using the Canon EOS R without even reaching for her usual Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

"In combination with these lenses, the Canon EOS R is definitely a camera to take seriously," she says. "It's fun to use – and if you have fun taking pictures, it's a different way of telling a story. I think the full-frame mirrorless technology, especially in combination with the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lenses, is the future, and I believe that every professional photographer should consider investing in the system and getting an EOS R at least as a second body.

"It's really important for professional photographers to follow the development of new equipment because it pushes your photographic abilities, possibilities and style. Everyone can compare technical specifications, but it's another thing if you have it in your hands, to try out and see for yourself if it's something for you. For professionals, there is always so much value in upgrading your gear and staying on top because you get new possibilities that other people don't have."