That´s why this channel is called The Art of Photography. With this kind of content, for me at least, you separate yourself from the crowd in a unique way. Congrats
100% I really like this kind of mind twists! And lately I landed in this myself. I almost just use my 35mm for my x-pro 3, I have a 56 and a 50-140 also. But those are for specific needs. The 35mm is the one I use 85% of the time. Just love the way of simplify the process and make it simple. After years of photography I have enough self-confidence to just shoot JPEG using recipes this whole month. And a big part of that confidence comes from channels like The art of photography, but also snapsbyromanfox!
Agree. All the photography videos on youtube are about new cameras so someone actually talking about the ART of all of it, about the results that come out of this tool + someone who do it well, is refreshing!
I’m newly retired and am going to make traveling a big part of my abundance of time. I’ve been a hobbyist photographer since I was a kid. I’ve owned full frame cameras and got lost down the rabbit hole of buying too many lenses and becoming almost paralyzed with indecision as to which lens to take with me. So, I sold the full frame camera and lenses and bought the Fujifilm X100V two years ago and have been very happy. I found myself wanting more flexibility with respect to focal range now and am seriously considering the purchase of a full frame camera. Once again, thoughts of what lenses to buy has caused me some amount of frustration. I find that I feel best in my photography if I have limited choices. This video helped me decide that I will purchase a 50mm and 28mm lens. Period. Thanks, Ted!
Reduction is key. Too many choices and you lose the control and the pictures. The other thing is: don’t move for an hour. Become the part of the place you take pictures and after a while the magic of time and space starts.
Very much agree. There was some rocks on the beach, that I went every morning for a month for an hour or so to photograph, so as to understand nuances of light and developing. How we see through different focal lengths, changes our willingness to see, and thus not only our photography, but our selves. Recently, have been loving 135mm as if that was the only lens that exists, and then there was a shot that I could not pass up which required a 24mm which I had with me that day, and it is like Christmas again. With the help of photography my eyes even changed from requiring glasses to no longer needing them.
Hey Peter @ Peter Lund. Share your thoughts. Although we may have a number of lens and bodies there is always our "go to" kit. For me, I live on a 55mm f/1.2, either on Canon and Nikon.
Back when I was doing freelance work for my former university, my colleagues allowed me to use their gear for our project. They had all the gizmos that one can think in 2016, but I settled on almost 80% of my photography with the Canon EOS 70-200mm f2,8 shot on either 70mm or 200mm. Sure, there was a time that I played with the Zeiss 85mm f1,4 in EF mount... but what you said is true. We photographers have a focal length where we see best, truly making the camera the extension of our eyes. Right now my "kind" of focal length is the 40mm. I can't explain it why, but it just works for me.
FWIW, I’m pretty much a 50mm guy too. Years ago we traveled to Paris w another couple. This guy took his Canon 5D3 and about three or four lenses. He carted his entire gear around Paris in a backpack wherever we went. I brought my Leica ME and a 50 Summicron. That’s it. Nothing else. To this day, I think those were some of the best travel photos I’ve ever taken.
My eye-opener was Belgian Magnum photographer Carl de Keyzer talking a large audience through his North Korea exibition. He only mentioned his camera and lens set up, because someone was bound to ask about it anyway. But he genuinly didn't see it as an interesting topic. Very telling. For every trip to North Korea (that was the project) he just had one camera and one lens.
I spend a fair amount of time on the Leica Users forum and usually the people who have all the really pricey lenses and bodies and who go on and on about MTF charts take awful wide open pictures of beer mugs and their pets. Conversely you'll have photogs with a 35 Cron and an M9 that post incredible shots. I think the more you chase gear, the further you get away from the art
Depends on when you acquire the gear. If you start and you have everything then and no mentor, then it’s hard to see the picture. When I started as an assistant, then I could have used all the gear but I was so tired that I hardly could enjoy. But I always was alert when the „master“ was using his equipment. When I started teaching, I always reduced the equipment to 50 mm and a manual camera. For all the pupils the same gear. If they could tell me why the needed a 24 mm, they got it. The leading curve was impressive.
When I was in photography school in the 60's (OMG I'm old), we learned that the best way to learn any aspect of photography was to eliminate all variables but the one you select to work on. I believe it was Edward Weston who wanted to learn about the range and look of then available films and photo papers. He set up a broken column with a piece of black cloth on top and a teacup on top of that in his studio. Using the same camera and lens, he photographed it for a year varying only film choice and then processing options and then paper choice and then paper processing choice and then.... It was the greatest self-assignment example of my career. Eliminating all but one variable is the best way to really learn to explore that one variable AND to learn to think about how to explore that one variable.
That is an amazing story! Is that really true? Just asking because it seems like an incredibly difficult thing to actually do, especially at that time... Thank you for sharing.
I repeat what I’ve said earlier: this channel takes RUclips to a whole other level. It is unmatched! Love your thoughts and work, Ted! I agree wholeheartedly that we should focus on the moment rather than the tool. A 50 mm lens with f1.8 is my primary choice, too.
This is so good. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and the tone and gear chase is real. When I finally settled on a telecaster and sold all my other guitars, it allowed me to connect to my instrument like never before. Granted I felt a connection with how it felt in my hands that I never felt with another guitar, but you're spot on here. I love the analogy of your drummer friend. Maybe the trick is to find which lens communicates your vision most consistently and stick to that for a while. The great chase can get exhausting. Thank you for this!
I think this is why I am a telecaster owner and a x100v owner. The telecaster is the most simple an electric guitar can be, I love it. You can achieve any sound- any style. They’re comfy to play and look classic ! The 100v limits me in many ways, but it really makes me be creative like the tele
Yes, but it depends on what type of music one is playing. Maybe for Jazz we need a nice hollow body Gibson, Rock a Strat,les Paul, country a Tele. Different tube amps give their own signature to the sound. Lens maybe are like guitars use the one for the image that one is trying to create.
@mpw having years of gigging experience carrying multiple guitars, pedals, and amps, I can tell you that 99.99% of people that came to watch me play, couldn't tell the difference, much less give a shit about the tone difference between a Fender or Gibson through a Marshall or Super Reverb. If you enjoy the gear and enjoy hauling it from gig to gig, I'm all about it. But it's not for me anymore. I like to keep it simple and straight forward. Besides, the gear for the genre is not as important as we think it is. Country music was the last genre to adopt the telecaster. They preferred big archtops and thought the Tele was a kid's toy. They got plenty of twang off archtops.
@@uglytuco3829 Yes, I know. I am thinking more about recording then playing live. Even playing live, many artist switch guitars for the type of song they are playing. Of course the greats have roadies to carry all the equipment! In lens, if one wants more character then one might use a vintage type lens. Maybe for architecture then one might want a more clinical lens. So it depends on the situation in what one wants to accomplish. Instruments like guitars and pianos all sound a little different as all lens are not the same that is what makes it interesting. If everyone used the same camera and lens or the same guitar and amp it become quite boring.
My first real camera was a rollei 35, Age 16. I still have it. After that the spending spree started. I never could get that feel and love I had with the Rollei. Enter Fuji x100. I have the love again. I did finally get the x100v, for the reliability but the love is still back. At age 65 my pocket book and back are so happy now. Thank you for your great views!!
I smiled when you mentioned your old Nikon F3. Made me think of my beloved old Canon AE1, which I first got in 1977, and accompanied me all through art school, all over Europe, and everywhere else I went. When I finally gave it up and upgraded to digital photography, around 2004 or so, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend.
I was a wedding photographer for 23 years. I decided to trawl through a selection of my photos during the digital era to see what focal length I used the most. 35mm was the most used and I realised that’s probably why my go to camera is the Fujifilm X100T with the 23mm/35mm equivalent lens. Second came out as 50mm. So now I am shooting film cameras for my personal work with 2 primes, my 35mm and 50mm. My street photography is shot exclusively with both these focal lengths. Great video btw!!
A while back you challenged viewers to spend a month with one focal length. My choice then was an 85mm, primarily due to the fact that I had just purchased it to upgrade an older 85mm. Today it would be easy for me to focus on a 50 because I use it so often. I periodically will buy new (or used) glass and experiment with it, etc. You know what's on right now? The 50mm 1.8 I bought with the body. Thank you, Ted, for being the art in the Art of Photography. I feel like who you are comes through in each video. It inspires me to focus less on the technical aspects of an image and put more of me into an image. I definitely have a long way to go but am enjoying the journey. Thanks for the inspiration!
It's interesting to hear of your experimenting with lenses. Stanley Kubrick did that a lot. He was a photographer (as well) who understood the language between art and technology. Nowadays a lot of photographers are camera geeks or artistes with ostensible denial of the technology. It seems that the overall trend has been towards wider angles because they force immersion. This makes the connection with the subject more intimate.
I love a 50mm focal prime. And 20mm for wide angle. I don’t think about the focal aspect ratios as much as the feel of fractions to isolate. My way of shooting is one of seeing the whole scene to then isolate the photograph secondarily. Fractions are the key for me. I see them like a fractal in 360 much like a jazz piece swirling round me does. Last time I was shooting street in NYC I took only my 85mm, 2 out 5 days. In its case hyper focal use and pre visualization is paramount to my approaches. I’m a Nikon guy and shoot a D750 primarily and currently. I have owned 10 Nikons starting with an F removable prism which I still love for street stuff. Bresson has been a major influence for me along with Doisneau along the way. Thank you for your passions and presence here !
Totally agree with you Ted! I actually find that I prefer the imperfect look of vintage lenses most of the time. Thinking of digital now - My personal philosophy is that I should not change gear until my own skill level has advanced to the point that I am consistently being limited by the current gear or I can see a significant benefit from doing so.
Hi there! Ive just seen this vídeo today but i think it resumes very well a need that i believe almost all photographers (namely the ones using digital) feel… in the journey of life we get trough different stages, we need to experiment, we need to find our way, our path… same happens with photography, when you have tried cameras, Lenses, genres, editing styles and tecnhiques, etc., etc., you start to feel the need for the simple things… a simple camera, a “simple” lens (can be a prime!), not spending hours editing… Thats when i think you are finally ready to give photography a chance, when you become more focused on the subject and less in the equipment…. Less is (most of the times!) more! Congrats on the videos!
With all due respect because I've been a fan of this channel for a long time, I feel this thought process is backwards and perpetuates some of the same negative parts of the craft and hobby that many of us dislike. By focussing on limitation it seems like one is expanding horizons but with lenses you're just picking one paintbrush for your painting. The lens isn't the canvas, it isn't the mind's eye it isn't the subject matter, it's a super well built but very simple means to an end. It focusses the light you're writing with. You did the rest. I feel that expanding into a style is far better than limiting yourself. Limits are artificial and external; either you'll end up copying someone else's style or having a shadow of your own. Like a painter who can only find one paintbrush and maybe even only several colors. Certainly you can do great work that way, no argument. But to create a style I disagree. You mention Cartier Bresson and Winogrand and bring up their focal lengths but I don't think it tells their story. Cartier Bresson had no problem photographing with a bit of detached aristocratic distance. I'm not surprised he'd step away and separate the subjects. The image you showed is widely speculated to be a rehearsed shot, and he wasn't above staging shots with subjects. WInogrand on the other hand approached his work directly, in a blue collar way, he was open about this. Right up to the issue, no rehearsal, no apology. For that having a 28 works, it's the right paintbrush a different one would color two thin lines or paint too broadly. A 24 would distort, a 35 is practically what an eye sees anyway, 28 is just right to get three people in a shot up close on a New York sidewalk. The lens was a tool to an end. I think in this age where almost everyone seems to have a mirrorless camera, you can adapt any cheap lens you find at a thrift store or an old antique barn or on Ebay and try painting your light in different ways. In fact I think having all those different focal lengths and visualizing them in your mind as you create images is helpful. What paintbrush will I be using for this tree? It's happy but for an artist it's not an accident, they choose wisely. Cheers!
@MKS Perhaps, but like I said I feel the lens wasn't the specific limitation, rather the vision chose the lens by default...perhaps just something I've been thinking about but I feel like it's backwards essentially. Cheers!
Thank you very much, You have helped bring me back from focus and wasting time on something. (I've been shooting with a single 35mm for 6-7 years) and being enjoying today's technology and equipment. But the most important thing is not what gear you use. But it should be that your "work" can tell a story. Or how to communicate with the people who see you work?
I think you are spot on with this topic - because of many limitation of my situation I have been restricted to a 50mm and a 28mm for a really long time. And now I realize the uniqueness of them and how they render. It's the focal length which makes it the way it is. Also it brings a lot of Consistency with the body of work one puts up over the years
Don't know how you present like that, with no choppy little edits every few seconds, no saying "er" and, apparently, no breathing in. Excellent, thank you. Great video for this viewer, who has somehow managed to acquire four cameras in one year (actually six bought, two sold on). Somewhere in that pile is the Fuji 35 f1.4 (about a 50mm) and the cheap but great 35 f2. Oh, and an x100v. So yeah, end of comment - off to take some pictures.
I have been a serious photographer for more years than I care to admit and have a wide variety of lenses. About two years ago, a friend suggested I start shooting exclusively with fixed lens. I did just that...and, wow, my skills got so much better. I recently got a Leica Q2 with a fixed 28mm lens and I've noticed two things about fixed lenses in general. First, they help me avoid being a "lazy" photographer and second, they really makes me think a lot more about my compositions and, in some ways, force me to slow down. If advanced hobbyists and serious photographers want to challenge themselves and really up their game, they should get a fixed focal length lens and stick to it for at least a year. It may annoy the hell out of you at first...but, the results are worth it.
GLAD I FOUND YOU...this topic really hits close to home for me! As a Nikon D 750 camera guy, I lost my beloved 50mm 1.8 lens, and when I went back to my camera store guru, he told me that all he had in stock was a classic Nikon 55mm macro lens, but with only MANUAL focusing! I threatened to go online and get another nifty 50, but he told me he would let me take this macro manual lens and shoot with it for a week: I did, and fell in love with it once I got used to manually focusing! Now I use it for a walkaround lens, to go along with a versatile 24-70mm zoom lens for everything else! Thanks again for this video!
Absolutely agree. As a sax player, I really enjoyed the saxophone analogy. This got me to think about the equivalences: 85mm is baritone, 50mm is tenor, 35mm is alto and 28mm is soprano, at least that’s how I perceive them. I think that, in the same way that in Harry Potter the wand chooses the wizard, the lens also chooses the photographer. I like your channel because you are one of the few people on RUclips who talks about the artistic approach of photography from a theoretical perspective.
That's so true, I got a Leica M system with 35 , 50 , 90 , then I got a Hasselblad system with 80 , 100 , 120 , 150. In the beginning when I own them, I always go out with at least 2 lens, later I wanted to focus on one focal length and really think about it before taking the shot. yes, there's always moment I wish I had the tele lens with me for certain shots, but it doesn't change anything, by the time I change my lens the moment was gone. Now I only go out with one lens with me, and really USE it , building up my experience on that particular focal length and learn from the mistakes. Recently I got myself the Rolleiflex 2.8F, I'm really happy with its 80mm and its flexibility compared to the Hasselblad . When you watch a lot of Photography related channels, 80 to 90% are gear reviews, I mean I have no problem with it at all, after all, RUclipsr need views, subs, we all need money to support our hobbies . but please photographers , focus more on your work, your technique , your photograph
I played alto saxophone through college. And while I tried the tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, I had to master one. It is about muscle memory and embouchure (the mouth going on the mouthpiece), which is essential to mastering tone. As a photographer enthusiast, I love lots of lenses but I find 50mm is my alto saxophone :)
PS: As a photojournalist, I have always been about zooms, particularly the 16-35 and the 70-200. Now moving toward focusing on the 50 and 35mm focal lengths. I used to think the 35mm was the most boring. I must be getting old. LOL.
Well, well, well... this video has summed up my past week. I had not taken a photo with my Fuji camera gear in such a long time. I had bought too much equipment over the past few years that the choices became overwhelming. At the start of the week I decided to sell everything and just keep one body, a secondhand X-Pro 2, and one lens, the Fuji 35mm f1.4 (50mm equivalent) - also bought secondhand. The reason for this is straightforward: it's a focal length I am comfortable with and also a set up that has given me some of my best and most enjoyable work. Today I took it out to snap a few shots and was automatically at ease. I didn't need to think or worry about having brought the wrong kit or kick myself for poor lens choice for the occasion. I now only have one system and will adapt to take the photos the kit is capable of.
7:35 I have indeed always loved the 28mm focal length.. I have tried 20, 24, 28, 35 and in that range, I find it the perfect compromise, not too wide, not too close. For some reason though, 28mm doesn't seem to be as successful than other lenses.. maybe because it's kind of a "versatile" lens and we are more into having several primes dedicated to use cases. Fully agree on the artistic thrill at taking only one lens at times, to force see the world differently.
Of course, if one can only carry one focal length, versatility has got to be the prime (ooh, I made a pun) consideration. I think modern photographers, I.e. the internet gen photographers, just see 28 as a boring option, probably because “the internet says”. It’s odd. I don’t find the results from 28mm boring in the slightest. Even if I was to build a new system of primes from scratch, I would start with a 28 and space outwards from that. That’s how much I like the 28! For me an efficient, powerful lens system of primes would be something like a 20mm wide angle for drama, a 28mm for walk around versatility , and a 135mm for something completely different. Not everyone’s choice of a prime lens trio, but I find it covers most photographical ground, as it were. I haven’t owned a standard lens for thirty years, which, like with most budding photographers back then, was all I used. It was even called a “normal lens” , perhaps to make one feel normal struggling with 50mm and nothing else.
One of the reasons for the wide use of 50mm in the past, thus skewing statistics to say that the 50 was the lens of choice was that the 50 was that the "kit" lens (not a term used back then) when purchasing a new camera, certainly true of my Konica T3 bought in 1974. Zooms were also absent and early zooms weren't that great. I had a photo book about photography in which the reporting was included discussing the great photos and how many were taken by 50mm lenses. But this statistical note came about looking back into the past, into the 60's,, 50''s, 40's, 30's. I don't think you would find the 50 dominance holding up from 2000 till now. When I purchased my Canon 10s (film) camera in 1990, I bought body only (still not that common a practice back then) and instead added the 28 - 135 lens, my first zoom.
I stick to one lens, a 35. If I was doing weddings and events I would definitely have several lenses, but for my kind of work, I only want one lens and one camera. BTW, Ralph Gibson is my favorite photographer. I was thinking of buying his course too.
First time visitor - I love that concept of limiting oneself (at the same time collecting all kinds of lenses, and it seems that I am coming back to 50mm all over again). And yes, I do love the 28mm, too, but I have come to love this focal length only recently when I got a Ricoh GRIII.
Thanks so much. I'm on an intense one-month trip filming the wine regions in France. I find when I stick to my 35 mm lens for the shots, I get closer to the people and think about capturing moments vs always swapping glass. Keep up the great work
According to his interviews, HCB above all hated obvious lens “effects” (signature). That’s why he shot a 35mm occasionally, but nothing wider. The 50mm also has the background to foreground size ratio similar to what you see with your eye, so he could accurately visualize the image without putting the camera to his eye. He also used a 90mm for portraits. Eugene Smith sometimes carried 6 Leicas with 6 different focal lengths attached. He would have adored today’s zooms. I think once you get to a certain level of experience you just know how a scene will look in a certain focal length and framing. Spending time with each for a while to get that familiarity is a good idea. I think a nice f/2.8 24-70 zoom is probably a more economical way to get that education. But it’s heavier, less romantic and nostalgic.
Early in the pandemic looking to jolt my creativity, I pulled out an old Nikon FE and FM and paired them with a 50mm 1.8 and a 28mm f2.8. I would sometimes go out with one or the other and sometimes carry them together. I was really happy with my results from this experience. These were my only two lenses when I started in photography 50 years ago and are still my favorite focal lengths. If I had to choose one it would be the 28 but I love the look from each of them. I’m finding since my pandemic experiment I am more likely to go out with one of these two primes and my photography is better for it
Really enjoyed this video. The saxophone analogy hit the nail on the head. As a (recovering) trumpet player, lenses remind me of mouthpieces in some ways: trumpet players often have a *lot* of mouthpieces. But, Miles played for most of his career on one mouthpiece and one trumpet… I read an interview with Chris Botti once where he explained that he realised the Martin Committee was good enough for Miles so it should be good enough for him and, along with a Mt Vernon 3C mouthpiece, that became his set-up. No more thinking about gear. Choose a tool, commit to it, and then get as much out of it as you can.
Absolutely love this video. I’m the typical ‘modern’ photographer and have all the gear and way too many lenses. However, as the years go by, I keep noticing that my favourite images from each and every shoot, ends up being my 50mm. This was not intentional, but I could just recognise what I loved, and when I went back through my Lightroom catalogue from the last three years, the absolute majority of shots were my 50mm. Again, not intentional, it is just my thing. That said, I haven’t ever thought about it like this, but I really connect with this as a theory, and through to practice. Thanks again for yet another great video.
Absolutely agree. I was recently on a city trip in Lissabon and I only took the 50mm f1.8 with me. It was great, I didn't miss anything. I realized that I don't really need a wider angle in 95% of the time, even for landscapes. Only in very few cases a wide angle gives really a benefit.
Glad to see you address this type of subject - less about gear and more about how we use it. With all the focus on 28 and 50mm lenses, I must be an anomaly. I find that the 85 - 135 mm range is really how I see the world. I really connect with 135mm. Yet I find that I can adapt to different focal lengths based on what I choose to carry when I go out. I bring one lens on one camera and stay with that. After the first few shots, I see the world through that lens and shoot based on what it does. That does mean that I pass on shots I know I can’t get with that lens. Not quite the focus you are talking about here.
I love 135mm too. But you’ll get hate from the orthodoxy!😂 I posted a video of using the 60mm Voigtlander on micro4/3 (120mm equiv), and got several negative comments about shooting street photography above 50mm. It’s strange to me, I think it’s a very inexperienced immature viewpoint.
Right on about the saxophone. I’ve played soprano, alto, tenor - now only play tenor! I’m a retired architect. We went through school rendering our designs in their entirety, thus it was only natural to photograph buildings the same way. A close friend and biology professor took a Signet 35 I gave him to Europe and came back with some terrific architectural shots. None were of the entire building. Ergo, 50mm is just fine for a lot of architectural work (not all). These days I shoot a lot of film and use vintage cameras that only have a fixed normal lens. Where I have a choice, I use 40mm because I can crop it to different final formats.
Aw really loved this video, it kinda grounded me and reminded me about what is really important and why I began this journey in the first place. One of the things I love about your videos is that you have an amazing conversational tone, I find myself nodding my head or commenting out loud while watching because it feels as though we are having a conversation as opposed to you talking AT me. It takes a special gift to be able to do that Ted, I just wanted to acknowledge it.
I agree, also with the drummer. My friend use the same set since were young. My favorites are 50 and 28 mm wich in our digtal world and apc format bekomes 35 and 18 mm. Thank you for another lovley video.
My favourite lens due to its signature is my 85 1.8 G lens from Nikon. It has a nice look without correction and I usually shoot it at f/2.8-f/4 to exaggerate the effect for most of the photo. I have tried the more expensive 85mm lenses from many other brands, but this one just has that magic I love
I agree 100%, Ted!!! Started photography on film 25 years ago, then quiting for a while… (student budget). Got back to it in 2011 with my iPhone, then the Fuji X100T (still my digital camera) and progressively came back to film photography with…. a Nikon F3 and a 50mm f/2. My main and everyday camera ;-) Simplification forces us to focus on the essential, photography… Please, let’s go back to photo assignments!
For the last couple of years I have been shooting mostly through a Nikkor 55mm Micro. I got tired of going to Airshows and taking the same photos everyone else was taking of planes in the air and started shooting close ups and macros of the aircraft parked on the ramp. It’s a whole other prospective of familiar aircraft to capture!
If you go out with multiple lenses, you will think about what lens you want to use and change lenses. After 40 years of pro photography, I got out with an M6 and a Summicron 35mm: I may miss some shoots, but I do not lose my creative mind. I firmly believe that everyone has a voice, and that voice corresponds to a particular focal length. With a 35mm, my brain sings; I see the world in 35mm: it can be the M6, a BigMini, or a T3. I am a 35mm eye. I know photographers that are 21mm, 75, 50. Follow your inner voice, and you will always be happy. Thank you for sharing.
Back when I started photography, the 50 mm lens that usually came with the camera body was the only lens I could afford, so I guess I served my apprenticeship through necessity rather than choice. Later, it was great to be able to choose from a variety of focal lengths according to the subject matter and the effects I was trying to achieve. A 50 mm is a great focal length, but it cannot do everything: one should strive to use the proper tool for the job at hand. That said, it is always good to limit oneself to a single focal length occasionally to explore what can be done and to get the creative juices flowing. It just doesn't have to be 50 mm all the time.
I had an instructor who said to use one focal length for a year. One of the problems with zooms is that it's harder to anticipate what focal length to use, because you haven't spent the time to learn how it affects your photo. I recently bought a 40mm for my Z6II and brought it on vacation in order to learn about it. The zoom lens has stayed in the bag. Thanks for another great video!
Love the statement of every photographer thinks in a focal length. Beautiful. Love the appreciation of the simple & elegant set up. Sounds like you miss that era of your shooting.
At 5:20 and on, the difference in rendering of 2 different focal lengths depends on how the subject, its background and foreground project on the focal plane. To keep it short, assuming the subject is framed the same, the longer the focal length the farther you need to be. That takes care of the obvious. If you consider any line from any off-centre point in the scene to its projection on the sensor plane, that line will have more of a slant with a wide-angle, and will tend to become parallel to the projection line of the centre-point the longer the focal length. The latter makes it obvious why perspective is described as compressed with a telephoto lens : the background and foreground project at a similar ratio as the subject. Conversely, the distances between subject, background and foreground are as exaggerated as the shorter focal lengths augment the slant of the projection line. It’s a matter of perspective, in the most geometrical sense possible ;-) On a personal note, after receiving a Canon AE-1 kit with a 50mm f1.4 and a 200mm f4, the first lens I got with my own money, carefully thought out with a look at what the other guys in the almost club obtained with whatever lenses they got, and paying attention to such details in photography magazines and books, was a Vivitar 28mm f2.5. Did a lot with it, it seemed to lend itself to the way I saw things. Nowadays, with a 35mm and a 24mm, I still find sometimes I miss that lens. Still have it, technically, except it’s on a loan with the 50 1.4 to one of my kids… I miss it a bit more now!
Great upload. Took me years to get there, but I've narrowed it down to two focal lengths; 28mm and 85mm. I can get most things done with just those two.
@@carlosmcse I tend to use 35 as a general stand-alone lens when I don't want to carry two. Step in closer and it's like 50, step back and it acts like 28…
@@carlosmcse Agree, agree, agree… However, if you're going to carry three lenses, then I'd use a zoom, as too much switching becomes the problem. If I'm going into the unknown, then I'd bring 24-70. If I'm doing a street photography photowalk, then it's two bodies with 28 and 50, (or 85). If i'm just milling about on a general, then I carry 35mm. Works for me… 😎
I wanna be like Eric Dolphy. On any given record he might be playing a sax or a flute or a bass clarinet, but no matter which one it is you can always tell it's him - & whether you like it or not you can still tell that he's a genuinely capable artist who really feels everything he puts out there. Thanks for this one, Ted!
Thank you for these liberating words. I tried the limitation to one lens and one focal lenght - it was indeed the 50 - for myself. I don't know, if my photography went better because of this but my shooting experience was that much relaxter, more mindful and in the end more satisfying. The psychological pressure coming out of my camerabag was completely gone and I loved it!
Spot on commentary Ted. I'm a member of a group of Pentaxians. I used the Pentax K-1 primarily and we challenge ourselves by using one focal length for a month. What you are saying is true. When you limit the gear you focus your mind to get what you can get just from that lens. Back up, move forward, shallower depth of field but you have to learn what you can do and how to do it with that one lens and it is a wonderful challenge. It really caused me to focus on 50mm. I love the old Takumar 50mm 1.4 and it works great on the K-1 but the one I really gravitated to was the old smc Pentax-FA 50mm 2.8 macro lens. It is super sharp, free of CA and has incredible bokeh and its over 30 years old. It is such a versatile lens too. You can go from 1:1 macro to landscape in an instant and back to a portrait. It pretty much stays on my camera now all the time and no more lugging lenses around lol.
I admit, I'm a tech nerd. I love the gear, the gadgets and such. I have a literal mind and I don't pretend to be an artist but I hope there's still room for people like me in the photography space. We're all doing our best to create and be creative. And the paths we take can be different. But I feel they're all valid. And if nothing else, we make the gear cheaper. Lol
Yeah man buying gear is so pleasing. But we must acknowledge that it is actually a disorder, CBD? Just look around, shopping makes people happy. Very very happy. But the real purpose to acquire any gadget, gear or tech is to get better on it. Filling shelves is no use. This is not a critique but I think it is very important to acknowledge the problem to start addressing the issue.
I've been shooting 50 all of 2021, new camera system and only lens. I'd like to add 100-105 macro, then 28 or 35. I used to have 24-85 on a crop sensor. I shoot mostly nature and travel. Recently expanding into street photography due to pandemic limitations. I love your giddy excitement in the middle of the video. I could see your inner child.
Great video! Lately I restrict my lens choice for “random shooting opportunities” by choosing one prime for the day (or week). It forces me to learn how to produce creative results at that focal length. In situations where I am trying to photograph something important to me (like on a trip) I’ll use a zoom lens because it maximizes my opportunity to get a shot. It is my hope that by limiting myself to a prime in my daily shooting situations, I will get better results when I use a zoom, because I will have learned about more choices at specific focal lengths within that zoom’s range. Less definitely feels like more when I choose to walk about and shoot with a single focal length lens.
Ted, there are gear guys, and there is you. You teach about the value of the art and for that I am grateful. Your worth as an artist has nothing to do with your gear.
Great topic!! I walk with one 40mm on my camera and one small télé-zoom in my pocket and I would say I use the both 50/50. Often I need to compress the background to get the composition to work. One thing with the 24mm is that with the megapixel we have nowadays you can easily take one step back and crop the photo to get the 28mm look if you want that.
Yep, I'm still using my same film gear from 1983. I'd rather use film than my digital gear. I remember using my A1 and 50mm and how much I loved it. Then meeting my wife, who was already professional photographer. She pulled out her 4x5 Tachihara field camera and let me view the image on the glass. I'll never forget that moment and I think that's why I still prefer to shoot film to this day. The images, I've captured over the years will never be captured again, never duplicated. The romance in doing something that can and will only be done once is what keeps me going. In a way, every image is my own personal immortality.
Hey Ted, another great video and always love the comparison to music and particularly jazz music. Andrew is a deep authoritarian on drums, where they came from how they evolved and why they are what they are today. I truly believe as an x-student of mine and knowing him as I do professionally it’s not the kit but rather the sound of that particular drum kit. As a trumpet player I’ve gone through many before I found “the one“ that spoke to me for timbre, texture and most important the inner vision of the sound of what I’m looking for in a brass instrument. As a photographer I love the Canon 135mm L. I believe it has the best bouquet of any L Canon L Lens and I own too many of them to list here, but to me that’s the “one.” You’re work on RUclips is respected, admired and so important. There are many like myself who appreciate your wonderful in-depth preparation to any video you post. Thanks for who you are and for what you produce. Bart Marantz
thank you for this subject, "back in the day" (the early 70s') when I purchased my first 35mm camera, like most it came with a 50mm lens. It become my standard for shooting until I purchased a 35mm lens in 1976. Up to that point about 90% of my shooting was with a 50mm lens. It worked really well for me for various situations, if it be portraits, architectural or landscapes. I still use one from time to time on my range finder camera, I love the versatility of it.
Your aha moment was something I experienced a number of years ago. I posted a picture to the gram and captioned it saying I wish I had a finer grain film for the particular photo. My photographer friend of mine chimed in with a piece of advice that single handedly changed the way I make photographs. He said “I believe anyone who insists on studying the grain of an image instead of appreciating its content, is missing the point of a photograph” Essentially, he said what you said. No one’s picking apart the fine details of your photo and scrutinizing the bokeh, grain, CA, and distortion. If the photo is well composed and tells a good story, it will stand on its own and no one will care about the other stuff
As a fairly newbie person to “serious” photography I found this to be a good video. The channel provides something alternative to other photo channels on RUclips. Great to hear your views on things 👍
Starting in college in 1968, I used a Canon FT-QL SLR with an 85mm f/1.8 lens. After switching to DSLRs almost 20 years ago, I saw my cameras get bigger and bigger with every upgrade - until I got an R7 a few months ago and had a body that was actually smaller than my FT. With its kit lens (can't get it without it) it's about the size of my old rig - and then I got the RF f/1.8 "nifty-fifty" a few weeks ago. Now the combo is much smaller, though more flexible. With the control ring, I've set up my R7 to feel like my old FT: aperture on the lens, shutter speed on the top deck, and ISO on the back - I shoot in Manual, exposing to the right with the histogram. Not a match-needle, but the same idea. What a homecoming! With the 1.6 crop, the 50 has an 80mm angle of view, and the whole rig is smaller and lighter. Yes, I have a bunch of specialized lenses - the RF 100-400 for birding, and a few EF and EF-S holdovers with the control ring adapter (the EF-S 10-18 and the ultra-sharp Sigma 105 f/2.8) but I keep the nifty-fifty in a pocket of my vest. Haven't yet put the nifty-fifty on the camera full-time (when I do, the surprisingly sharp - and small - RF-S 18-150 kit lens will take its place in my pocket), but I'm thinking about it.
This is amazing, really. I think there is something going on in the overall gestalt right now. A lot of photographers are trying all kind of approaches and moving away from the kind of product-centric focus we have been playing in for quite awhile now. Personally I am digitizing negatives and slides from 20-30 years ago and discovering a whole new level of enjoyment. And for the first time in 2 decades I am shooting film again. I will do the limit to one focal length exercise on my next trip, and see how that goes. Inspiring video, thanks!
Hi Ted, great video! Just adding to the saxophone analogy... When we think about Coltrane or Miles what comes to our mind, the saxophone model they had or the music they played? Most of the Photographers (like musicians) are obsessed with gear, new this, new that, but at the end the images (like the music) is the only thing that really remains.
I thinner you are absolutely right. Twenty years ago, when I was a analog photographer, I sold all my gear and bought a Leica mp with a summilux 50. I was released, felt great and used that equipment for the comming ten years. 50 mm is my absolutely favorit focal lenght. Thank’s for a always interesting and stimulating channel 😊
Thank you for this video. I bought a beat up hasselblad with standard 80mm and it was the only lens I could afford for years so I shot exclusively with that. I added more lenses years later but somehow I could not compose nor see as well in my mind's eye as I could with 80mm. It is like how you described it, that for me the 80 had that particular look and I not only got used to how it looked but learned how to shoot with it. Watching this motives me to bring out my old blad to shoot. Miss looking at the world through that 80mm lens. Love your videos.
many great photographers of the past did just like you.If you look at the original paparazzi in Fellini's Dolce Vita (1960), they all used the twin reflexes Which were just your focal length in 99 out of 100 cases!
I really struggle with my olympus 40-150 m43 lens. Just can't seem to do much with 80mm and 300mm isn't long enough. I'm more a 40mm man myself than 50 if I have to stick to primes.
I'm hosting a photowalk group on Facebook here in my local town in Bonn, Germany. We do photowalks once or twice a month, but one time in the year, we do a "nifty-fifty-walk". I really like the idea to limit myself to one focal length, as this trains your eye and thought process - and so opens up your mindset. Great video!
From my late-teen years of Tri-X 400/Pentax Spotmatic/55mm, a pause of decades, and then starting in 2019 with digital has been a journey. I'm still learning so much and this video has definetly given me a lot to consider. I've decided to shoot with my kit lens AF-P 18-55mm set at 18mm, and AF fine tune to my Nikon D7500 and yes I know it's a 27mm equivallent and a kit lens but "them is the breaks"! Thank you for providing a new direction of seeing, learning and hopefully new creativity!
Really good contemplation here. I use 23mm (35mm equivalent) almost exclusively. It suits my shooting style and the field of view is perfect for observational/walking around photography. Keep the awesome content coming!
This is kinda funny. I couldn't stop watching your video because about 6 months ago I put 3 of the 4 lenses I own for my Sony a7r 3 on a shelf and decided I would keep only my 50mm lens on my camera. That focal length was the same as was on my very first camera, over 45 years ago. After shooting for about a week, I fell in love with this lens all over again. I love how it lets the camera see what the human eye sees with hardly any distortion. I feel like once again I am gaining a personal connection with my subjects as if I gained a passport into a scene as a member instead of a visiting reporter.
I discovered my visual signature with my Nikkor 35 1.8. “With the 35, I come alive.“🥰 I own several ideal primes and the 24-70 zoom. Yet, I reviewed all my favorite images recently and discovered they were shot with my 35 1.8 either on my D700 or D850 over the course of 10 years. On a different note, John Coltrane is a demigod. His music is played in my house 3-4 times a week. I’m working on a book chapter on his aesthetic “vision” in jazz. Love him!☺️
I recently re-purchased a 35mm lens for my Nikon D3s. . . ahhh it sings! also. I'm currently on the lookout for another D700 what a marvellous machine.
I am really heartened with your personal evolution and what you bring to your videos. Trust me, I was blown away with you in the past and now even more so. Thank you for doing what you do how you do it. I am relatively new to photography. I ended up buying more lenses (expensive ones) than I am interested in using. Slowly I’ve sold them off wanting more and more to work with just my 50. There are a couple others I like… nonetheless, I understand focal length signature and I am learning to see. Your work is growing me. Thank you. As an aside, when I can I will get a Leica M10 Monochrom. It fits my nature in a similar way I wear high quality old style, old technology, watches. Thanks again.
Still love my D7200, most used lens, is the DX 35mm 1.8. Approximately 52mm in full frame terms. So often I’ll try looking at a scene with 3 different lenses, then end up back at the 35mm. Love your take on things.
Commitment to one lens is so difficult. I "see" different types of photos in different focal lengths. For me portraits are shot at 85mm - others may prefer 200mm but it's 85mm most of the time for me. For street, 24mm is the go to. And maybe that's dictated by the Ricoh GR's I've shot for years but it's how I see the street. That said I have a couple lenses that I use to shake me out of ruts. Voigtlander makes a 40mm that reminds me of a Canon QL17 I used quite a bit when I started shooting for local papers. It's just such a fun lens that is just such a chameleon. They also make a 58mm that takes me a bit to get comfortable with. And if I were to chose one lens to spend the rest of my shooting days with, it might be one of those Voigtlanders.
40mm is an interesting focal length. I shot an Olympus 35rc for a while that has a 42mm lens. Felt very versatile and natural. I don’t ever feel wowed by a 35.
Wow! Your analogy of the musical instruments really struck me on how the way we use our tools can really affect the works that we are trying to achieve. Thank you for this video on the topic of focal length! 😀
I’m 51, and I started learning photography at age 13 on a Nikon FE and all I had was a 50mm and it was great. I remember the series E lenses! I shot a whole wedding on just a 50mm and it was fantastic. I recently shot a family session on only a Fuji X100V (35mm equivalent) and it was fantastic. I shoot almost all my paid portraits & headshots on an 85. Now, after discovering Garry Winogrand, I’m saving for a 28 to expand my street work and personal projects. Primes are my weapon of choice and I love working in one focal length. Great photos btw, I love your work.
Great video! I've thought about this a lot recently and without much thought, I realize that I gravitate heavily to the 40mm focal length. My contax t2 at 38mm and my (future) 500c/m with the 40mm equiv really produce an image I am most happy with.
It's possibly a very deep quality of the universe, something holistic but today, shortly before noticing this you tube, I was pondering how to select lenses for outings of my passion - landscapes, specifically English landscapes. I live in a very urban, densely populated location and I try to keep my landscapes simplistic. My favourite optic is a 18mm (FFE) WA but I often see compositions that demand a long focus, purely by virtue of its isolation capabilities. Therefore, I usually select two lenses. However, this video has given me a banquet for thought and made me want to see what are the possibilities if I limit myself to a single optic. It begs the question 'Does the optic train the photographer?' If so, only swapping optics whilst packing your bag might be a very good education. Thank you for an inspiring video.
Ted your videos are an oasis in RUclips! Thanks for sharing these thoughts, it felt like a discussion within a big group of friends! Great content and quality as usual! You have given me some thoughts to process for today :)
So glad I watched this. I have been enjoying experimenting with my 85mm 1.8 and just ignore my instructor telling me I need to buy more lenses. Why? The exploration is awe inspiring and now I have a new description: creating my visual signature.
I was a photographer in the Marines in the early 90’s and the standard issue camera was the Nikon F3, you could beat the crap out of it and keep shooting. Then along came the F4 with all it’s bells and whistles, and a little bit of dust was all it took to ruin your day. I live near the Morton Arboretum and on a couple trips this year I took just one lens to push the creativity a bit.
Just getting back to photography; when I was in high school, I had a Nikon 35mm camera and it was the best! It was so old that the seals were cracked in some places which gave the images I took certain light streaks. I love shooting on film because you have to take your time to compose the shot and you only had 24 frames to get it right. Now, I have a decent digital mirror less camera with an APS-C sensor (Sony), but I use vintage Nikon glass and the go to lens for me is the 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5 Macro Telephoto Zoom. On a crop sensor the focal range is 42-135mm, which makes it a good multi purpose lens.
Absolutely beautiful video. I am so glad you are doing more art again rather than equipment, editing. I like those and learn from them. But I love your episodes on artistic considerations!!!!!😀
As a photographer learning about all of this ... And not taking enough time to limit .y options ... Simply trying everything and always taking out all lenses I've made it difficult to register the different nuances of these various signatures ... I've started thinking before leaving for that day what am I likely to shoot and limiting myself to one lens per day or per roll and I am forced to create within the confines of that piece of equipment ... As a sax player and fellow Coltrane fan you have really hammered the message home as I've never attempted to play more than one saxophone at once and despite being a Coltrane fan I know myself to be an alto player .... Thanks for an incredible insight into this topic ....
Another good stuff from Ted. I think after many years of experience in line with one's interest there will be a tendency to minimize the tools of the trade. I enjoyed the vlog. Thank you.
I've been taking photos forever. I've read/heard that using a fixed focal length makes you creative by forcing you to compose and move back and forth for the best shot. Well, I now love my 24-105. If you are out with me, you will find me using all the focal lengths. But not only that I'm composing with all the focal lengths with most shots, plus you'll also find me repositioning myself to compose.
I've been listening to a guy on Advancing Your Photography by the name of Daniel Milnor and he has been encouraging his listeners to do the same. Pick a lens you like and stick to it, be it a 28mm, 35mm, 50mm etc. He is a retired press and documentary photographer and has published a ton of work. This video really validates everything Dan has been saying and I couldn't agree more. Great stuff!!
Agree 100% with the philosophy of staying with a single focal length, one that captures what your mind sees thru your own eyes. Having spent some 30 years shooting with a 35mm lens as my standard, I'd suggest you try it. That focal length strikes a good balance between "standard'" and "wide"; it is close to 43mm, which is the diagonal measurement of 35mm fullframe shooting. It best reproduces the field of view of the human eye. That extra bump up to 35mm gives a bit of room for cropping as needed, and increases depth of field as well - without any problematic field curvature distortion.
I'm not a photographer but a 3D artist, I've set up my software camera to 50mm lens (you can change that obviously), but for some reason I feel like if I were a photographer I would go primarily for a 50mm lens...
Preaching truth here my guy. We all get caught up in the shiny objects. I know I did. I had 5 lenses at one point. Now I’m just one body, and 3 primes; 24/55/135, and I love the freedom. It’s never a decision; I know what prime I’m on for each given day. I almost wish I could be on just 1 prime, but I think I have it perfect with these 3. Love the perspective in your chat man.
Hi,thanks for the video. I think that 28 mm focal length is underrated nowadays when you can take great shots with it. It's similar to 24 mm but not identical.It has a more intimate look whatever scenery you take.
That´s why this channel is called The Art of Photography. With this kind of content, for me at least, you separate yourself from the crowd in a unique way. Congrats
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Well stated. Good blessings to you.
100% I really like this kind of mind twists! And lately I landed in this myself. I almost just use my 35mm for my x-pro 3, I have a 56 and a 50-140 also. But those are for specific needs. The 35mm is the one I use 85% of the time. Just love the way of simplify the process and make it simple. After years of photography I have enough self-confidence to just shoot JPEG using recipes this whole month. And a big part of that confidence comes from channels like The art of photography, but also snapsbyromanfox!
Agree. All the photography videos on youtube are about new cameras so someone actually talking about the ART of all of it, about the results that come out of this tool + someone who do it well, is refreshing!
Yes this is one of these few channels with substance. Also Photographic Eye is worth checking out.
I’m newly retired and am going to make traveling a big part of my abundance of time. I’ve been a hobbyist photographer since I was a kid. I’ve owned full frame cameras and got lost down the rabbit hole of buying too many lenses and becoming almost paralyzed with indecision as to which lens to take with me. So, I sold the full frame camera and lenses and bought the Fujifilm X100V two years ago and have been very happy.
I found myself wanting more flexibility with respect to focal range now and am seriously considering the purchase of a full frame camera. Once again, thoughts of what lenses to buy has caused me some amount of frustration. I find that I feel best in my photography if I have limited choices. This video helped me decide that I will purchase a 50mm and 28mm lens. Period. Thanks, Ted!
Reduction is key. Too many choices and you lose the control and the pictures. The other thing is: don’t move for an hour. Become the part of the place you take pictures and after a while the magic of time and space starts.
Very much agree.
There was some rocks on the beach, that I went every morning for a month for an hour or so to photograph, so as to understand nuances of light and developing.
How we see through different focal lengths, changes our willingness to see, and thus not only our photography, but our selves.
Recently, have been loving 135mm as if that was the only lens that exists, and then there was a shot that I could not pass up which required a 24mm which I had with me that day, and it is like Christmas again.
With the help of photography my eyes even changed from requiring glasses to no longer needing them.
beautiful analysis
Hey Peter @ Peter Lund. Share your thoughts. Although we may have a number of lens and bodies there is always our "go to" kit. For me, I live on a 55mm f/1.2, either on Canon and Nikon.
Back when I was doing freelance work for my former university, my colleagues allowed me to use their gear for our project. They had all the gizmos that one can think in 2016, but I settled on almost 80% of my photography with the Canon EOS 70-200mm f2,8 shot on either 70mm or 200mm. Sure, there was a time that I played with the Zeiss 85mm f1,4 in EF mount... but what you said is true. We photographers have a focal length where we see best, truly making the camera the extension of our eyes.
Right now my "kind" of focal length is the 40mm. I can't explain it why, but it just works for me.
Less is more!
FWIW, I’m pretty much a 50mm guy too. Years ago we traveled to Paris w another couple. This guy took his Canon 5D3 and about three or four lenses. He carted his entire gear around Paris in a backpack wherever we went. I brought my Leica ME and a 50 Summicron. That’s it. Nothing else. To this day, I think those were some of the best travel photos I’ve ever taken.
So ..... did the guy with all the lenses end up with any good images?
You only told half the story.
@@ThePurpleHarpoon Interesting question. I had a show based on my photos I called “Paris, je t’aime” which he never attended. I never saw his photos.
My eye-opener was Belgian Magnum photographer Carl de Keyzer talking a large audience through his North Korea exibition. He only mentioned his camera and lens set up, because someone was bound to ask about it anyway. But he genuinly didn't see it as an interesting topic. Very telling. For every trip to North Korea (that was the project) he just had one camera and one lens.
Sterk verhaal!
I suppose he was so confident about his gear that he didn't need a backup.
Thanks dude
The most unexpected comment I could have ever predicted.... You said so much right here, thank you
I spend a fair amount of time on the Leica Users forum and usually the people who have all the really pricey lenses and bodies and who go on and on about MTF charts take awful wide open pictures of beer mugs and their pets. Conversely you'll have photogs with a 35 Cron and an M9 that post incredible shots. I think the more you chase gear, the further you get away from the art
100%!
chasing gear often become a substitute of poor artistic vision.
Depends on when you acquire the gear. If you start and you have everything then and no mentor, then it’s hard to see the picture. When I started as an assistant, then I could have used all the gear but I was so tired that I hardly could enjoy. But I always was alert when the „master“ was using his equipment. When I started teaching, I always reduced the equipment to 50 mm and a manual camera. For all the pupils the same gear. If they could tell me why the needed a 24 mm, they got it. The leading curve was impressive.
Very true. We have more gear lovers than actual photographers if that makes sense
Gear and art are not mutually exclusive. In fact without the gear, and thoroughly understanding it, you can’t make the art.
When I was in photography school in the 60's (OMG I'm old), we learned that the best way to learn any aspect of photography was to eliminate all variables but the one you select to work on. I believe it was Edward Weston who wanted to learn about the range and look of then available films and photo papers. He set up a broken column with a piece of black cloth on top and a teacup on top of that in his studio. Using the same camera and lens, he photographed it for a year varying only film choice and then processing options and then paper choice and then paper processing choice and then.... It was the greatest self-assignment example of my career. Eliminating all but one variable is the best way to really learn to explore that one variable AND to learn to think about how to explore that one variable.
1964-65 at Doscher Country School of photography So.Woodstock Vt. Marsden Griswold
That is an amazing story! Is that really true? Just asking because it seems like an incredibly difficult thing to actually do, especially at that time... Thank you for sharing.
I repeat what I’ve said earlier: this channel takes RUclips to a whole other level. It is unmatched! Love your thoughts and work, Ted! I agree wholeheartedly that we should focus on the moment rather than the tool. A 50 mm lens with f1.8 is my primary choice, too.
This is so good. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and the tone and gear chase is real. When I finally settled on a telecaster and sold all my other guitars, it allowed me to connect to my instrument like never before. Granted I felt a connection with how it felt in my hands that I never felt with another guitar, but you're spot on here. I love the analogy of your drummer friend. Maybe the trick is to find which lens communicates your vision most consistently and stick to that for a while. The great chase can get exhausting. Thank you for this!
I think this is why I am a telecaster owner and a x100v owner.
The telecaster is the most simple an electric guitar can be, I love it. You can achieve any sound- any style. They’re comfy to play and look classic !
The 100v limits me in many ways, but it really makes me be creative like the tele
@@jamesturner2914 absolutely, can't go wrong with a Tele. 🤙🏼
Yes, but it depends on what type of music one is playing. Maybe for Jazz we need a nice hollow body Gibson, Rock a Strat,les Paul, country a Tele. Different tube amps give their own signature to the sound. Lens maybe are like guitars use the one for the image that one is trying to create.
@mpw having years of gigging experience carrying multiple guitars, pedals, and amps, I can tell you that 99.99% of people that came to watch me play, couldn't tell the difference, much less give a shit about the tone difference between a Fender or Gibson through a Marshall or Super Reverb. If you enjoy the gear and enjoy hauling it from gig to gig, I'm all about it. But it's not for me anymore. I like to keep it simple and straight forward. Besides, the gear for the genre is not as important as we think it is. Country music was the last genre to adopt the telecaster. They preferred big archtops and thought the Tele was a kid's toy. They got plenty of twang off archtops.
@@uglytuco3829 Yes, I know. I am thinking more about recording then playing live. Even playing live, many artist switch guitars for the type of song they are playing. Of course the greats have roadies to carry all the equipment!
In lens, if one wants more character then one might use a vintage type lens. Maybe for architecture then one might want a more clinical lens. So it depends on the situation in what one wants to accomplish. Instruments like guitars and pianos all sound a little different as all lens are not the same that is what makes it interesting. If everyone used the same camera and lens or the same guitar and amp it become quite boring.
My first real camera was a rollei 35, Age 16. I still have it. After that the spending spree started. I never could get that feel and love I had with the Rollei. Enter Fuji x100. I have the love again. I did finally get the x100v, for the reliability but the love is still back. At age 65 my pocket book and back are so happy now. Thank you for your great views!!
I smiled when you mentioned your old Nikon F3. Made me think of my beloved old Canon AE1, which I first got in 1977, and accompanied me all through art school, all over Europe, and everywhere else I went. When I finally gave it up and upgraded to digital photography, around 2004 or so, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend.
I really miss my Nikon F3. But to be honest, I don't miss film too much, even though it was a great educator.
I love my ae1. Still use it to this day
I was a wedding photographer for 23 years. I decided to trawl through a selection of my photos during the digital era to see what focal length I used the most. 35mm was the most used and I realised that’s probably why my go to camera is the Fujifilm X100T with the 23mm/35mm equivalent lens. Second came out as 50mm. So now I am shooting film cameras for my personal work with 2 primes, my 35mm and 50mm. My street photography is shot exclusively with both these focal lengths. Great video btw!!
A while back you challenged viewers to spend a month with one focal length. My choice then was an 85mm, primarily due to the fact that I had just purchased it to upgrade an older 85mm. Today it would be easy for me to focus on a 50 because I use it so often. I periodically will buy new (or used) glass and experiment with it, etc. You know what's on right now? The 50mm 1.8 I bought with the body.
Thank you, Ted, for being the art in the Art of Photography. I feel like who you are comes through in each video. It inspires me to focus less on the technical aspects of an image and put more of me into an image. I definitely have a long way to go but am enjoying the journey. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love your analogy - jazz instrumental to camera - thanks Ted really great imagining
It's interesting to hear of your experimenting with lenses. Stanley Kubrick did that a lot. He was a photographer (as well) who understood the language between art and technology. Nowadays a lot of photographers are camera geeks or artistes with ostensible denial of the technology. It seems that the overall trend has been towards wider angles because they force immersion. This makes the connection with the subject more intimate.
I love a 50mm focal prime. And 20mm for wide angle. I don’t think about the focal aspect ratios as much as the feel of fractions to isolate. My way of shooting is one of seeing the whole scene to then isolate the photograph secondarily. Fractions are the key for me. I see them like a fractal in 360 much like a jazz piece swirling round me does. Last time I was shooting street in NYC I took only my 85mm, 2 out 5 days. In its case hyper focal use and pre visualization is paramount to my approaches. I’m a Nikon guy and shoot a D750 primarily and currently.
I have owned 10 Nikons starting with an F removable prism which I still love for street stuff. Bresson has been a major influence for me along with Doisneau along the way. Thank you for your passions and presence here !
Totally agree with you Ted! I actually find that I prefer the imperfect look of vintage lenses most of the time. Thinking of digital now - My personal philosophy is that I should not change gear until my own skill level has advanced to the point that I am consistently being limited by the current gear or I can see a significant benefit from doing so.
Hi there! Ive just seen this vídeo today but i think it resumes very well a need that i believe almost all photographers (namely the ones using digital) feel… in the journey of life we get trough different stages, we need to experiment, we need to find our way, our path… same happens with photography, when you have tried cameras, Lenses, genres, editing styles and tecnhiques, etc., etc., you start to feel the need for the simple things… a simple camera, a “simple” lens (can be a prime!), not spending hours editing… Thats when i think you are finally ready to give photography a chance, when you become more focused on the subject and less in the equipment…. Less is (most of the times!) more! Congrats on the videos!
With all due respect because I've been a fan of this channel for a long time, I feel this thought process is backwards and perpetuates some of the same negative parts of the craft and hobby that many of us dislike.
By focussing on limitation it seems like one is expanding horizons but with lenses you're just picking one paintbrush for your painting. The lens isn't the canvas, it isn't the mind's eye it isn't the subject matter, it's a super well built but very simple means to an end. It focusses the light you're writing with. You did the rest.
I feel that expanding into a style is far better than limiting yourself. Limits are artificial and external; either you'll end up copying someone else's style or having a shadow of your own. Like a painter who can only find one paintbrush and maybe even only several colors. Certainly you can do great work that way, no argument. But to create a style I disagree.
You mention Cartier Bresson and Winogrand and bring up their focal lengths but I don't think it tells their story. Cartier Bresson had no problem photographing with a bit of detached aristocratic distance. I'm not surprised he'd step away and separate the subjects. The image you showed is widely speculated to be a rehearsed shot, and he wasn't above staging shots with subjects.
WInogrand on the other hand approached his work directly, in a blue collar way, he was open about this. Right up to the issue, no rehearsal, no apology. For that having a 28 works, it's the right paintbrush a different one would color two thin lines or paint too broadly. A 24 would distort, a 35 is practically what an eye sees anyway, 28 is just right to get three people in a shot up close on a New York sidewalk. The lens was a tool to an end.
I think in this age where almost everyone seems to have a mirrorless camera, you can adapt any cheap lens you find at a thrift store or an old antique barn or on Ebay and try painting your light in different ways. In fact I think having all those different focal lengths and visualizing them in your mind as you create images is helpful. What paintbrush will I be using for this tree? It's happy but for an artist it's not an accident, they choose wisely. Cheers!
@MKS Perhaps, but like I said I feel the lens wasn't the specific limitation, rather the vision chose the lens by default...perhaps just something I've been thinking about but I feel like it's backwards essentially. Cheers!
Thank you very much, You have helped bring me back from focus and wasting time on something. (I've been shooting with a single 35mm for 6-7 years) and being enjoying today's technology and equipment. But the most important thing is not what gear you use.
But it should be that your "work" can tell a story. Or how to communicate with the people who see you work?
I think you are spot on with this topic - because of many limitation of my situation I have been restricted to a 50mm and a 28mm for a really long time. And now I realize the uniqueness of them and how they render. It's the focal length which makes it the way it is. Also it brings a lot of Consistency with the body of work one puts up over the years
Don't know how you present like that, with no choppy little edits every few seconds, no saying "er" and, apparently, no breathing in. Excellent, thank you. Great video for this viewer, who has somehow managed to acquire four cameras in one year (actually six bought, two sold on). Somewhere in that pile is the Fuji 35 f1.4 (about a 50mm) and the cheap but great 35 f2. Oh, and an x100v. So yeah, end of comment - off to take some pictures.
I have been a serious photographer for more years than I care to admit and have a wide variety of lenses. About two years ago, a friend suggested I start shooting exclusively with fixed lens. I did just that...and, wow, my skills got so much better. I recently got a Leica Q2 with a fixed 28mm lens and I've noticed two things about fixed lenses in general. First, they help me avoid being a "lazy" photographer and second, they really makes me think a lot more about my compositions and, in some ways, force me to slow down. If advanced hobbyists and serious photographers want to challenge themselves and really up their game, they should get a fixed focal length lens and stick to it for at least a year. It may annoy the hell out of you at first...but, the results are worth it.
GLAD I FOUND YOU...this topic really hits close to home for me! As a Nikon D 750 camera guy, I lost my beloved 50mm 1.8 lens, and when I went back to my camera store guru,
he told me that all he had in stock was a classic Nikon 55mm macro lens, but with only MANUAL focusing! I threatened to go online and get another nifty 50, but he told me
he would let me take this macro manual lens and shoot with it for a week: I did, and fell in love with it once I got used to manually focusing! Now I use it for a walkaround lens, to go along with a versatile 24-70mm zoom lens for everything else! Thanks again for this video!
I love this "geeky" talk that nobody else like to discuss... Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely agree. As a sax player, I really enjoyed the saxophone analogy. This got me to think about the equivalences: 85mm is baritone, 50mm is tenor, 35mm is alto and 28mm is soprano, at least that’s how I perceive them.
I think that, in the same way that in Harry Potter the wand chooses the wizard, the lens also chooses the photographer.
I like your channel because you are one of the few people on RUclips who talks about the artistic approach of photography from a theoretical perspective.
I dig your equivalents!
Thanks for the focus on the “Art” of photography! My 28, 50, 85 trio has just been validated!
25, 50 and 85 here. Felt guilty having so many but those just seem to be the basics that cover most of my needs
That's so true, I got a Leica M system with 35 , 50 , 90 , then I got a Hasselblad system with 80 , 100 , 120 , 150.
In the beginning when I own them, I always go out with at least 2 lens, later I wanted to focus on one focal length and really think about it before taking the shot.
yes, there's always moment I wish I had the tele lens with me for certain shots, but it doesn't change anything, by the time I change my lens the moment was gone.
Now I only go out with one lens with me, and really USE it , building up my experience on that particular focal length and learn from the mistakes.
Recently I got myself the Rolleiflex 2.8F, I'm really happy with its 80mm and its flexibility compared to the Hasselblad .
When you watch a lot of Photography related channels, 80 to 90% are gear reviews, I mean I have no problem with it at all, after all, RUclipsr need views, subs, we all need money to support our hobbies . but please photographers , focus more on your work, your technique , your photograph
I played alto saxophone through college. And while I tried the tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, I had to master one. It is about muscle memory and embouchure (the mouth going on the mouthpiece), which is essential to mastering tone. As a photographer enthusiast, I love lots of lenses but I find 50mm is my alto saxophone :)
I use my 35 DX all the time, which is a 50mm focal length on an FX lens. I will change lenses when need to. But 50 has been my go to lens
Fewer reviews. More of this, please. Meaningful discussion about how we can improve as photographers. Thanks, Ted!
PS: As a photojournalist, I have always been about zooms, particularly the 16-35 and the 70-200. Now moving toward focusing on the 50 and 35mm focal lengths. I used to think the 35mm was the most boring. I must be getting old. LOL.
Well, well, well... this video has summed up my past week. I had not taken a photo with my Fuji camera gear in such a long time. I had bought too much equipment over the past few years that the choices became overwhelming. At the start of the week I decided to sell everything and just keep one body, a secondhand X-Pro 2, and one lens, the Fuji 35mm f1.4 (50mm equivalent) - also bought secondhand. The reason for this is straightforward: it's a focal length I am comfortable with and also a set up that has given me some of my best and most enjoyable work. Today I took it out to snap a few shots and was automatically at ease. I didn't need to think or worry about having brought the wrong kit or kick myself for poor lens choice for the occasion. I now only have one system and will adapt to take the photos the kit is capable of.
7:35 I have indeed always loved the 28mm focal length.. I have tried 20, 24, 28, 35 and in that range, I find it the perfect compromise, not too wide, not too close. For some reason though, 28mm doesn't seem to be as successful than other lenses.. maybe because it's kind of a "versatile" lens and we are more into having several primes dedicated to use cases. Fully agree on the artistic thrill at taking only one lens at times, to force see the world differently.
Of course, if one can only carry one focal length, versatility has got to be the prime (ooh, I made a pun) consideration. I think modern photographers, I.e. the internet gen photographers, just see 28 as a boring option, probably because “the internet says”. It’s odd. I don’t find the results from 28mm boring in the slightest. Even if I was to build a new system of primes from scratch, I would start with a 28 and space outwards from that. That’s how much I like the 28! For me an efficient, powerful lens system of primes would be something like a 20mm wide angle for drama, a 28mm for walk around versatility , and a 135mm for something completely different. Not everyone’s choice of a prime lens trio, but I find it covers most photographical ground, as it were. I haven’t owned a standard lens for thirty years, which, like with most budding photographers back then, was all I used. It was even called a “normal lens” , perhaps to make one feel normal struggling with 50mm and nothing else.
One of the reasons for the wide use of 50mm in the past, thus skewing statistics to say that the 50 was the lens of choice was that the 50 was that the "kit" lens (not a term used back then) when purchasing a new camera, certainly true of my Konica T3 bought in 1974. Zooms were also absent and early zooms weren't that great.
I had a photo book about photography in which the reporting was included discussing the great photos and how many were taken by 50mm lenses. But this statistical note came about looking back into the past, into the 60's,, 50''s, 40's, 30's. I don't think you would find the 50 dominance holding up from 2000 till now. When I purchased my Canon 10s (film) camera in 1990, I bought body only (still not that common a practice back then) and instead added the 28 - 135 lens, my first zoom.
I stick to one lens, a 35. If I was doing weddings and events I would definitely have several lenses, but for my kind of work, I only want one lens and one camera. BTW, Ralph Gibson is my favorite photographer. I was thinking of buying his course too.
First time visitor - I love that concept of limiting oneself (at the same time collecting all kinds of lenses, and it seems that I am coming back to 50mm all over again). And yes, I do love the 28mm, too, but I have come to love this focal length only recently when I got a Ricoh GRIII.
Thanks so much. I'm on an intense one-month trip filming the wine regions in France. I find when I stick to my 35 mm lens for the shots, I get closer to the people and think about capturing moments vs always swapping glass. Keep up the great work
Swapping glass. Pun intended i hope.
According to his interviews, HCB above all hated obvious lens “effects” (signature). That’s why he shot a 35mm occasionally, but nothing wider. The 50mm also has the background to foreground size ratio similar to what you see with your eye, so he could accurately visualize the image without putting the camera to his eye.
He also used a 90mm for portraits.
Eugene Smith sometimes carried 6 Leicas with 6 different focal lengths attached. He would have adored today’s zooms.
I think once you get to a certain level of experience you just know how a scene will look in a certain focal length and framing. Spending time with each for a while to get that familiarity is a good idea. I think a nice f/2.8 24-70 zoom is probably a more economical way to get that education. But it’s heavier, less romantic and nostalgic.
Early in the pandemic looking to jolt my creativity, I pulled out an old Nikon FE and FM and paired them with a 50mm 1.8 and a 28mm f2.8. I would sometimes go out with one or the other and sometimes carry them together. I was really happy with my results from this experience.
These were my only two lenses when I started in photography 50 years ago and are still my favorite focal lengths. If I had to choose one it would be the 28 but I love the look from each of them. I’m finding since my pandemic experiment I am more likely to go out with one of these two primes and my photography is better for it
Really enjoyed this video. The saxophone analogy hit the nail on the head. As a (recovering) trumpet player, lenses remind me of mouthpieces in some ways: trumpet players often have a *lot* of mouthpieces. But, Miles played for most of his career on one mouthpiece and one trumpet…
I read an interview with Chris Botti once where he explained that he realised the Martin Committee was good enough for Miles so it should be good enough for him and, along with a Mt Vernon 3C mouthpiece, that became his set-up. No more thinking about gear. Choose a tool, commit to it, and then get as much out of it as you can.
Absolutely love this video. I’m the typical ‘modern’ photographer and have all the gear and way too many lenses. However, as the years go by, I keep noticing that my favourite images from each and every shoot, ends up being my 50mm. This was not intentional, but I could just recognise what I loved, and when I went back through my Lightroom catalogue from the last three years, the absolute majority of shots were my 50mm. Again, not intentional, it is just my thing. That said, I haven’t ever thought about it like this, but I really connect with this as a theory, and through to practice. Thanks again for yet another great video.
Absolutely agree. I was recently on a city trip in Lissabon and I only took the 50mm f1.8 with me. It was great, I didn't miss anything. I realized that I don't really need a wider angle in 95% of the time, even for landscapes. Only in very few cases a wide angle gives really a benefit.
Glad to see you address this type of subject - less about gear and more about how we use it. With all the focus on 28 and 50mm lenses, I must be an anomaly. I find that the 85 - 135 mm range is really how I see the world. I really connect with 135mm. Yet I find that I can adapt to different focal lengths based on what I choose to carry when I go out. I bring one lens on one camera and stay with that. After the first few shots, I see the world through that lens and shoot based on what it does. That does mean that I pass on shots I know I can’t get with that lens. Not quite the focus you are talking about here.
I love 135mm too. But you’ll get hate from the orthodoxy!😂
I posted a video of using the 60mm Voigtlander on micro4/3 (120mm equiv), and got several negative comments about shooting street photography above 50mm. It’s strange to me, I think it’s a very inexperienced immature viewpoint.
Right on about the saxophone. I’ve played soprano, alto, tenor - now only play tenor! I’m a retired architect. We went through school rendering our designs in their entirety, thus it was only natural to photograph buildings the same way. A close friend and biology professor took a Signet 35 I gave him to Europe and came back with some terrific architectural shots. None were of the entire building. Ergo, 50mm is just fine for a lot of architectural work (not all). These days I shoot a lot of film and use vintage cameras that only have a fixed normal lens. Where I have a choice, I use 40mm because I can crop it to different final formats.
Aw really loved this video, it kinda grounded me and reminded me about what is really important and why I began this journey in the first place. One of the things I love about your videos is that you have an amazing conversational tone, I find myself nodding my head or commenting out loud while watching because it feels as though we are having a conversation as opposed to you talking AT me. It takes a special gift to be able to do that Ted, I just wanted to acknowledge it.
Very, very true. RS. Canada
I agree, also with the drummer. My friend use the same set since were young. My favorites are 50 and 28 mm wich in our digtal world and apc format bekomes 35 and 18 mm. Thank you for another lovley video.
My favourite lens due to its signature is my 85 1.8 G lens from Nikon. It has a nice look without correction and I usually shoot it at f/2.8-f/4 to exaggerate the effect for most of the photo. I have tried the more expensive 85mm lenses from many other brands, but this one just has that magic I love
I agree 100%, Ted!!!
Started photography on film 25 years ago, then quiting for a while… (student budget). Got back to it in 2011 with my iPhone, then the Fuji X100T (still my digital camera) and progressively came back to film photography with…. a Nikon F3 and a 50mm f/2. My main and everyday camera ;-)
Simplification forces us to focus on the essential, photography… Please, let’s go back to photo assignments!
For the last couple of years I have been shooting mostly through a Nikkor 55mm Micro. I got tired of going to Airshows and taking the same photos everyone else was taking of planes in the air and started shooting close ups and macros of the aircraft parked on the ramp. It’s a whole other prospective of familiar aircraft to capture!
If you go out with multiple lenses, you will think about what lens you want to use and change lenses. After 40 years of pro photography, I got out with an M6 and a Summicron 35mm: I may miss some shoots, but I do not lose my creative mind. I firmly believe that everyone has a voice, and that voice corresponds to a particular focal length. With a 35mm, my brain sings; I see the world in 35mm: it can be the M6, a BigMini, or a T3. I am a 35mm eye. I know photographers that are 21mm, 75, 50. Follow your inner voice, and you will always be happy. Thank you for sharing.
Back when I started photography, the 50 mm lens that usually came with the camera body was the only lens I could afford, so I guess I served my apprenticeship through necessity rather than choice. Later, it was great to be able to choose from a variety of focal lengths according to the subject matter and the effects I was trying to achieve. A 50 mm is a great focal length, but it cannot do everything: one should strive to use the proper tool for the job at hand. That said, it is always good to limit oneself to a single focal length occasionally to explore what can be done and to get the creative juices flowing. It just doesn't have to be 50 mm all the time.
I had an instructor who said to use one focal length for a year. One of the problems with zooms is that it's harder to anticipate what focal length to use, because you haven't spent the time to learn how it affects your photo. I recently bought a 40mm for my Z6II and brought it on vacation in order to learn about it. The zoom lens has stayed in the bag.
Thanks for another great video!
Love the statement of every photographer thinks in a focal length. Beautiful.
Love the appreciation of the simple & elegant set up. Sounds like you miss that era of your shooting.
At 5:20 and on, the difference in rendering of 2 different focal lengths depends on how the subject, its background and foreground project on the focal plane. To keep it short, assuming the subject is framed the same, the longer the focal length the farther you need to be. That takes care of the obvious. If you consider any line from any off-centre point in the scene to its projection on the sensor plane, that line will have more of a slant with a wide-angle, and will tend to become parallel to the projection line of the centre-point the longer the focal length. The latter makes it obvious why perspective is described as compressed with a telephoto lens : the background and foreground project at a similar ratio as the subject. Conversely, the distances between subject, background and foreground are as exaggerated as the shorter focal lengths augment the slant of the projection line. It’s a matter of perspective, in the most geometrical sense possible ;-)
On a personal note, after receiving a Canon AE-1 kit with a 50mm f1.4 and a 200mm f4, the first lens I got with my own money, carefully thought out with a look at what the other guys in the almost club obtained with whatever lenses they got, and paying attention to such details in photography magazines and books, was a Vivitar 28mm f2.5. Did a lot with it, it seemed to lend itself to the way I saw things. Nowadays, with a 35mm and a 24mm, I still find sometimes I miss that lens. Still have it, technically, except it’s on a loan with the 50 1.4 to one of my kids…
I miss it a bit more now!
Great upload. Took me years to get there, but I've narrowed it down to two focal lengths; 28mm and 85mm. I can get most things done with just those two.
My favorite focal lengths as well. I like the Nikkor 28mm F2.0 and the Tamron SP 90mm Macro f2.5. These are my go to lenses for backpacking.
@@carlosmcse 28 and 50 is a great alternative for documentary or on the street. 👍🏿
@@carlosmcse I tend to use 35 as a general stand-alone lens when I don't want to carry two. Step in closer and it's like 50, step back and it acts like 28…
@@carlosmcse Agree, agree, agree… However, if you're going to carry three lenses, then I'd use a zoom, as too much switching becomes the problem. If I'm going into the unknown, then I'd bring 24-70. If I'm doing a street photography photowalk, then it's two bodies with 28 and 50, (or 85). If i'm just milling about on a general, then I carry 35mm. Works for me… 😎
I wanna be like Eric Dolphy.
On any given record he might be playing a sax or a flute or a bass clarinet, but no matter which one it is you can always tell it's him - & whether you like it or not you can still tell that he's a genuinely capable artist who really feels everything he puts out there.
Thanks for this one, Ted!
Thank you for these liberating words. I tried the limitation to one lens and one focal lenght - it was indeed the 50 - for myself. I don't know, if my photography went better because of this but my shooting experience was that much relaxter, more mindful and in the end more satisfying. The psychological pressure coming out of my camerabag was completely gone and I loved it!
Spot on commentary Ted. I'm a member of a group of Pentaxians. I used the Pentax K-1 primarily and we challenge ourselves by using one focal length for a month. What you are saying is true. When you limit the gear you focus your mind to get what you can get just from that lens. Back up, move forward, shallower depth of field but you have to learn what you can do and how to do it with that one lens and it is a wonderful challenge. It really caused me to focus on 50mm. I love the old Takumar 50mm 1.4 and it works great on the K-1 but the one I really gravitated to was the old smc Pentax-FA 50mm 2.8 macro lens. It is super sharp, free of CA and has incredible bokeh and its over 30 years old. It is such a versatile lens too. You can go from 1:1 macro to landscape in an instant and back to a portrait. It pretty much stays on my camera now all the time and no more lugging lenses around lol.
I admit, I'm a tech nerd. I love the gear, the gadgets and such. I have a literal mind and I don't pretend to be an artist but I hope there's still room for people like me in the photography space. We're all doing our best to create and be creative. And the paths we take can be different. But I feel they're all valid. And if nothing else, we make the gear cheaper. Lol
Yeah man buying gear is so pleasing. But we must acknowledge that it is actually a disorder, CBD? Just look around, shopping makes people happy. Very very happy. But the real purpose to acquire any gadget, gear or tech is to get better on it. Filling shelves is no use. This is not a critique but I think it is very important to acknowledge the problem to start addressing the issue.
I've been shooting 50 all of 2021, new camera system and only lens. I'd like to add 100-105 macro, then 28 or 35. I used to have 24-85 on a crop sensor. I shoot mostly nature and travel. Recently expanding into street photography due to pandemic limitations. I love your giddy excitement in the middle of the video. I could see your inner child.
Great video! Lately I restrict my lens choice for “random shooting opportunities” by choosing one prime for the day (or week). It forces me to learn how to produce creative results at that focal length. In situations where I am trying to photograph something important to me (like on a trip) I’ll use a zoom lens because it maximizes my opportunity to get a shot. It is my hope that by limiting myself to a prime in my daily shooting situations, I will get better results when I use a zoom, because I will have learned about more choices at specific focal lengths within that zoom’s range. Less definitely feels like more when I choose to walk about and shoot with a single focal length lens.
Ted, there are gear guys, and there is you. You teach about the value of the art and for that I am grateful. Your worth as an artist has nothing to do with your gear.
Great topic!! I walk with one 40mm on my camera and one small télé-zoom in my pocket and I would say I use the both 50/50. Often I need to compress the background to get the composition to work.
One thing with the 24mm is that with the megapixel we have nowadays you can easily take one step back and crop the photo to get the 28mm look if you want that.
Yep, I'm still using my same film gear from 1983. I'd rather use film than my digital gear. I remember using my A1 and 50mm and how much I loved it. Then meeting my wife, who was already professional photographer. She pulled out her 4x5 Tachihara field camera and let me view the image on the glass. I'll never forget that moment and I think that's why I still prefer to shoot film to this day. The images, I've captured over the years will never be captured again, never duplicated. The romance in doing something that can and will only be done once is what keeps me going. In a way, every image is my own personal immortality.
Hey Ted, another great video and always love the comparison to music and particularly jazz music. Andrew is a deep authoritarian on drums, where they came from how they evolved and why they are what they are today. I truly believe as an x-student of mine and knowing him as I do professionally it’s not the kit but rather the sound of that particular drum kit. As a trumpet player I’ve gone through many before I found “the one“ that spoke to me for timbre, texture and most important the inner vision of the sound of what I’m looking for in a brass instrument. As a photographer I love the Canon 135mm L. I believe it has the best bouquet of any L Canon L Lens and I own too many of them to list here, but to me that’s the “one.” You’re work on RUclips is respected, admired and so important. There are many like myself who appreciate your wonderful in-depth preparation to any video you post. Thanks for who you are and for what you produce. Bart Marantz
thank you for this subject, "back in the day" (the early 70s') when I purchased my first 35mm camera, like most it came with a 50mm lens. It become my standard for shooting until I purchased a 35mm lens in 1976. Up to that point about 90% of my shooting was with a 50mm lens. It worked really well for me for various situations, if it be portraits, architectural or landscapes. I still use one from time to time on my range finder camera, I love the versatility of it.
Your aha moment was something I experienced a number of years ago. I posted a picture to the gram and captioned it saying I wish I had a finer grain film for the particular photo. My photographer friend of mine chimed in with a piece of advice that single handedly changed the way I make photographs. He said “I believe anyone who insists on studying the grain of an image instead of appreciating its content, is missing the point of a photograph” Essentially, he said what you said. No one’s picking apart the fine details of your photo and scrutinizing the bokeh, grain, CA, and distortion. If the photo is well composed and tells a good story, it will stand on its own and no one will care about the other stuff
As a fairly newbie person to “serious” photography I found this to be a good video. The channel provides something alternative to other photo channels on RUclips. Great to hear your views on things 👍
Starting in college in 1968, I used a Canon FT-QL SLR with an 85mm f/1.8 lens. After switching to DSLRs almost 20 years ago, I saw my cameras get bigger and bigger with every upgrade - until I got an R7 a few months ago and had a body that was actually smaller than my FT. With its kit lens (can't get it without it) it's about the size of my old rig - and then I got the RF f/1.8 "nifty-fifty" a few weeks ago. Now the combo is much smaller, though more flexible. With the control ring, I've set up my R7 to feel like my old FT: aperture on the lens, shutter speed on the top deck, and ISO on the back - I shoot in Manual, exposing to the right with the histogram. Not a match-needle, but the same idea.
What a homecoming! With the 1.6 crop, the 50 has an 80mm angle of view, and the whole rig is smaller and lighter. Yes, I have a bunch of specialized lenses - the RF 100-400 for birding, and a few EF and EF-S holdovers with the control ring adapter (the EF-S 10-18 and the ultra-sharp Sigma 105 f/2.8) but I keep the nifty-fifty in a pocket of my vest.
Haven't yet put the nifty-fifty on the camera full-time (when I do, the surprisingly sharp - and small - RF-S 18-150 kit lens will take its place in my pocket), but I'm thinking about it.
This is amazing, really. I think there is something going on in the overall gestalt right now. A lot of photographers are trying all kind of approaches and moving away from the kind of product-centric focus we have been playing in for quite awhile now. Personally I am digitizing negatives and slides from 20-30 years ago and discovering a whole new level of enjoyment. And for the first time in 2 decades I am shooting film again. I will do the limit to one focal length exercise on my next trip, and see how that goes. Inspiring video, thanks!
This video is the perfect example of why I love your channel. Your videos are a masterclass on expression and communication. Just love it.
Hi Ted, great video! Just adding to the saxophone analogy... When we think about Coltrane or Miles what comes to our mind, the saxophone model they had or the music they played? Most of the Photographers (like musicians) are obsessed with gear, new this, new that, but at the end the images (like the music) is the only thing that really remains.
I thinner you are absolutely right. Twenty years ago, when I was a analog photographer, I sold all my gear and bought a Leica mp with a summilux 50. I was released, felt great and used that equipment for the comming ten years. 50 mm is my absolutely favorit focal lenght.
Thank’s for a always interesting and stimulating channel 😊
Thank you for this video. I bought a beat up hasselblad with standard 80mm and it was the only lens I could afford for years so I shot exclusively with that. I added more lenses years later but somehow I could not compose nor see as well in my mind's eye as I could with 80mm. It is like how you described it, that for me the 80 had that particular look and I not only got used to how it looked but learned how to shoot with it. Watching this motives me to bring out my old blad to shoot. Miss looking at the world through that 80mm lens. Love your videos.
many great photographers of the past did just like you.If you look at the original paparazzi in Fellini's Dolce Vita (1960), they all used the twin reflexes Which were just your focal length in 99 out of 100 cases!
I really struggle with my olympus 40-150 m43 lens.
Just can't seem to do much with 80mm and 300mm isn't long enough.
I'm more a 40mm man myself than 50 if I have to stick to primes.
I'm hosting a photowalk group on Facebook here in my local town in Bonn, Germany. We do photowalks once or twice a month, but one time in the year, we do a "nifty-fifty-walk".
I really like the idea to limit myself to one focal length, as this trains your eye and thought process - and so opens up your mindset.
Great video!
40-43mm, in 35mm film format is my favorite. I also really love the 90mm (39mm equivalent on 35mm camera) of the lens on my Fujica GW690II.
Same here! I find I love the 40mm equivalent because of my GW690. 35mm is too wide and boring sometimes and 50mm is sometimes too tight.
@@NathanTrimbach exactly
From my late-teen years of Tri-X 400/Pentax Spotmatic/55mm, a pause of decades, and then starting in 2019 with digital has been a journey. I'm still learning so much and this video has definetly given me a lot to consider. I've decided to shoot with my kit lens AF-P 18-55mm set at 18mm, and AF fine tune to my Nikon D7500 and yes I know it's a 27mm equivallent and a kit lens but "them is the breaks"! Thank you for providing a new direction of seeing, learning and hopefully new creativity!
Really good contemplation here. I use 23mm (35mm equivalent) almost exclusively. It suits my shooting style and the field of view is perfect for observational/walking around photography. Keep the awesome content coming!
Do you use a Fuji X100 series camera or an APS-C interchangeable lens camera with a 23mm lens attached to it?
This is kinda funny. I couldn't stop watching your video because about 6 months ago I put 3 of the 4 lenses I own for my Sony a7r 3 on a shelf and decided I would keep only my 50mm lens on my camera. That focal length was the same as was on my very first camera, over 45 years ago. After shooting for about a week, I fell in love with this lens all over again. I love how it lets the camera see what the human eye sees with hardly any distortion. I feel like once again I am gaining a personal connection with my subjects as if I gained a passport into a scene as a member instead of a visiting reporter.
I discovered my visual signature with my Nikkor 35 1.8. “With the 35, I come alive.“🥰 I own several ideal primes and the 24-70 zoom. Yet, I reviewed all my favorite images recently and discovered they were shot with my 35 1.8 either on my D700 or D850 over the course of 10 years. On a different note, John Coltrane is a demigod. His music is played in my house 3-4 times a week. I’m working on a book chapter on his aesthetic “vision” in jazz. Love him!☺️
I recently re-purchased a 35mm lens for my Nikon D3s. . . ahhh it sings! also. I'm currently on the lookout for another D700 what a marvellous machine.
I am really heartened with your personal evolution and what you bring to your videos. Trust me, I was blown away with you in the past and now even more so. Thank you for doing what you do how you do it. I am relatively new to photography. I ended up buying more lenses (expensive ones) than I am interested in using. Slowly I’ve sold them off wanting more and more to work with just my 50. There are a couple others I like… nonetheless, I understand focal length signature and I am learning to see. Your work is growing me. Thank you. As an aside, when I can I will get a Leica M10 Monochrom. It fits my nature in a similar way I wear high quality old style, old technology, watches. Thanks again.
Still love my D7200, most used lens, is the DX 35mm 1.8. Approximately 52mm in full frame terms. So often I’ll try looking at a scene with 3 different lenses, then end up back at the 35mm.
Love your take on things.
Commitment to one lens is so difficult. I "see" different types of photos in different focal lengths. For me portraits are shot at 85mm - others may prefer 200mm but it's 85mm most of the time for me. For street, 24mm is the go to. And maybe that's dictated by the Ricoh GR's I've shot for years but it's how I see the street. That said I have a couple lenses that I use to shake me out of ruts. Voigtlander makes a 40mm that reminds me of a Canon QL17 I used quite a bit when I started shooting for local papers. It's just such a fun lens that is just such a chameleon. They also make a 58mm that takes me a bit to get comfortable with. And if I were to chose one lens to spend the rest of my shooting days with, it might be one of those Voigtlanders.
40mm is an interesting focal length. I shot an Olympus 35rc for a while that has a 42mm lens. Felt very versatile and natural. I don’t ever feel wowed by a 35.
Wow! Your analogy of the musical instruments really struck me on how the way we use our tools can really affect the works that we are trying to achieve. Thank you for this video on the topic of focal length! 😀
I’m 51, and I started learning photography at age 13 on a Nikon FE and all I had was a 50mm and it was great. I remember the series E lenses!
I shot a whole wedding on just a 50mm and it was fantastic. I recently shot a family session on only a Fuji X100V (35mm equivalent) and it was fantastic. I shoot almost all my paid portraits & headshots on an 85. Now, after discovering Garry Winogrand, I’m saving for a 28 to expand my street work and personal projects. Primes are my weapon of choice and I love working in one focal length. Great photos btw, I love your work.
Great video! I've thought about this a lot recently and without much thought, I realize that I gravitate heavily to the 40mm focal length. My contax t2 at 38mm and my (future) 500c/m with the 40mm equiv really produce an image I am most happy with.
It's possibly a very deep quality of the universe, something holistic but today, shortly before noticing this you tube, I was pondering how to select lenses for outings of my passion - landscapes, specifically English landscapes. I live in a very urban, densely populated location and I try to keep my landscapes simplistic. My favourite optic is a 18mm (FFE) WA but I often see compositions that demand a long focus, purely by virtue of its isolation capabilities. Therefore, I usually select two lenses. However, this video has given me a banquet for thought and made me want to see what are the possibilities if I limit myself to a single optic. It begs the question 'Does the optic train the photographer?' If so, only swapping optics whilst packing your bag might be a very good education. Thank you for an inspiring video.
Ted your videos are an oasis in RUclips! Thanks for sharing these thoughts, it felt like a discussion within a big group of friends! Great content and quality as usual! You have given me some thoughts to process for today :)
So glad I watched this. I have been enjoying experimenting with my 85mm 1.8 and just ignore my instructor telling me I need to buy more lenses. Why? The exploration is awe inspiring and now I have a new description: creating my visual signature.
I was a photographer in the Marines in the early 90’s and the standard issue camera was the Nikon F3, you could beat the crap out of it and keep shooting. Then along came the F4 with all it’s bells and whistles, and a little bit of dust was all it took to ruin your day.
I live near the Morton Arboretum and on a couple trips this year I took just one lens to push the creativity a bit.
Just getting back to photography; when I was in high school, I had a Nikon 35mm camera and it was the best! It was so old that the seals were cracked in some places which gave the images I took certain light streaks. I love shooting on film because you have to take your time to compose the shot and you only had 24 frames to get it right. Now, I have a decent digital mirror less camera with an APS-C sensor (Sony), but I use vintage Nikon glass and the go to lens for me is the 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5 Macro Telephoto Zoom. On a crop sensor the focal range is 42-135mm, which makes it a good multi purpose lens.
Absolutely beautiful video. I am so glad you are doing more art again rather than equipment, editing. I like those and learn from them. But I love your episodes on artistic considerations!!!!!😀
As a photographer learning about all of this ... And not taking enough time to limit .y options ... Simply trying everything and always taking out all lenses I've made it difficult to register the different nuances of these various signatures ... I've started thinking before leaving for that day what am I likely to shoot and limiting myself to one lens per day or per roll and I am forced to create within the confines of that piece of equipment ... As a sax player and fellow Coltrane fan you have really hammered the message home as I've never attempted to play more than one saxophone at once and despite being a Coltrane fan I know myself to be an alto player .... Thanks for an incredible insight into this topic ....
Another good stuff from Ted. I think after many years of experience in line with one's interest there will be a tendency to minimize the tools of the trade. I enjoyed the vlog. Thank you.
I've been taking photos forever. I've read/heard that using a fixed focal length makes you creative by forcing you to compose and move back and forth for the best shot. Well, I now love my 24-105. If you are out with me, you will find me using all the focal lengths. But not only that I'm composing with all the focal lengths with most shots, plus you'll also find me repositioning myself to compose.
I absolutely love this video!! Thank you for this!! Always love your perspective and insight. Hopefully I can run into you one day in Fort Worth.
I've been listening to a guy on Advancing Your Photography by the name of Daniel Milnor and he has been encouraging his listeners to do the same. Pick a lens you like and stick to it, be it a 28mm, 35mm, 50mm etc. He is a retired press and documentary photographer and has published a ton of work. This video really validates everything Dan has been saying and I couldn't agree more. Great stuff!!
Really enjoyed this! I know gear reviews pay the bills, but nice to see more OG AOP stuff lately.
Agree 100% with the philosophy of staying with a single focal length, one that captures what your mind sees thru your own eyes. Having spent some 30 years shooting with a 35mm lens as my standard, I'd suggest you try it. That focal length strikes a good balance between "standard'" and "wide"; it is close to 43mm, which is the diagonal measurement of 35mm fullframe shooting. It best reproduces the field of view of the human eye. That extra bump up to 35mm gives a bit of room for cropping as needed, and increases depth of field as well - without any problematic field curvature distortion.
I'm not a photographer but a 3D artist, I've set up my software camera to 50mm lens (you can change that obviously), but for some reason I feel like if I were a photographer I would go primarily for a 50mm lens...
Preaching truth here my guy.
We all get caught up in the shiny objects.
I know I did. I had 5 lenses at one point.
Now I’m just one body, and 3 primes; 24/55/135, and I love the freedom. It’s never a decision; I know what prime I’m on for each given day. I almost wish I could be on just 1 prime, but I think I have it perfect with these 3. Love the perspective in your chat man.
Hi,thanks for the video.
I think that 28 mm focal length is underrated nowadays when you can take great shots with it.
It's similar to 24 mm but not identical.It has a more intimate look whatever scenery you take.