Why I switched from 55m camera to 35mm camera for street photography 500px

If you use a zoom lens, you have to point the lens straight at your subject, which often gives you away, or makes you more visible. When you are shooting with a point-and-shoot camera, you generally take photos and frame your scene by sticking your arm in front of you. Therefore, your framing will be tighter, than if you’re holding your camera next to your face. Some of the best street photography in history was made by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who reportedly shot pretty much exclusively with a 50mm. But I wanted to get these thoughts down for anyone who’s considering venturing into 50mm territory.

It is important to be subtle, but understanding, and move on if you have to because your photo may not work out and there will always be other photos down the road. Try to plan what your subject is going to do, and where they will enter the shot, so you are ready when the moment comes. I know you need to look through your viewfinder to compose your shots, but don’t be distracted by the viewfinder so much that you forget to use your eyes. For close, detailed shots, the 85mm is a lens that could be considered as well. It can almost be seen as the bigger brother of the 50mm, but it does have its challenges in the field. Meaning, going be times where you’ll want to capture more of a scene with the 50mm, but it just isn’t possible due to the focal length.

The frame covered by the lens is exactly what your eyes see when you look straight ahead. Therefore, it is easy to use your judgement to sneak shots when you do not want to be too obvious. If you are shooting on the streets and wish to capture a candid moment without making the subject conscious, it is extremely easy to gauge the frame covered by the 50mm lens.

Ironically, not having the flexibility of a zoom, rather than limit your photography, will over time enhance and improve your composition. The 50mm ‘nifty fifty’lens gives the most flexibility to your photography and is probably the easiest focal length to frame well. A very simple portrait at 50mm, f/1.8, ISO 200 and 1/400.Even at 1.8 you can see the trees and foliage melt away into a beautiful abstract background. You have to be careful to get your focus point right though, as you can see the more distant eye is out of focus.

The lack of distortion you get with a 50mm lens is pretty useful in street photography, especially for street photographers who like to build their compositions around strong geometric lines. If you’re the type of photographer that seeks perfect geometric minimalism then you are likely to enjoy a 50mm much more than a wide angle lens! The distortion effect doesn’t just apply to photos of buildings either – a 50mm lens is a nice focal length to use for people as it is very ‘true’ to a subject’s real appearance. Wider angle lenses are prone to distorting facial features to the point where they can sometimes look grotesque.

On the same note as before, you may get those quick shots, but that could end up being a poorly exposed picture, or one that is out of focus. Try to have your camera ready before you start shooting, and get some preview photos if you can. Just a small bit of planning ahead can ensure phd in criminal justice jobs that you get the pictures that you want, and that they are not going to turn out poor or out of focus. With even modest 1.8 50mm prime lenses, you will be able to shoot indoors without a flash. The faster the aperture of a lens, the higher the available shutter speed is at any ISO.

It’s also a great way to explore the world and capture everyday life as it happens. We hope these tips have given you some ideas on how to get started with street photography. Street photography is one of the most dynamic and interesting forms of photography out there. There is no posing, no special lighting, it is just capturing the world at that moment. The most interesting photos are the ones that are captured like this.

But with the help of the right lenses, learning the art of street photography will become much more fun. Furthermore, one of the biggest difficulties that street photographers have is not getting close enough to their subjects and filling the frame. Despite having made some lovely images in the past 12 months, I’ve found the 50mm more frustrating than exciting. To be fair, I’ve had moments where I’ve enjoyed it — mostly when I’ve been doing shoots with people and have had time to work the scene. But overall I’ve found it far too tight, especially for street and documentary photography.

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