The Allure of the 50mm Lens
For the longest time, I never knew precisely why I adored the 50mm lens. Shooting with it felt utterly natural; I could envision the image in my mind before even raising the camera to my eye. I used to think it might have been a learned habit. After all, I shot with a 50mm lens exclusively so I know it inside and out. But I've recently discovered that the 50mm lens offers something truly unique.
Why I use a 50mm lens over a 35mm
I've tried many different focal lengths and I have set myself up with only using one, the 50mm. Recently I thought I would quickly (very very very quickly) try out the classic focal length of 35mm. For thous of you that don't know, I only shot with a 50mm. And I have so say… I'm conflicted.
Why I only use one lens
Why I only use one lens, well after many years of experience using different lenses, I now have resorted to only using a single prime lens. I started with a 50mm then added an 85mm, 35mm, 100mm and 28mm to my collection, and I’ve played around with zoom lenses. But now I exclusively use a 50mm lens. No more zooms and no more choices. But why would I volunteer to limit myself?
Find your default focal length
Why did I pick to only photograph with a fixed focal length of 50mm? Easy, Henri Cartier-Bresson used one. But seriously the real reason I picked a fixed focal length at all, aside from sharpness and quality, is it was my default focal length. So how did I find my default focal length?