Always Learning
Today was perfect for taking photos of flowers. The sky was overcast, so I grabbed my Sweet 50 lens, but when I got outside I discovered that the wind was up. Not the best condition for taking images of flowers, so I went back and got my 50mm lens. Although I was disappointed that I couldn't do close-up photos of flowers, I realized that using this prime lens was an opportunity to see what different images and perspectives I could capture.
As it turned out, using this lens was a learning opportunity. The first thing that I saw was that although my auto focus assured me that my image was in focus, when I looked through the viewfinder it didn't look sharp to me. I thought it was my eyesight, but then I realized that my diopter dial on my camera was not adjusted correctly. This is important when using manual lenses, which all of my Lensbaby lens are, so I corrected it by pressing the shutter button half-way to lock focus and then turned the diopter dial until the image came into focus. This quick video is a useful guide.
I was reminded of the fact that with a prime lens you need to move with your feet to get interesting shots. I sometimes get lazy and rely on a zoom, especially when walking around my neighborhood, to get close up shots. With the 50 mm lens I had to walk up close to explore the subject.
As I walked, I looked for other type of shots, such as this stairway, which I walk by often but hadn't explored.
With a close-up lens, capturing this peek through the gate wouldn't have been as easy, but the 50 mm worked beautifully.
And I was able to capture the beautiful clouds bubbling over Puget Sound.
My Canon 50mm lens has apertures starting at f/1.4, so I played with taking photos wide open. It helped transform this curbside pot into an interesting image.
Although I had hoped to take more images of flowers, I was able to get a nice shot of these blossoms.
So at the end of my five and half-mile walk around the hill, I was happy with my decision to explore my neighborhood with my 50mm lens. I saw things differently, and I was learning - two great results. We love to hear from you, so comment below, post on our Facebook page, or send us an email.
