I can’t quite believe I’m three months into my prime lenses project now - where does the time go?!
My chosen lens for January was the Panasonic Leica 15mm f1.7 - an effective focal length of 30mm in full frame terms. Using a wider lens than in December meant I’ve had to shoot in a different way and I’ve enjoyed the challenges that has brought.
A moderately wide angle lens is great for architecture, one of my favourite subjects. You can fit a decent amount of the building into the frame, but the distortion is less dramatic than with a shorter focal length.
I’ve heard many people rave about this lens for street photography - its combination of sharpness, quick focusing, a fast aperture and the focal length are all helpful. However, my comfort zone for street work is a 25mm lens. I wasn’t going to let that stop me though and I spent a day in Cambridge working hard to get closer to people. It never fails to amaze me how few people even notice my camera - I guess it’s a sign of the times as everyone carries one these days, even if only on their smartphone.
Over the last few days I also had a work trip to Somerset and spent some time messing around on Minehead beach. Again, the crucial technique was to get close to my subjects and I was pleased with the mini-landscapes I was able to shoot.
Please click on any of the thumbnail images to see the pictures full size.
Images from Caernarfon Castle, walking the neighbour’s dog, Cambridge, Sheffield, Waltham Abbey, the Natural History and V&A Museums in Kensington and Minehead Beach.
So for month four I have a very different challenge ahead of me. I’ve chosen my 75mm lens. With an effective focal length of 150mm I’m going to have to either shoot entirely different sorts of subjects or get much further away. Either way, I’m going to have to re-calibrate the way my eyes see to make the best of the compression and magnification a telephoto prime can offer - watch this space for the results!
If you want to follow my Prime Lens Project as I publish my photos and perhaps even join in, please do follow the hashtag #primelensproject on Instagram.