subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 21 September 2019 19
One lens to
rule them all
The benefits oflimiting yourselftojustonelens and
getting toknowit intimatelyaremanifold. Weasked
threephotographerswhytheystilllove50mm
MAKING THE MOST OF 50MM Technique
W
hileit canbetemptingto
fill yourcamerabagwith
a wholehostofzoomand
primelenses,the50mm
is stilloneofthemostversatilepiecesof
glassyoucanown.Lightandcompact
it boastsa fastmaximumaperture,
makingit idealforlow-lightsituations.
Settingwideaperturesalsohelpstoplay
downdistractingbackgrounds,which
makesthislensidealforportraiture
and travel. What’s more, the 50mm is
greatforshootingintightspaces,which
earnsit fansintheweddingphotography
community.Naturally,limitingyourselfto
a 50mmprimehasitsdownsides:without
theabilitytozoominandoutyouhaveto
moveyourfeettoalterthecomposition,
plusthefieldofviewis fixedat50mm
(unlessyouattachthelenstoa camera
witha croppedsensor).However,these
limitationscansometimesleadtogreater
creativity.Withjustonelensinyourkit
bag you’re not overwhelmed by choice,
andyoucanconcentrateonfine-tuning
yourcompositioninstead.Overthenext
sixpageswespeaktothreeprofessional
photographerswhoregularlyshootwith
a 50mmprime.JuliaTrottifindsit ideal
forshootingportraitsinalllocationsand
lightingsituations,LeeFrosttakeshis
offtravelling– andallegesit hasgothim
outofsomeseriouslystickysituations
- andBrettHarknesslikestousehisto
stayinthethickoftheaction,while
engaging with his subjects.
The50mmis a versatile
lensthatdeserves
a place in any kit bag
© JULIA TROTTI
PhotographerJulia
Trottifindsa 50mm
primelensidealfor
outdoor portraits