Double Rainbow. I-5. Washington, 2008.
Totem Pole. Somewhere in Oregon, 2008.
Blue House Smoke. I-5. Washington, 2008.
Christmas Trees. Beaverton, OR. 2008.
We Have Secured a Tree. Beaverton, OR. 2008.
I’ve just come back from a lovely visit to my girlfriend’s sister’s house in Beaverton, Oregon.
We managed to get a great tree for real cheap (thank you economic recession.)
As usual, most of what I shot during the weekend was with the Canon 5D and either a 50mm or 90mm lens.
All I can say is that I’m forgetting what it’s like to use anything else…and I don’t care.
Nothing looks like a 50mm lens.
It’s something about the flatness of the image, the lack of distortion.
It just feels…right.
The lens I used to hate so much is now my only lens. The 90mm came along as a food lens, for some close up pics of what we baked that weekend (cupcakes.)
As time passes I have become more firm in my belief that if a picture isn’t good it isn’t good. No matter if it’s shot with the artifice of an extremely wide or extremely telephoto lens.
If it doesn’t look good as it truly is, (and the 50mm is as close to the truth as you can get…it mimics the field of view of a human, have you heard?) then you can’t make it look good.
Not in the long run. Not with fancy filters, not with any actions, no way, no how, nada.
Most of the classic photos from the past were shot with a 50mm. The original lens. The first optical formula. The easiest, simplest formula.
I love ‘normal.’
I love the 50.
-Kirk
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4 Comments
Agreed!
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This post inspired me to pick up the good ol’ “normal” lens again. I too get into the dogma of “shoot with a normal lens and your shots end up looking ‘normal’.”
I like what you said “if a picture isn’t good it isn’t good”. Regardless of lens, camera, filter or software.
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Kirk… i stumbled on your photos of Mt Shuksan as ill be doing a climb there to raise some money for big city mountaineers, and just wanted to say i like your style! lots of cool photos, and i particularly liked the photos/video on rain city fix. keep it up!
evan
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Anon-
Good for you!
The 50mm is wonderful. It’s subtle, but the feeling from a ‘normal’ lens is unmistakable.
I imagine if you were to shoot with a wide angle and use some sort of perspective correcting filter it may look similar, but I can always spot things shot with a normal lens regardless. It’s a visual addiction I guess.
Evan-
Thanks for the kind words. I used to do a LOT of mountaineering. Moving to seattle and working so much has taken me away from it. Luckily my girlfriend is interested in mountaineering too, so we may start going again soon.
Mt. Shuksan, BTW, is the BEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL mountain I have ever climbed. And to think it’s in my backyard! Awesome.
Thanks again.
-Kirk
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