It was one of those days, one which usually falls on the weekend, where it rained the whole day. So if I was going to take photos, I had to take them by holding the camera under an umbrella. Unfortunately, I only have two hands, one of which was kept occupied trying to create the kind of dry environment amenable to modern electronic equipment. That left my right arm to hold and operate the camera.
A nice and light compact camera would have been most ideal, at least in terms of weight. But compact cameras with small sensors struggle on dark, overcast days. In any case, I don’t have a “serious compact” at the moment.
So that left my DSLR. I can’t hold my DSLR with the heavy zoom lens in one hand; the lens is heavy enough that I prefer supporting it with my other hand (never mind being able to operate the zoom ring).
It was the perfect opportunity to try out my new 35mm f/2 prime lens. It’s light enough that I can easily hold the D300 in one hand without it having the tendency to fall forward due to the weight of the lens.
At f/2, that lens is also bright enough for shooting in dim surroundings. I was a little worried that an equivalent focal length of 52mm wasn’t wide enough in the confined spaces of historic Amsterdam. But after I started shooting, I hardly missed a true wide angle, nor did I miss the sunshine.
A Rainy Day in Amsterdam
Monday, March 17, 2008
Posted by Unknown
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Björn, all three of these are great! Your one-handed efforts in the rain paid off =). I especially like the second one, which has a surreal feel, mainly due to the searching look from the two women and the way it looks like most of the rain is falling insides the gentleman's umbrella =).
Do you think these are compositions you would have settled on had you been shooting with a zoom, or did the restriction of the prime help you to see them this way? I think I could have looked at the bicycle and canal shots and said hey were taken with a fifty.
Regards,
Amin
Thanks, Amin. Those are good questions. First of all, I think that 50mm is a good focal length: when you're photographing strangers, it get you close enough for a degree of "participation," but without getting so close as to make your subjects uncomfortable. Normally, I'm not bold enough, and tend to zoom in, rather than move closer. But with a "fifty" that's not possible.
I didn't really find shooting with a prime restrictive. Which is quite surprising when you consider that I've been using nothing but zoom lenses for the past five years.
I can't really say if the prime lens helped me to see things a certain way. I suppose so, for better or worse.
The canal shot was the kind of a shot I might have taken with a wide angle lens...and I'm sure I have in the past. But that perhaps wouldn't have given it the feel of confined space that it actually has; rather a wide angle lens would increase the subjective distance between foreground and background. As it is, it feels pretty authentic. Not to say that is necessarily a good thing...