7 Top Reasons to Buy a 50 mm Lens.

A 50 mm lens is a prime lens, that doesn’t change in focal length or “zoom”). (Note: if you have a crop camera, then it is the 35mm lens that is equivalent to 50mm on a full-frame camera).

There’s even the special term “Nifty Fifty” which is usually a reference to the Canon 50mm f1.8 lens, but it is used very often  synonymously with any prime 50mm lens.

What is So Special about a 50 mm Lens?

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Everything you need to know about photographing people.

Very often people buy cameras to photograph other people, to document special moments and to take portraits. And yet, very often the photographs are not as good as they could be. Maybe you think that your gear isn’t “pro enough”? Stop worrying about the gear! You CAN take wonderful photos with the camera you have just now. All you need are some trips to improve your people photos.

Get Candid.

A candid photo is a photo which is captured without posing. Candid photographs are the most natural photos you can get.  To take a candid photo you need to become a keen observer and to capture a moment.

• Take your camera everywhere.

 First of all you need to be prompt to act. Secondly when people see you with a camera every moment, they are relaxed and photos are natural.

• Set your camera to continuous shooting mode.

When you shoot multiple images quickly you can capture people interacting with others or expressing true emotions. You’ll capture receive great images which you have never gotten if you shot just one.

 • Include the other subject into your composition.

The settings in which you make pictures of people help viewers to understand your subject. The house in which a person lives, the office where he/she works —whatever it is, the setting tells us something about people’s lives. You need to keep a balance between the subject and the environment.

 

• Shoot people back from.

You can receive compelling images shooting the people walking away from the camera/staying with the back to you.

 

 • Don’t delete photos in camera. 

It would be wrong to delete photos by judging the shot on the LCD.  Just wait until you can put the photo on the computer and then decide what photos to keep in and what photos to delete.

Get portraiture.

• Environmental Portraits.

Environmental portraits are about people in the surroundings, about what kind of work they do and where they do it. Environmental portrait tells about a person by combining portraiture with a sense of place.

• Check for sharpness on the eyelashes. 

It can be difficult to understand if your shot is in focus by looking on the LCD screen.  The way to check for sharpness is to look at the eyelashes on the LCD s.  If you can see individual eyelashes, then your photo is sharp. If the eyelashes look like a blur of black the photo is not so sharp.

• Take another level.

Usually a photographer takes photos from his/her normal standing height. Get down on the ground or go upstairs and you’ll receive more interesting images.

 

• Get catchlights.

To receive beautiful catchlights you need to position your models with their eyes facing the light source.

 The rule is: the more portraits you shoot, the greater is your knowledge. Practice makes you perfect.

Conveying people’s emotions and feelings is one of the main factors that makes a good photograph. It will be our next topic.

Thank you for reading!

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Ideas for still life photos for the beginners.

A still life as a work of art or photography depicts mostly inanimate subject matter, both natural (fruits, stones) or man-made (vases, cups, books). (Flowers and plants can be the subject matters for still life too, though it’s not correct to use the word “inanimate” for them).

There are the two types of still life: the found still life and the created still life.

When you think of a still life photo, you generally think of a created still life with your own composition where you can choose what subject matter, light and other elements to use. But when you photograph a colorful fallen leaf on a bench/a rock without making any adjustments, it’s a found still life. 

The objects for your still life photography are endless. Despite common belief, still life photography isn’t limited to just fruits/vegetables. Such simple things as a cup of coffee, a wineglass (even without wine), an old typewriter, a bouquet of flowers in a vase, a row of colored pencils…

 

 Use a simple background to focus the attention on a subject.

 

Try to experiment with various shots, adjusting lighting, angles, white balance in different ways and try to check your shots which one looks best to check which one of your shots looks the best.

All questions, requests, ideas and feedback are very welcome.

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