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Nifty Fifty

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

The Nifty Fifty is said to be the lens that comes closest to capturing what the human eye sees.  When I got my first DSLR it had a crop sensor and I purchased a 50 mm Canon lens as it was so cheap.  Over the years I have used it as a portratit lens. It has given very good results especially when using it with a flash set up. A few months ago, I felt I needed a new challenge with my photography so I put the 50mm lens onto the Canon 5D and used it whenever I could.  It was a challenge taking the pictures and was similar with other prime lens which I have written about. Take a look at the picture Metropolis taken with my 40mm lens. When using a prime lens, you do have to think about the composition as you have no capacity to zoom in or out.  Therefore your feet have to do the moving.  I have provided a selection of photographs taken with the 50mm lens and as you see the results are pleasing.  There has been some post processing in a few of the photographs.  The result was that I did get a kick out of using just this lens.  It was not a case of loosing any pictures because I had the wrong lens but rather that I created new ones.

The 50mm lens brings out colour and shows the detail from the blossom.
Here I am using the 50mm lens to capture the architecture of the University of Birmingham Buildings. The sharpness comes through as well as the colour
I captured my grandson Noah with a candid shot. The lens is great for such closeup pictures
This mural by Annatomix is on the Warwick Bar part of the inner canal network. The prime lens has caught the detail and there is a nice use of the focus with the foreground adding to the framing around the picture.
Shooting the Custard Factory building through a hoie in a security fence. Shows how the nifty fifty can really focus
Another go at the focus through a fence and the subject is the Chimney at the Custard Factory.
Here is a landscape picture with the 50mm lens.  The mist adds atmosphere and the figure comes out to be very sharp.  I was surprised how the 50mm lens worked this so well.
Final one is another blossom picture with the mist added a nice backdrop to the picture
Categories blog

Cherry Blossom experiments

by Damien Walmsley Posted on

Oozells Square is just off Brindley Place.  It is a relatively new square and has a faceless RSB bank on the south side with the elegant IKON gallery on the North side.  Either side are a couple of restaurants which have their charms and are enjoyable places to dine the night away. The square is pleasant and whilst not unique does showcase the IKON gallery rather well.  For a few weeks in April, the square comes into its own with Cherry Blossom.  The trees erupt in bright pink and it is an attractive sight.  The flowering attracts most photographers in the area and I happen to one of those photographers that waits for this moment.  This year I wanted to be different by experimenting with a range of in camera methods.  I used several techniques including Intentional Camera Movement, Zooming and Double Exposure.  As an added bonus my iPhone picture was featured in the BBC weather bulletin that evening.

The cherry blossom in Oozells Square. The only downside was the dull skies.

This was using a Zooming technique on a 200mm lens

A double exposure using the original photograph and a larger picture of the IKON tower

This is using an upward Intentional Camera Movement

Picture taken on my iPhone for BBC weatherwatchers

And it made the 6.30pm BBC weather bulletin as well.