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#37 Behind Glass
Latest Issue
Issue 10 — Sheron Rupp, Alex Webb, Billy Dinh
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Join the conversation.
Members shoot monthly assignments, share work, and feature in the magazine.
Join FramelinesLatest Issue
Issue 10 — Sheron Rupp, Alex Webb, Billy Dinh
What focal length do you find most challenging?
Hello guys, I recently started shooting with a 50mm lens and find it very challenging, I think it's because it's the most true to your eye and taste. What focal length do you guys find the most challenging?
Everything other than 50mm... they always feel wrong to me
How long have you been shooting with a 50mm?
About one year
I'm a 50mm guy to. When I started I was shooting with a 35. Overtime though the 50 became my got to. 35 feels hard to be intentional with.
My Ricoh GrIIIx has a 40ish (I think)
It's been an interesting change. Very mild... but noticeable.
Fire! It's all about unlocking it, that's facts.
I do think 50 is one of the most challenging. Wider and longer lenses have a baked-in sense of drama.
50mm is automatically a bit boring compared to a 24mm or 90mm lens for example, so you have to work a bit harder to make it interesting.
I agree. I find myself slowly getting addicted to it.
I have a 15mm. That’s a challenging everyday, walk around lens 😄 Though you don’t need to worry about what’s in focus at least - everything is!
Every lens has its strengths and weaknesses. You just have to use it enough to get familiar and get comfortable with missing certain shots.
Facts, practice, practice, practice.
28mm for me, my hit rate with it is dramatically reduced.
I remember in a video a while back you said something like a 28 feels like a 35 but you get little compositional surprises on the borders (same thing with 40 vs 50) - I find that when a 28mm photo hits for me, it's because of that!
The 18mm (28 in full frame). I end up cropping a lot when I use it. I know I need to get closer but thats still hard for me on a regular street. A bit easier at an event or a demonstration
Lean in to the discomfort, man, you'll come out with more appealing photos that's truer to your vision for sure.
I kinda struggle with 35mm. If I am going to be indoors I ll favor it because it makes sense but for a walk around town it is not the first lens that I would grab.
I prefer a 40mm or 50mm. But I am sure in a few years this will shift as well
I have long shot with (and LOVED) my 50 mm, but I'm shooting more with a 28 these days - hoping to get better at it. I find it a very challenging lens, but the street photography I'm most drawn to is usually where it's obvious the photographer was almost "in" the scene.
Since I started using the Q3 43 I found the right length for me. Used to be 35 but now 40mm is perfect for me.
50mm is tricky for me for general street. 35 seems the easiest and I can just crop in tighter in post. I'm going to really try to just use this 50mm for a couple of months though to see how it changes my style.
I'm a wide lens guy. Anything over 35mm feels too compressed and tight. I like being in the action and 50mm feels like a voyeur to me. Haha
I’ve pinned this for a little bit because it’s an interesting post :)
Thank you, I'm excited to see everyone's input. 🙏
50mm or above. Feel like I'm way to far from the action. 28mm is ideal, but it's not easy.
95% of the time I have a 75mm equiv on my Fuji.
I tend to lean towards very simple scenes and the longer lens allows me to remove distractions.
I do like how I shoot totally differently with my 40mm Ricoh though as I tend to get closer and shoot much more reactively.
I don't think I could hoot with anything wider than that though. But I should really rent something nice and wide and push myself to see in a different focal length.
I really liked your 40mm shots from Seoul, it was good to see you 'get closer' and take a different perspective.
Me too. They were pretty good
Thanks @leosaraiva and @hillhurst_production. I like to take that style of photo from time-to-time but I don't personally get as much enjoyment from shooting that way.
I prefer a slower pace.
I shoot 50mm 98% of the time. Wide angle for me is incredibly difficult. Anything wider than 40mm for me and I feel like I'm a mile away from everything
I would have to say 28mm, I find it too wide for normal pictures, and not wide enough for wide angle pictures... :D
Ultra wide angles are a challenge for me in street work. With that said, I got one of my best shots of this year using a 16mm prime but I really had to work with that focal length.
I do think the key is to shoot an uncomfortable focal length in a variety of situations and see if you can find something that connects for you.
For me, it would have to be the 28mm. Everything has to be perfectly framed to make sense.
The one I struggle the most with for now it's the 16mm, and anything above 50mm. I mostly used 23, 35 and 50. I am considering forcing myself to shoot with the 16mm for a month to try to get my eyes used to it.
1) As an introvert, 50mm helps me avoid the 'getting under people's nostrils' vibe. 2) I find focal length for true 'street' work needs to be matched to the dimensions of the streets you're working in. Are you in narrow alleys and old-city byways, or on expansive boulevards? Lots of people jammed together, or sparse activity?
My main lens is a 40mm but I also use a 100mm. I love the 100mm as it has more reach and compression for something quite different to the typical 28-50mm street focal lengths. 100mm is certainly not a typical street photography lens and it’s a challenge to use the telephoto length effectively, not letting the compression make photos look too flat and not shooting in a way that makes my my photos look like a bad Saul Leiter tribute act!
I was going to mention Lieter, I love shooting 85mm. I have a Sigma 56mm (85mm FF) and a Viltrox 27mm (40mm FF) for the XT-5, those are my favourite focal lengths. I love 40mm but I take out the 85mm more.
I think it really depends on the location and what's going on.
Small quiet town thats very pretty and im going to want a 28mm to capture the buildings etc and just want a person as a sprinkle of seasoning.
Small quiet town thats a bit shit, and im going to want a 50mm to isolate subjects and objects and forget the wide view.
In both cases id struggle with having the wrong lens, 35mm bridges the gap alot of the time.
Different tools and knowing when to use them is the challenge I suppose.
I got used to using a 40mm equivalent with my lumix gx80. For street stuff now I tend to take out my Ricoh GRiv, but do find 28mm to be quite challenging to frame shots in a way that doesn’t feel too ‘busy’. I know a full frame can be very effective, but I often find it just makes my photos feel messy; there are too many variables where I’m usually wishing something or someone in the frame was posed differently. But with street photography so it goes.
I’ve used a 35mm equivalent lens almost exclusively for street photography over the last seven years. I’m not sure whether that shows commitment or a lack of flexibility, but it suits the way I work. I’ve become so familiar with it that I instinctively know where to stand, which is usually quite close to my subjects.
Looking back, my best photographs tend to be the ones where I’ve been physically close to the action. Using a small camera makes that easier, helping me blend in,At this point, 35mm simply feels right for the way I see the street.
Been having a hard time on 50mm myself. I used it quite a bit when I started out but must have lost my literacy level with it somehow over the years. Been preferring 24-28 or 75mm instead.
21mm. Tried it twice, sold it off both times. It works well for a slow, deliberate style but it's not me now.
Anything below 35mm. I've really tried to get on with 24 and 28, but it is just not for me. My sweet spot is 40mm
40mm works for me, altho lately, I've been trying it out in square format for a laugh/cry.
