New Year/New Project/New Lens

evilhomer

I have decided as part of my new years resolution that I would like to produce a project, over the course of the year, that I can feel really proud of and maybe even put on show somewhere (big ask I know!, but hey I'm ambitious )

To go with this new project/new years resolution I would also like to add a lens to my collection to help with the project.

My first thoughts on project are
A) Street photography/reportage project
Something with nature
C) and least likely, portraiture.

The lens I'm thinking of getting is the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro Lens, as I have used Julies and I hear it is also great for portraits and as a general walkabout lens. I will probably grab a nifty-fifty too since I don't have one :eek:

What do people think?

I know it's a lot to squeeze into one post, but comments on projects and lens choice would be very welcome.

helios

I personally would advise against the macro. It's great for poirtraits, but I don't think it has the range for street/urban photos. You should get something that gives you a wider range, such as the 17-85mm.... It'll give you a choice of zoom to wide, it has a smaller profile and will still give you quality shots.


edit: It's not worth not having the 50. It's so cheap and is deffo worth having...

evilhomer

helios wrote: »

I personally would advise against the macro. It's great for poirtraits, but I don't think it has the range for street/urban photos. You should get something that gives you a wider range, such as the 17-85mm.... It'll give you a choice of zoom to wide, it has a smaller profile and will still give you quality shots.

Thanks Helios, Already have the 17-85mm, love it, but looking for something with a little faster now to add to the collection, hence the f2.8, plus the colours from the Macro are amazing.

helios

All good points, but what if you want to take some wide shots? A prime isn't designed for that (as I'm sure you know). I'm only speaking from personal experience, but I found the 17-85 the perfect walkaround. It's great wide and great zoomed and a little discreet if you want to take some shots without getting noticed.

evilhomer

evilhomer wrote: »

Already have the 17-85mm, love it

Just thinking of adding to the collection.

Roen

The 35mm......the ultimate street lens!

elven

Well, best to define what you want to do in a bit more detail before you can decide on a lens. I know you loved the 100mm but you need to choose the subject first and then kit yourself out for it.

There are an absolute swarm of people out there doing street shooting. I see a ton of random black and white images of random people going about their daily lives and yes, it's good to record these things and people are interested in other people because that's who we are, but I think you need to narrow it down more. you need to have a passion for what you're going to be working on, as in the subject - would you be interested in it if you didn't have a camera in your hand? There's an essay by Bill Jay that talks about that, which I found really interesting and yet it stumped me because I haven't been able to find anything that is substantial enough for a project yet.

A project can also be about learning about something by shooting it. Paul Butzi talks about that too, saying that by spending time in a location, shooting it, paying attention to the details you start to understand how it works, what's going on, and it's a give-take thing on how you understand it more by shooting it and you get better photos by understanding it. If that makes any sense...

Have a look through your own stuff and see what you shoot, think about what draws you to it in the first place, think about that and see if you can come up with a concept from there. I've recently also been hugely inspired by this summary also by Paul Butzi:

1. Does this work open up new avenues for me to explore?

2. Do I understand more about anything as a result of making this work?

3. Now that I've made this work, what will I make next?

The rest of the article is here and well worth a read through.

Just try to spend some time thinking about it, so you don't end up wandering round shooting aimlessly with a loose theme that you run out of steam halfway through - it's in your best interests to choose something that you can get your teeth into, that you're really interested in.

HTH

Now, I need to get my arse in gear and think of my own frickin project... :rolleyes:

Borderfox

What about something like the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 ex Macro, not a true macro but I had the non macro and it was a cracking lens?

Cabaal

I won't comment on the project but I do think that for the money and if you want to add new gear to your collection this year then the 50mm is the way to go, nice and fast and best of all very good value for money.

While you may not use it for street photograghy you'll find a use for it

evilhomer

Everytime I read something written by Julie, it makes me think about things in a totally new way.

I have being thinking about what I most like to photograph and I have to say that it's really Nature, I love to get out and take pictures of weird and wonderful things (and try to take pictures of falling leafs )

I think Macro photography in particular would open up a new world to me, experience wise and in the type of pictures I like to take. Now to more firmly define the project.

I think I will go with the 100mm Macro and the 50mm f1.8 (for general use).

I suppose I always knew the answer, just looking for different angles.

Borderfox, how come you got rid of the Sigma, looks a lovely lens?

Borderfox

went away from 1.6x crop and it was for crop only, pity as it was a cracking lens

Borderfox

I can reccomend the 100mm macro, superb lens and so sharp and the focus is so fast...:)

Borderfox

100% crop on a 5d unsharpened


100% crop on a 5d default sharpening

evilhomer

ohhhh, shiney! :-)