A 50mm lens usually will get dismissed as plain and uninspiring. It sits between broad and telephoto, which makes it simple to miss, but when you understand how to make use of it, it may carry shocking depth and environment to your photographs.
Coming to you from Martin Castein, this sensible video exhibits easy methods to unlock the potential of the 50mm lens. Castein begins with some of the frequent errors—tilting the digicam barely downward when capturing portraits. That tiny angle could make a photograph really feel off, even if you happen to can’t pinpoint why. He factors out that fixing it in modifying with Lightroom’s remodel device solely distorts the picture, stretching heads or bending verticals in ways in which by no means fairly look proper. The cleaner resolution is to maintain the sensor flat to the topic. This recommendation could sound easy, however it’s a kind of delicate technical shifts that may dramatically enhance consistency in portraits.
Castein goes additional by demonstrating how altering your capturing top can remodel a scene with a 50mm. At eye degree, the lens can really feel predictable. Drop decrease, typically as little as your waist and even the bottom, and the angle modifications utterly. Roads widen, foregrounds stretch, and depth will increase. He stresses that it’s essential to exaggerate greater than you’d with a 35mm, as a result of the 50mm’s area of view doesn’t naturally give that dramatic pull. He additionally notes the benefit of mirrorless cameras right here, letting you progress the digicam decrease with out urgent your face to the bottom. In a single instance, kneeling and conserving the sensor flat turned an in any other case peculiar road shot right into a body with stability and scale.
One other method he highlights is transferring in shut—typically uncomfortably shut. Staying at eye degree however shortening the space to the topic, whereas conserving the background pushed far behind, creates a glance that begins to really feel cinematic. It mimics a number of the compression of an 85mm however with its personal character. He factors out that utilizing a 50mm forces you to maneuver extra, educating classes about distance, composition, and background management in methods different focal lengths don’t. This hands-on method can result in extra selection than switching between a 35mm and 85mm, the place you may be tempted to remain static and let the glass do the work.
Castein additionally shares how he makes use of these identical ideas within the studio. The main focus there may be on conserving the digicam at eye top with a flat sensor, creating clear, repeatable, and managed outcomes. He explains why, if he had to make use of just one lens, it could be the 50mm. It’s versatile sufficient for each out of doors and indoor work, whereas educating self-discipline in composition and perspective. Take a look at the video above for the complete rundown from Castein.
