
I’ve shot plenty with the Canon 5D Mark II since acquiring it last month, but not much with wide focal lengths. So last week on a rare free morning I drove to a favorite stretch of urban wilderness along the Root River Parkway for some exercise, both physically and mentally. I had been using a crop-factor camera for the last couple of years, so for example my 20mm lens was effectively a 35mm lens. It was time to reacquaint myself with how the world looks at 20mm.
I’m big on fixed-focal length, or prime, lenses and on challenges. Prime lenses force me to work for my shots, move around, wait for the right moment. It can be harder, but well worth the effort. With that in mind, now and again I like to leave the house with one lens and see how much I can push myself to create interesting photos out of whatever’s in front of me. On this day, it was the wide-angle lens and a jagged, snowy plot of land. I photographed a trio of trees, their messy branches pointing every which way.
Soon, I’ll share a frame or two from a similar exercise with the newly rediscovered 50mm focal length.