Moving Up (supplemental)
Dec 9, 2017 00:08:22 #
Today I took delivery of the 2nd half of my first DSLR, a Nikon d5300 body from B&H; I received the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 lens yesterday via Amazon Prime. Joining the two together, I had a distinct deja vu moment: Here I was, in the same position I was back in 1970, with a fine, brand-new single-lens reflex camera mounting a fast normal lens (Ricoh Singlex with 50mm f/1.4). Period. Any picture I made, good or bad, would be with what I held in my hands, then and now.
That was probably the very best time for me as relates to photography; I clearly remember jumping in the car on my days off from work and just cruising around looking for stuff to shoot. I never had anything but that lens, and it helped me greatly in learning composition, i.e., I had to move myself around to "find the shot", not just stand there and change lenses or zoom. I took plenty of bad photos, but more than just a few good ones, too.
By more or less starting back at the beginning, I'll learn it all over again, and maybe come out a better photographer. My sincere thanks to the UHH community for their interest and advice.
That was probably the very best time for me as relates to photography; I clearly remember jumping in the car on my days off from work and just cruising around looking for stuff to shoot. I never had anything but that lens, and it helped me greatly in learning composition, i.e., I had to move myself around to "find the shot", not just stand there and change lenses or zoom. I took plenty of bad photos, but more than just a few good ones, too.
By more or less starting back at the beginning, I'll learn it all over again, and maybe come out a better photographer. My sincere thanks to the UHH community for their interest and advice.
Dec 9, 2017 01:10:44 #
You say: "By more or less starting back at the beginning, I'll learn it all over again, and maybe come out a better photographer." I'm inclined to believe that like bike riding, photographic skills never wholly disappear. They come back swiftly and naturally.
Besides, the concepts, principles, standards, rules, techniques, practices, and guidelines of photography, whether film or digital, remain as a foundation to both modes of photography. In fact, the act of composition has not changed at all in leaving the film era behind.
Besides, the concepts, principles, standards, rules, techniques, practices, and guidelines of photography, whether film or digital, remain as a foundation to both modes of photography. In fact, the act of composition has not changed at all in leaving the film era behind.
Dec 9, 2017 07:55:33 #
anotherview wrote:
You say: "By more or less starting back at t... (show quote)
I agree with you; my words as written gave the impression I'd forgotten it all, and that certainly isn't the case. I have, however, only recently gotten back into photography; "recently" being since about 2008. So I was rusty to say the least, and the digital cameras I used starting then were the fully automatic point&shoots, with at least one good quality bridge camera with superzoom capability. In taking up this DSLR, with just the one normal lens, I'm in effect starting from scratch, like when I was just 21 and had my first film SLR.
I was considerably more motivated back then (and observant!), trying hard to make pictures the correct way, and gradually over time succeeding. It's that spirit of learning that I'm wanting to do over, to bring back from the past and incorporate into my present efforts. I didn't express it very well with my initial post and I'm not entirely sure I've made it any clearer now, looking this over. Hope I did.
Dec 9, 2017 09:17:05 #
sjb3 wrote:
Today I took delivery of the 2nd half of my first ... (show quote)
Congratulations on your new gear.
I agree with what you say about using a normal lens. My first SLR was an Olympus OM-1 with a Zuiko 50mm lens that came with the camera. When I finally went digital, a zoom lens came with the camera and I started using zooms. After a while though, I started to feel that something was missing, and that I was getting lazy, relying on the zoom function too much for composition and framing. So I put a 50mm on my camera. It was like a breath of fresh air to me. "Working" the shot is part of what makes photography fun for me.
While I have a number of lenses, the 50mm is what I use most on my full frame Nikon Df. I do have one zoom, the Sigma 100-400mm that I use for wildlife, but the rest are primes.
Enjoy your new gear.
Dec 9, 2017 10:10:32 #
Enjoy learning and using your new equipment in good health, sjb3. A new camera is always exciting.
Dec 10, 2017 07:14:07 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
sjb3 wrote:
Today I took delivery of the 2nd half of my first ... (show quote)
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.
Dec 10, 2017 09:44:59 #
gvarner
Loc: Central Oregon Coast
I bought a Nikkor 35mm 1.8 a while back for my D7000 and have recently "re-discovered" it to the extent it's my walk-around lens instead of my trusty 18-200. I shoot mostly to produce animated slide shows with Pro Show Gold and so I'm not too concerned about zooming by cropping. The field of view of the 35 is such a natural fit in making compositions.
Dec 10, 2017 10:26:30 #
gvarner wrote:
I bought a Nikkor 35mm 1.8 a while back for my D7000 and have recently "re-discovered" it to the extent it's my walk-around lens instead of my trusty 18-200. I shoot mostly to produce animated slide shows with Pro Show Gold and so I'm not too concerned about zooming by cropping. The field of view of the 35 is such a natural fit in making compositions.
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