At the time my camera died, I had just purchased a new lens. It was a prime lens. For non-photography folks there are two basic types of lenses in photography: Primes and Zooms.
A zoom lens is one where you can “zoom” in and out to make the subject closer or farther away. Even most point and shoots have these and they are great for capturing fleeting moments where you would not be able to catch the action and frame the picture the way you want it before the subject moves on to something else.
A prime lens is a “Fixed Focal Length” lens meaning, if you want your subject closer, start walking forward. The benefit of a prime lens is that, since you don’t need planes of glass inside the lens body to zoom in and out, there is less glass between the image sensor/film to distort the picture. Plus, they can (typically) be opened to a wider aperture to shoot faster in low light to avoid blur. I could have really used a prime lens for the Leesburg Now and Then Christmas Parade.
I have been excited to try my new prime. It is a classic Pentax lens. This version being the SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 AF.
I knew it would be good but I had no idea it would be this good.
Last Sunday was a hot but very windy day here in Florida. When I took my camera out into the world it felt moody to me. Sort of a Wuthering Heights type of look and feel to it. There is an old abandoned house that I have been meaning to photograph for a while now. It sits in an orange grove and typifies the rapidly changing landscape of Florida to me. It seemed like a great day and a great subject to put my new lens to the test on.
I took photos from dozens of different angles but settled on this one. The farmhouse fills most of the frame and this captured for me the melancholy of a way of life in Florida that has all but faded forever with an intimate “portrait” of this great home.
I then went down to Lake Dora which was very choppy. Though this photograph is in color, it has a black and white feel to it that I liked.
The lens disappeared so much for me that I felt the absorption of painting or playing an instrument instead of my often uptight composing and fiddling with settings. I can’t wait to use it more.
Coming up, I hope to attend the Sun Love Festival in Eustis this weekend. That is if my day job does not interfere. I hope to see some of you there.
Tags: Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 AF, Prime Versus Zoom Lens, Windy Day in Florida
