When I think about making photos of flowers a Macro lens usually is what I have in mind. A Macro
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| Trillium photo taken with an 80mm Macro lens |
is designed to make very sharp photos while focusing up close. When using a Macro lens and the camera on a tripod, a photographer can make some awesome photos of flowers.
Using a Macro lens for flowers might just be a habit to break. Today I started with my 80mm Fuji Macro and added an extension tube that allowed me to be able to focus even closer. After wandering around the yard for a while I decided to put the Macro up and get my favorite fun little lens - the Fuji 35mm f/2.
The 35mm focal length is equivalent to a 53mm on a full-frame camera. That means, the 35mm is my "normal lens". A scene viewed through a normal lens appears to have the same perspective as the way your eye sees it. This is a very small lens, making it fun to carry around. It also has a minimal focal distance of less than 14 inches. It has a bigger depth of field, making it easier to get sharp photos without a tripod. It's a fun way to break the mold and try something new.
Here are some photos I took today using that normal lens. They are all hand-held. Some are cropped. All were using the Fuji Velvia film simulation which gives them vibrant colors.
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| f/2.8 |
The dogwood photo includes some of the background, making the pink flowers stand out.
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| f/3.6 |
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| f/2.8 |
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| Crop of the previous photo |
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| f/2.8 |
The point of this illustration is to say we shouldn't let our photographic gear constrain our creativity. Use a wild angle for a close-up, use a big zoom for a landscape, try using a Macro lens for portraits. Let's use our "safer at home" time to be creative.
