Thankfully we had beautiful weather this past weekend so I took full advantage of spending time with family and friends and I got to take some nice photos! Of course with the 85mm!

Whenever I get asked questions about using a prime lens one of my answer is, “You have to learn to zoom in-n-out with your feet.”

The 85mm lens is not a wide angle lens. You have to step back pretty far from the subject you’re taking a picture of if you want to get a wide view. Since I started this “Life in 85″ project I’m freshly reminded of how true that statement is I am fully aware of the challenges that come along with “zooming in-n-out with your feet”. But that’s part of the reason why this project is fun for me. Here are couple challenges that I’ve faced so far.

Challenge #1: Getting what you want in tight spaces.

My solution: Look at the world with a different view. Look to capture it with a different perspective that you are able to capture with the 85mm or whatever lens you have. Capture things that you see in the view finder.

Scenario: Wifey wanted pics of all three kids taking a bath. I knew the bathroom will be really tight to get a wide shot of all three kids with the 85mm lens but I was up for the challenge. I moved back as much as I could for some shots and also got on top of the toilet to give myself more room and for a different point of view.

Challenge #2: Being aware of your surroundings just as much as what you’re capturing.

My solution: Look where you are then look around and see what’s around you. If not, you might knock over something or almost get run over by a car:)

Scenario: We went out for ice cream with friends and out two little ones were playing on a bench. To get the best angle I had to be in the middle of the drive thru lane. I got a dirty look from one drive who had to stop for me. I also have plenty of examples of bumping into people or almost knocking down important things at weddings as I’m walking backwards as I’m taking photos;)
Here’s the shot I got while standing on the drive thru lane.

Whatever camera or lens you have just go out take pictures and have fun! At the end of the day you’re the one who clicked on the shutter to capture memories because it meant something to you. So I always tell wifey too this but I don’t think you need to worry about how good or bad the photo is as long as you captured what you wanted.

But if you want to get better at taking photos then learn some basic tips and keep practicing by taking pictures! Before I started taking photos for a living I simply was just a dad who took pictures to document my life! But I kept learning and practicing cause I loved it! So keep shooting!

Here are some photos from the weekend.

Poor kid wants to play with his older brother and sister but can’t run around with them yet:)

She loves pink so she had the idea to chalk the flower to make a pink flower! Problem solved!

My friends daughter. One of my favorites from that day.

I’m really enjoying this project because it’s giving me a opportunity to capture my life in a unique way and I know I’m gonna enjoy looking back on these photos.

More of “Life in 85″ photos can be found on flickr.

The main reason is because I like the results I get from the 85mm lens. The second reason is that it’s the last lens I purchased and I want to get better at using it. I think one of the best ways of improving your photography skill is to work with what you have and master it. It’s very easy to think that you need the latest equipment to be a better photographer but that is a lie. So try taking pictures with whatever equipment you have right now and master it!

If you’re starting out and need some recommendations on what lens to get I wrote a post on some affordable lenses I’d recommend.

Here are few shots from Mother’s day with the 85mm and look for more “Life in 85mm” in the future.

In case you’re wondering I’m using the Canon 85mm 1.8 on my old Canon 5D. Not the newer Canon 5D Mark II.

Here are some more personal photos on flickr.

Here’s a pic of me and my older boy I came across last night. It was taken on his birthday last month by my wifey and I love it! I love tickling him and hearing his laugh.

In case you were wondering, this was taken with the Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II lens at f/2.0 on my 1D Mark II N. I borrowed this lens for a week to test it out and it makes beautiful pictures as you can see. This photo is basically straight out of the camera. I just warmed up the white balance a little and sharpened it for web. The sharpness, color saturation and bokeh is wonderful. But the auto focus was painfully slow for me to consider purchasing this. For me the Canon 85mm 1.8 is the winner over the 1.2.

Here’s a blog post for hobbyist on some lenses under $500 that I’d recommend.

First of all, I’m a Canon user but I’m not a Nikon hater so I’ll try to help you out too.

1. The kit lens. Foggedabout it! Ain’t worth it. Just buy the DSLR body and start out with one of the following lenses.

2. 50mm 1.8

Everyone knows about this lens. In both Canon or Nikon you can get it for around $100. You can get some amazing images with this lens and it’s so worth it at that price.

Canon 50mm 1.8 price check: Adorama or B&H

Nikon 50mm 1.8 price check: Adorama or B&H

3. 50mm 1.4

I love this lens! This is an upgrade to the 50mm 1.8. Both Canon and Nikon. I believe Nikon has a newer version. The old one is Nikon 50mm 1.4D and the new one is Nikon 50mm 1.4G Help me out here Nikon friends!

Canon 50mm 1.4 price check: Adorama or B&H

Nikon 50mm 1.4 price check: Adorama or B&H

4. 85mm 1.8

Canon or Nikon. I love this lens! I tried the Canon 85mm 1.2 the focus was way too slow for my taste so I prefer this.

Canon 85mm 1.8 price check: Adorama or B&H

Nikon 85mm 1.8 price check: Adorama or B&H

5. Canon 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS

I can’t say that I love this lens but it’s a good lens that gives you a versatile range. For me, I just didn’t like the image quality straight out of the camera.

Canon 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS price check: Adorama or B&H

6. Tamron 28-75mm 2.8

Third party lens. Make sure you’re buying one specified to Canon or Nikon. This is a nice all-purpose lens. I’ve tried it and seen photos taken with this lens.

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 price check for Canon: Adorama or B&H

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 price check for Nikon: Adorama or B&H

I’m sure there are more lenses under $500 but I have hands on experience with these lenses. If you would like to suggest other lenses or have any thoughts to add please leave a comment.

The reason why I recommend Adorama or B&H is because they both have great services and quality that I can count on and trust. FYI, I have no ties with them other than that’s where I get all my gear from and I like them.

And as always, having the latest camera or lens isn’t going to make you a better photographer. Read the manual, learn your camera and keep shooting!

Here’s a video of Matt Cutts, a google employee, giving a talk at the WordCamp San Francisco 2009. I learned so much of what I didn’t know about SEO, page ranking etc and I hope you find this video helpful too!

Here’s the video below and visit his blog www.mattcutts.com/blog for more SEO tips.