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.

He was in such a happy mood at the time and I had two options. 1) I could have taken the boogers out before I took the photos but risk ruining his happy mood, or 2) just take the photo as is and capture his cute little smiley face.

As one of the volunteer photographers for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep I am asking for you join in on supporting the charity by heading over to Totally Rad’s blog and leaving a comment. For every comment they are donating $1 and anybody can leave a comment so let’s do this!

Click here to find out more about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

and

Click here to go leave a comment!

It was great learning from some of the best photographers like Joe Buissink, Cliff Mautner and Bob Davis. And it was fun hanging out with friends and make some new friends in the business. I came away refreshed and refocused.

During my trip I decided to take photos with my iPhone instead of my DSLR and I loved it. That little device takes some nice images. My friend David Burke has a nice blog post on this topic that is worth taking a look.

So don’t be afraid to take photos with what you have. Take a photos of whatever you feel like taking photos of. If it has meaning to you then that’s all it matters.

You want to hear something surprising? Joe Buissink shoots wedding in ‘P’ mode on his camera. Yeah, the automatic ‘P’ mode(he calls it Professional mode) so that he won’t miss a moment.

Anyway, here are some of my NYC iPhone shots. I’ll see you back here soon.

Related post:
The Best Camera : iPhone App