Capturing South Austin with the Sony 35mm F/1.4 GM Lens
I’ve become more and more interested in prime lenses over the years. Early on, I never understood the allure of them but after using them for many years now, I am hooked. I’ll be sharing more about that in an upcoming article here. But the bottom line is that I love shooting with primes, and have collected quite a few for my Sony camera. Here’s my gear page if you are interested in checking out what I shoot with.
Recently I went out to shoot one evening here in Austin, and in my desire to keep it simple and travel light, I opted for a single prime lens and nothing else. Going with a prime only (no tripod) feels so free and I find myself shooting a bit differently when I do this, and certainly more freely. You can just move and shoot. So even though I was out at blue hour, with the light fading, I was able to capture sharp images handheld.
While I tend to love wide angle lenses the most, I have really developed an affinity for the 35mm focal length, especially for wandering in a city. It just feels like the perfect lens for this sort of thing. With an aperture of f/1.4 and a slightly elevated ISO, I can grab quick and sharp images in lower light without any worries. And there’s no setup since I am shooting handheld (and I am sure to turn on the in-body stabilization in my camera). No tripod to worry with, and of course no hassle of carrying it around. I’m light and free, and shooting on the go. It’s awesome.
Here’s a collection of street scenes from that evening. Sure, none of these images are going to win awards or get a lot of “wow” reactions, but that’s ok. I went out to shoot for myself, and focused on honing my skills and having fun. That’s a win to me, regardless of the outcome. I don’t expect to produce amazing images every time I shoot. But I want to flex my creative muscles and do something I enjoy. That’s definitely a worthwhile way to spend my time. Thanks for looking!
