Friday Postcard: A Girl and Her Emu

Plus: Weekly Recap

Note: I know today is Thursday, but tomorrow is a holiday in the USA! Enjoy your weekend!

When I first got into OM System cameras, I was itching to try it out somewhere, so I went to Manitou Springs, just outside of Colorado Springs for an impromptu photo walk. I had a zoom lens, but I also had the opportunity to try out a tiny prime lens, the Olympus 45mm f/1.8. This lens is so small that I affectionally refer to it as “Malibu Barbie’s portrait lens.” That’s because on the Micro 4/3 format, it has an angle of view equivalent to a 90mm lens on full-frame, perfect for portraiture. With a fast f/1.8 aperture, you can get good subject isolation if you shoot it wide-open (something I often forget to do with these lenses).

So there we were on the streets of Manitou Springs, looking at the shops and the penny arcade when suddenly there’s this emu just walking around with its owner. Apparently, it’s a common resident and frequents the area. I guess it likes the attention! Nevertheless, I wanted to photograph the emu but I also wanted to get its owner in the shot. By keeping the aperture wide (ƒ/2.0 in this instance), the background blurs out just enough so that you know she’s there, but not the main subject of the photo. That’s a trick you can use in your own photography; all you need is a fast prime like a 50mm or 85mm equivalent ƒ/2 or faster. Be brave. Shoot wide-open!

Weekly Recap!

Here’s what you may or may not have missed this week here at The Photographer’s Perspective. Thanks for subscribing!

Clipping Indicators in Lightroom

The Most Difficult Lens to Use

Get Into The Flow