I’ve talked about what an abnormal winter we’ve been having here in Northwest Montana (Is the concept of normality even valid at this point in the light of climate change?). After a dry 40 degree Christmas we finally got a good dousing of snow last night and through the day today, getting around 8 inches here in the valley. As always, living with a cattle dog, the pup was in need of some exercise in order to chill him out and prevent him from being a general menace. But it’s a good excuse to get out and get some time in the woods so before we headed out the door I grabbed the Leica M262 and opted to shoot the Zeiss Planar this time.
I’ve been shooting a lot of 28 lately after having my 28 back so it was interesting to shoot the 50. As I’ve said, the 50 is probably my most used focal length over my years of making photographs. If the 28 is about documentarian, complex, slightly unwieldy, holistic imagery (ideally) then the 50 is the master of honing in, subject isolation, compositional intentionality, etc etc.. The 50 seems to encourage you to really have to narrow your focus and think more intentionally about how you’re selecting subjects, framing, and composing images.
I feel a bit torn about focal lengths lately. I feel very comfortable shooting the 50 and I do enjoy the more intentional way of shooting that it seems to encourage but I’ve also been enjoying the time with 28 despite often struggling to figure out how exactly to employ it effectively in the situations that I’m usually shooting in. I’ve also been shooting 40 off and on as am attempt at splitting the difference and finding a focal length that works as a good middle ground, but that has been largely unsuccessful, suffering from most of the things I dislike about 35mm lenses (sitting in this weird no-man’s land between 28 and 50).
I feel very comfortable with the 50 and the results that I shoot with it are often formally strong (IMO), but they also strike me as a bit stale a lot of the time. It may be a matter of how long I have shot the focal length, it feels very easy for me to go out and just churn our work that is very much “on brand” as far as the aesthetic goes. Obviously this isn’t strictly an issue with the focal length itself, it’s a byproduct me and my way of seeing and working with the focal length. The 50 is a part of it but it’s not all of it.
But enough rambling, here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure
