So my walkabout in Canterbury didn’t go that well. I got a few shots, but there certainly weren’t any that I would consider portfolio worthy. It’s fair to say I came away from the experience feeling like I hadn’t progressed at all with the 18mm. I was beginning to doubt whether this focal length was really for me. Perhaps I’m a 33mm and 50mm (or 50mm and 75mm in full frame) kind of guy. And then I went to Margate.
Initially I thought I’d struggle in Margate. The promenade and the beach really lend themselves to long focal lengths given the wide open space. Of course there are wide compositions, but I just find the amount of space lends itself to the 33mm or the 50mm. So I didn’t exactly go with high hopes, and certainly my experience the previous day didn’t give me a huge amount of encouragement. However, it turned out much better than expected.
As with Canterbury, I went with the intention of getting a wide range of shots, abstract, candid portrait, architecture, abstract…and I think I was largely successful in doing so (in the sense that I got a range of shots, rather than successful in the quality!). There were a few shots in particularly I was pleased with, but just being able to properly explore the potential of the focal length in a way that I really hadn’t successfully done in Canterbury was a real plus. Whereas I came back doubting I would ever get to grips with this focal length, after Margate I felt much more enthusiastic about making greater use of it than I had done before. To the extent that as I went through the images, I had some difficulty in condensing them down to the ones I was happiest with whilst also demonstrating the range I felt I was able to achieve.
I was actually surprised how I was able to work more abstract compositions with the wide angle. Those types of compositions are something I’m constantly drawn to, and I found that the longer the focal length, the “easier” I’m able to make the compositions work. With a wide angle I felt that I would be drawing in too much additional detail, bringing in clutter that doesn’t need to be there. However, I found I was able to work the compositions, either by making use of shadows to create negative space, or finding ways to make the composition more interesting by bringing in some surrounding elements that add to the frame (eg the shot through the broken window panes below…I felt it would work with just a single pane of glass, but can also work with a couple just as well, indeed, probably helps elevate the composition a bit).
I suppose the other thing I should add is that I was really impressed with the quality of the images the lens managed to produce. I’m not one for obsessing over image quality (so long as an image is sharp I’m fairly unbothered about digging too much into the detail), but I felt the majority of the images came out looking great. Don’t expect me to do a full lens review though, I’ll let the images speak for themselves.
So, will I use the 18mm more when I’m out and about with my camera on the streets? Yeah, I think I will. In that sense at least, it was a worthwhile challenge. I’ll let you be the ultimate judge with the photos below.
