If you’ve been reading my event photography blog or following my Youtube channel on event photography, you probably know how important I believe it is to stay engaged with your craft, and to try new things in order to keep things interesting and avoid burnout. At a recent event in Malibu California, I did just that.
Using my Canon m50, a vintage 400 millimeter lens as well as a Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens and a Canon FD 50mmm macro lens, I decided to challenge myself to not only use vintage, manual focus lenses to make interesting detail shots, but to also to also use a Canon m50, a non professional grade camera.
As always, I showed up to my job early- very early. This allowed me to get all of my “safe” detail shots, with plenty of time to experiment after.
I use a variety of lenses when shooting detail shots, but usually I use the Canon 24-70mm f2.8, Canon 135mm f2, and the Canon 85mm 1.8. Like I said, I shoot “safe” first and only use available light or a single strobe. In this case, there was plenty of beautiful diffused light to work with.
After getting all the safe shots, first I switched over to the Canon FD 50mm Macro. This has been an incredibly fun lens for me to use. I don’t actually own a modern macro lens. Honestly, as an event photographer, I don’t really need to. But I have found that it has allowed me to really open up my mind to new possibilities when it comes to shooting detail shots: the ability to get really close allowed me to shoot details of the details, which I quite enjoyed. A quick note: you do not need to shoot close up with a macro lens. They can of course be used as a regular old lens if you choose.
Next I decided to try using my Minolta mount 400mm telephoto lens. Adjusting for the Canon M50’s crop, this is a 600mm lens… without image stabilization. Because of this, and my desire to shoot wide open, I found it an incredibly difficult lens to pull focus with. But when I was able to pull it off, it definitely created a unique look due to its compression.
Lastly, I shot with an old school Minolta MC Rokkor - PF f1.4 lens. I love this lens. In all honesty it’s not super sharp wide open, but I honestly don’t mind it. I love making images that have a unique look. I’m not one for arbitrarily stylizing my images just to make them look different, but using vintage lenses to get a different look works for me.
Interested in seeing some vintage glass compared?
Comparing Vintage Lenses on the Canon M50
I have been a professional Los Angeles event photographer and photography instructor for over 10 years. Follow the links below to see my work and be sure to subscribe to my channel on Youtube for more videos
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