May 16

My brain is struggling to think a better title. I’m still waking up.

I spent a better part of the day yesterday on a photowalk downtown. It was one of those days where there’s not a cloud in the sky, and the sun is high and bright, so I just had to get out there.

Also, I had a good reason to go on a photowalk: to test out a new lens. I’m renting the Fujinon 33mm f/1.4 for the weekend, and I figured I should get familiar with it today. I’m planning to use it at the Cleveland Asian Festival weekend. There’s a particular shot I’m hoping to get with it.

Anyway, I find that the 33mm is a healthy blend of the 18mm and the 50mm that I already have. It’s wide enough so that you can include the environment in your photo, but it’s not too tight like the 50.

I used to have a 35mm f/2, but I sold it a few months ago to fund my XT-5 purchase. Sometimes I regret selling it because 33-35mm feels like the sweet spot for an everyday carry lens.

~

After my downtown photowalk, I went over to Tremont because it was open mic night at Kaiser Gallery. I got some great shots during my traditional pre-open mic dinner at Corner 11.

We had a great crowd last night and even had some new faces, which was great. I like the shots that I took of the performers, but I wish they didn’t have so much noise. I have to crank the ISO to 3200 to keep the shutter speed between 1/150-200 sec. Maybe I need to invest in a faster lens for photographing indoor events. I did like the 56mm f/1.2. There’s also the 50mm f/1.0, but that lens costs Too Much Dang Money and it’s also huge.

But enough about the technical stuff. I enjoyed shooting with the 33mm, and I really like yesterday’s photos. They almost look cinematic to me. I don’t know if it’s the light, the color profile I used, or what. Always exciting to see yourself progress!