Zoom with your Feet

I don't remember when or where I first heard that phrase but it's one of my photography favorites.  For some reason I really enjoy shooting with primes rather than zooms (even though the quality of modern zoom lenses easily rivals that of primes).  Maybe it's because my primes are all faster than their zoom counterparts, which I can't afford at the asme speed.  Maybe it's just because they are simpler and more straightforward.  I don't know.  But when you shoot with a prime "Zoom with your feet" is always an adage to keep in mind.

This morning I had a 16 mile training run to get in on our local rail-to-trails bike path and my wife was doing a 14 mile walk at the same time.  With me running and her walking I obviously end up with a chunk of time waiting while she finishes so I brought my Olympus Pen to do a little shooting while I waited.  I decided this morning to just shoot with the 14mm pancake lens and try to be a little creative with my compositions.  All shots we taken in aperture priority mode with the lens wide open at f2.8, they way I typically like to shoot.  All of these were taken in RAW but then I applied the Olympus Art Filters to a couple of them.

Enjoy!
Tom Laux
August 23, 2009