Photography and the human mind…
I have found that when I put on a wide lens, I suddenly loose the fear of getting close to people for some reason. I am still guarded with people and don’t approach a lot of them, but I will still get closer. This is a real struggle for me and I find it even harder due to time constraints that I have to shoot street. I don’t normally get to go shoot street when the large crowds are out and about. I end up being in the areas when there is little to no activity. So for me to get a good candid street photo is pretty special. I don’t get dozens a week like some photogs I see, but maybe one a month…maybe.
17mm APS-C photo on the Leica CL
I find that I like to get two kinds of photos when I shoot wider than 35mm and a different kind of photo when I shoot 35mm or longer. I didn’t even realize it until the other day when I put the 17mm on my Leica CL (like a 28mm on full frame) The 28mm is also what happens to come on the Leica Q series cameras. This particular machine is quite costly and you can’t change the lens either. But for street photography , the 28mm is a great choice and lots of people LOVE the Leica Q2 and Q2 Monochrome just for this reason!
17mm APS-C photo on the Leica CL
When I put the 17mm TTArtisan APS-C lens on the camera I consciously know that the lens is very wide and that I am going to have to get close if I want to fill the frame. Then I fill the frame with images that make me happy for some reason. It is really strange that if you want better photos, sometimes you just have to get closer… Photography is strange, people have all sorts of different ideas about what it is. You know what? They are all correct. Every single one of them. What is that all about? LOL
35mm APS-C photo on the Leica CL
When I put on the 35mm (50mm equivalent) The mindset shifts to scenes with people in them or portraits on the street when I use longer lenses for some reason. It just happens too, I don’t even think about it, I just do it. I start looking for interesting things across the street when running the 35mm or longer lens. I also noticed that I like to compose from different view points too. I will end up shooting from a lower angle with the wide lens and from my eye level with the longer lenses. I think this is because of the viewing angle when I look at the photos in post, but it is a very strong phenomenon.
The Leica CL has become my de-facto street camera with either the 35mm or the 17mm as of late. I really like the form factor of the Leica CL and I also use a grip frame on it. This grip frame is made by LIMS that is currently out of production from everything I have seen. This grip frame is awesome because it has a ARCA SWISS tripod adapter on it and there is an opening for the battery door in the bottom plus it has the grip extension on the right side that makes this basically the perfect street camera for me. I like the form factor of this machine the most, it being very unassuming yet has exceptional image quality, makes this a wonderful little street camera. My only thing I would like better would be to have the Leica Q2 Monochrome as I love monochrome AND the low light power of that camera is phenomenal! But for now, I really want to use the CL all the time.
I say that with a bit of sarcasm, you see as as of late I have really started to embrace color photography more and more and have not shot in monochrome on my digital machines in ages. So the monochrome might not be the best solution for me, but I really like the idea of the low light powerhouse that it is. That is the real appeal for me to be honest about it.
The Leica CL adorned with the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 APS-C manual lens.
So there you have it, a small treatise on my thoughts about the focal length and what I instinctively shoot with each one. I am odd and I know it, so this is by no means a definitive explanation about anything, but rather just an observation into what I do when I use certain lenses and what kind of gear I tend to lean towards when I go shoot.
Now get your camera out and go take a photo with it!