Long Lens: 85mm+
From a distance
Back in June, I talked about the importance of zooming out. It was so fitting for the end of the school year when the details were so overwhelming that all I could do was take a step back and find some perspective. Fast forward 3 months, and we have already entered September. It has been truly an EPIC summer.
We have done so much! A lot of it entailed gymnastics for the boys (Tyler was every weekday 9-12:30 and Gavin was 4 weekdays from 3:30-6). At first, I was dreading the summer practice schedule, but it actually forced us to stay close to home and not over-plan our days. We ended up spending many summer days just home playing games, doing chores, playing with neighbors, etc. It was actually lovely.
Here was our annual outdoor movie night. We watched the Greatest Showman. Such a fun tradition.
We travelled as a family. Florida was incredible. I'm still sorting through those photos, but I posted several back in July. Our Black Butte trip was ever faithful (it's our favorite place) ... but also we got to put a new spin on our trip and pour some sweat equity into the home we love there.
I got to travel with my girlfriends ... we OWNED Vegas! This isn't photography related ... but seriously, so fun:
On a personal level, I have pushed my body in really intimidating yet fun ways as I've delved into an intense workout regimen with friends.
My oldest Tyler took this photo for me because I needed something for the social media share of my podcast ... ugh I so hate being the subject haha, but he did a great job for his first time using my camera.
As I mentioned last month, this summer on a professional level, I did things I NEVER thought I would get a chance to do. After my trip to DC, I was so honored to be featured on a the weekly OHSU Podcast. It's just been a wild past few months, and my camera has sat in the bag more than some summers.
I did pull it out a few times, so I can share a handful of favorites. I am welcoming Fall and all of it's routine, beautiful PNW weather, and festive decor. Happy Fall Y'all!
Zoom
I don't own a macro lens. I'd wanted to borrow or rent one for this blog, but I never did. Still, with a long lens, you can often capture really beautiful details even from quite a distance. My favorite two things about this shot are the eye lashes and also the sunrise in the reflection of the horse's eye.
Outside In
Hands down, my very favorite thing about a long lens is that it lets you into sacred moments without being intrusive. You've likely never thought about it, but when you've glanced at a sports photo zoomed way in from our normal "fan viewpoint" and seen an olympian pushing their body to the utmost, you have actually been let into a private moment. In reality, the athlete is often alone in the frame. There may be people in the background, but usually the subject of the photo is a single athlete with a grimace that speaks grit and power.
I love this shot below of one of the judges for USGA Men's Region 2 Gymnastics, not from a photography mindset, but just because it captures such a genuine moment. I've never met her personally, but when she watches the boys compete, you can feel the genuine joy emote from her when she sees them succeed. Her face just lights up. I was probably 25 feet away but with my trusty 70-200 was still able to sneak a shot of her beaming as Tyler held his lever.
My 70-200 sits in the camera bag a lot now that I am not doing any professional photo sessions. I used it a ton for client work. Now, I use it at every gymnastics event for sure, but otherwise, it's just so heavy and cumbersome that it takes special circumstance to motivate me to haul it out. When I do though, it is fun to see what real moments I can capture when people don't have a camera up in their face.
I wish I had more time to chat about the ins and outs of long lens shooting, but instead, I’ll just share my favorites from the month. I have some very cute subjects this month!
Thanks for following along! This month I get to lead you over to Tracy’s beautiful site to see what she did with her long lens. I think she has an 85mm which I’ve only tried a couple of times but really loved using.