The nifty fifty.

Ever since I got my Canon 500D a few years back, I've been using the kit lenses and was quite content with the results (well as content as an occasional camera user can be). But as I mentioned in my 2015-Just Do It, I want to be more involved with photography this year by way of doing a bit of self-learning, setting up personal projects and taking photos for blog content, all in all just taking a more active approach to photography.

After taking some shots for this blog using my kit lenses, I found it wasn't giving me the photographic outcomes I wanted in achieving a shallow depth of field research, bokeh and performance in low lighting conditions.  So after a bit of research, I decided (like many other photographers when they were starting out) to get the The Nifty Fifty.

Canon EOS 50mm, f1.8 II

I was lucky enough to get this as a birthday present, like I said before this prime lense is a popular and affordable choice amongst photography enthusiasts looking to expand on their kit lenses and take their skills up a notch. I won't dwell on its technical specifications as all the information can be found on the Canon website.

For me, it was love at first click, though the manual zoom did take a bit of time to get use to. With this addition, I'm now able to achieve:
- a much shallow depth of field;
- focus on the details;
- great portrait shots; and
- bokeh.

2015 Photography Project | One Year, One Lense

Since I'm so happy with The Nifty Fifty, it only made sense for me keep using it as much as I can, well actually for the whole year! I'm really excited to see the collection of photos I will have by the end of the year, and will certainly keep you guys updated.

In the meantime. here is a first taste of some my photos taken the the 50mm, f1.8:
- Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens, Mt Tomah
- Sydney Fish Market & Festival Surry Hills

Let me know your thoughts on this lense if you are using it, or if you are like me just starting out on your own photography journey, love to hear your thoughts.

As Bill Moyer says "photography is the art of observation".