Exercise 11: Standing back

For this exercise I had to shoot using a medium focal length between 80mm and 200mm and my 18-105mm lens.  I used a 55-200mm lens on a Nikon D90 which with the crop factor taken into account would mean that the longest focal length would be 300mm equivalent.

I shot the following images at the London Diwali event recently.  It was a very dark day so I had to increase the ISO to get any kind of reasonable shutter speed.

I like the lights in the background from the stage - Diwali is the festival of light and it provides an interesting backdrop for this close up shot.  

Standing back made it easier to capture this couples intimate moment. 

This little boy was sitting on the ground eating some chips and from a distance I was able to capture this without him becoming aware of my presence leading to a more natural shot. 

I was able to zoom down from a wall on the back of the food stalls and I got this shot of a man cooking chips.  I like the way he semi lost in the steam from the fryer.  

As it was Diwali I had to get a shot of someone wearing a turban.  There weren't that many people there wearing a turban but I saw this man and thought he looked very proud with his flag.  Standing back enabled me to shoot him without him becoming aware of me but it was difficult to get the right shot as people kept walking in and out of the frame.  I think I got a good shot in the end.  

I also took these images whilst out and about shooting in town.

There is a bit of distance in this shot from the subject but he is isolated from the background.  I like the perspective.

You feel very far away from the subject in this shot. 

There is also distance between the viewer and the child in this image.  However because he is running it works better that the above. 

Advantages of working with this focal length

• It was easier to remain 'hidden' from your subject and less likely for them to become aware of your presence. 
• Good for blurring backgrounds which can be very distracting
• Easier to separate your subject from their background. 
• Perpective is good - as in less distortion

Disadvantages

• Passers-by tend to get in the frame as you are about to take the shot
• Have to have a fast shutter speed to get sharp images which is the bane of my life this winter
• Sometimes you find yourself too distanced from the action