Quincy sizes up a shot of a colorful bike with his 50mm lens during a 1-on-1 photography lesson in St. Petersburg, FloridaFor our second 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson I met Quincy in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida on an overcast afternoon. This weather was very welcome as we were set to use only 50mm f/1.8 lenses during the lesson. The overcast skies made available light scarce even hours before sunset was to arrive. We took a route through the skyscrapers of downtown passing by a few favorite spots with a small fountain, a grimey alley and different kinds of lights that can be used to make a great background bokeh.
More than the first lesson, I gave composition advice and how to find a shot with a 50mm lens. With its large aperture of f/1.8, a 50mm lens can often make a shot out of nothing, which is of course much harder to see than shooting a landscape that is right there in front of you. Using a 50mm lens requires being able to see how a shallow depth of field shot is going to look with your naked eye. Background is often the key, though that is often the key for any type of photograph if you think about it!
