How to use the 50mm like the masters, and why? (Street and Travel Photography) 

If you want to see great storytelling and photography check out the second issue of The Raw Society Magazine here: therawsociety.org/the-raw-society-magazine/ limited edition of 1000 copies only!

So nice to see a channel talking about real photography. Nowadays the only thing on RU-vid is gear gear and gear. An amazing video this is, beautiful work.

I subscribed immediately, so pleased to have found this channel where photography is at the core and not another video trying to sell a product a gear a lens, finally someone who speaks about how to go about with one particular focal length thank you I ve learned so much

This was such an inspiring video. I’ve been shooting a 50mm for about 1.5 years and starting to think I needed a 35 to get more complexity, but now I feel inspired to tell stories with my 50

Nice that you mentioned Elliott Erwitt, sadly we lost him yesterday. I have all his books and he was a major influence on me for decades. Funny, but starting in the late '60s and early '70s, the trend was to forgo the 50mm as a standard lens in favor of the 35mm for journalistic type photography. I used the 35mm on my film Nikons and Leicas so much that the 50mm almost looked like a short telephoto. I doubt the 50mm made up 10% of my photography in those years. Now 50 years on, I have "rediscovered" the 50mm (35mm on my Fujifilm cameras), and it usually stays on the camera for months at a time. It allows me to exclude the clutter and get to the thing that made me stop to take a picture. I enjoyed your video, it just popped up in my recommendations, but i have subscribed and look forward to more from your channel.

When I was a student of photography..the best advice I got was the 50mm lens. Its fast, sharp, perfect perspective and great contrast. Depth of field is perfect (bokeh is not depth of field...). Over 40 years later, I still use a 50mm lens for weddings and portraits.

I think the main reason why 50mm feels tight to us now is that most phone cameras are wild angle. It's interesting that older generations used to capture most of their memories at 50mm because that was the most common focal length, while our memories are captured in wide angle on phone cameras

Exactly right. When you start out with interchangeable lens cameras, you want super wide. As the years pass the desired focal lengths get longer. Then you run out of money and sell all the big wide and long lenses and end up with a TTartisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH and love it!

Thank you for taking the time & effort to eloquently walk us through the essence of the 50mm. Absolutely brilliantly told and inspiring 🏆👍 Paul

I love these tips and your perspective. Great video

Hi Jorge! Thank you for another truly inspiring video! 🙏🏻

The multiple take/triptych advice is excellent !

This is the most interesting photography RU-vid video I have seen in some time. Thank you for focusing on the art itself.

I waited for this video to finally arrive! Enjoyed it so much, you guys focus on this essence of photography

I rarely comment on a video. As a learner photographer, however, I found this both genuinely interesting and an excellent tutorial. A hugely thoughtful piece on approach - a proper 'how and why' that I can reflect on and apply. Many thanks!

Very nice video. Love this channel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences about street photography to us. ❤❤❤

Great points of view and great teacher

Beautifully said, as always. This channel is such a refreshing change to people who won’t really know what they’re talking about telling us how it all should be done.

This video really speaks to me. Such a nice calm vibe and a interesting topic. I have been shooting 50mm since 2014 and it is still my favorite. Also loved the part about creating stories. this is something I am focusing on right now. Thank You!

Such a beneficial video. Simplicity can be an avenue to creativity. Excellent information and food for thought.

Originally had a Fujifilm XF35 1.4 which was great, but it wasn't until I ended up with the cheaper/newer XF35 F2 that I really started to enjoy using this focal length. The F2 has a different quality, and was more responsive in both auto and manual - it just feels at home on my X-T2. I have enough giant lenses, and the 35mm F2 is the smallest/lightest in my kit which makes it an easy to choice as a primary or secondary lens to take.

Genre aside. The 50mm has a very close to direct relationship to our natural focused frame. There is a sense that the aspect of framing feels right. What you are saying is absolutely correct. I traveled Nepal with a 50/2 in 2016, it worked very well for everything, landscape included.

I really appreciate how you have focused on the mindset one needs to get into to use a 50mm. I wish my younger self had a great teacher like yourself. Keep up the great work.

The shooting for triptychs idea is really great. I’m going to implement that into my workflow for sure. I love how it helps you pick apart the scene into the most important parts to tell the story.

Awesome video, Jorge! Really thankful for your insights. I am a fan of the focal length, but never really reflected that much on why I like it so much. Your explanation really resonated with me there! And thank you for the reminder of the difference of framing and composition. I tend to mix up those to a lot. Keep those videos coming!

He's back! Love this channel and great tips to shoot with a 50 which I think is pretty underrated in today's world for documentary or street work.

My 50 was expensive (Sony GM F/1.4), but I allowed myself this extravagance because the 50 the focal length that allows me to express myself most honestly.

thanks, Jorge!

Amazing video, amazing content, nice job friend, congratulation, this is the best explanation ever I've seen of the 50mm lens... Thanks a lot!!

Up until a few years ago, my most often used lenses were the 28 and followed by the 50. Now, I am leaning more towards the 50, for purposeful framing and composition, rather than reactive. Much like you have espoused. Thank you

This spoke to me very clearly! Thank you!

Thank you for giving this gem of advice. I learned a lot in this video. I’ve subscribed to your channel.

Very useful video. Well explained.

I like your work. The more cerebral photography channels are gold, and yours is in that bracket.

I have used 50mm on 35mm film cameras and 80mm on 120 TLR cameras as a professional wedding photographer and would agree with all you have said. A great video

thank you very much ! a great sharing 🙂 same as you told in video, I started to have 50mm as my first lens in early 90's. Then maybe spent 10+ years to use 28mm. Lastly to switch back and fall in love in 50mm again.

some great advice here, especially thinking in a series of photos rather than just one photo. You've inspired me to dust of my 50 and go do some specific projects with it ❤🙏

Great informative video, thanks.

Very inspiring video with great insight.

few weeks ago I got an Olympus 25mm f1.8 and set a goal for 2024 to use just this lens to achieve exactly those points you mentioned. I am so far amazed by this lens and the way I have to think

Hi. I`m old school and shoot film all the time. My 55 micro nikkor f 2.8 is welded to my camera. Simply the best all rounder lens for street, still life and landscape, i`t forces me to be more considered with my subjects.

The greats used a 50 because it was widely available and was actually the focal length that came on many fixed lens cameras

Great video. Do you have a video in which you elaborate more on the difference between framing and composition? Thanks!

The frame shown at 9:00 is stunning. How to layer with a 50! Wonderful.

great tips! thank you.

This is an excellent tutorial, thank you so much. I really appreciated the nuances coming from your images. I be am using a 50mm on my D700 and it’s a very refined Framed. Thank you again🙏🏽

Inspiring content - thank you!

I also always wanted to buy a 50 sooner or later , but then I got convinced into buying the 55mm Sony Zeiss f1.8 and I was overwhelmed by it from the start. And that's my "50" lens now and it's going to stay it, it's just produces excellent pictures in daytime as well (and especially at night time). So whenever I see a clip talking about using a 50mm lens, well my 55mm is my nifty-fifty :))).

I like the fact you talk in story terms and look at the framing to get that right. *you have gave me the nudge to reach out to my Nepal contacts and set somethings in motion for the new year....

Nice video Jorge. For many of us, of a certain generation, the 50 mm was the first lens we looked through. I looked through that lens for many years before ever using anything wider. I was young and there wasn't a budget for additional equipment. I learned to frame and compose and not think about gear.

I like triptych practice. I usually do coverage of scenes, but I like your idea of a main shot plus details .

Do you have a video about framing? I'd love some tips on what to think about and what to avoid.

Nice channel. Helps me to stop thinking about specs.

Nice video ❤ gave me some great ideas for using the 50mm especially the tip of taking more than one photo to tell a story

Well articulated.

Very interesting content Jorge, I shoot with the Fuji X system and have been working with my 50mm, 55mm and 58mm lenses (APSC wise) and since I saw your video I went back to my one and only 35mm and found that this two focal lengths are without a doubt the most compelling to me both as a photographer and as a viewer, thank you for your amazing work, got yourself a new subscriber, for what it’s worth. Cheers 📷

This is the best advice I've seen on how to approach shooting with a 50mm. Now I'm curious to see what other hidden gems can be found on this channel. The tip on covering everything on three's (establishing shot, focus on the action/subject, detail shot) reminded me of a guideline that is quite common among video documentary makers to get "good coverage" in order to make sure the editor has material to tell the story and cut the sequence.

Thank you for this video. I am a street photographer. My primary focal length is 50mm. As you suggest, 50mm is the focal length we normally see. I like this focal length so I don’t have to get too close to my subject. It is easier for me to place my subject in the frame. I like the 35mm field of view too. I have to be more aware of what is happening on the edge of the frame than 50mm. 28mm is too wide for me. I use this focal length when going to a parade or demonstration. Lately I’ve been using the 85mm field of view. As you suggest, this is a great lens for capturing details. Saul Leiter, one of my favorite photographers used this focal length. When using this focal length I am forced to focus my attention further down the street than I normally do. The focal length dictates how far in advance of where I’m walking to give my concentration. Each focal length has their pros and cons. I live between 35 and 85mm. I need to use the right tool for the right job. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

Thank You So Much for Visiting Nepal 🇳🇵 And really love your advice. 🙏

Another great way to master the 50 or any other lens for that matter is to point it at something and press the shutter

Thank you very much Your voice is hypnotic. Or is it the music. I don't know. I have to listen to you And the things you said about the 50mm are all true.

Amazing Video

I've tried different lenses but 50mm is my "soul" focal length. It brings me closer to what I see and it grounds me to the subjects that I am taking photos with. Also, its small and quick to master (in use) but in mastering it in terms of philosophy, the lens gives you loads of lessons.

50 is more complicated to frame but easier to compose you said exactly how I feel great.

Awesome Video, you should consider making content like this in podcast form, I feel like it would be something I would really enjoy listening to.

I'm not a professional photographer but an amateur. I only use zoom lend because it allows me to zoom in out at will. But I never understood the focal length affect. I just want to put everything in the background inside the frame and the subject so tiny lost in the picture. That was my amateur style. till one day I met Mr. 50mm In 2016 I bought the 50mm lens because everyone saying 50mm is famous and it is fast sharp blablabla... Then since I used that 50 mm lens I rarely used the zoom again ever. The 50mm makes every photo I took looks like was taken buy a professional photographer, my family told me that my skills did improved and the pictures are so nice, even then the background is tighter. The Zoom have the 50mm included but because it makes me lazy so I end using wide angle or too tight and it mess me up. Add to that the zoom is so slow in the low light situation and it force me to use wide focal because it is the only one a bit fast. Love the 50mm. Interior pictures is challenging but not impossible. I want to add that when you are shooting with 50mm you are not close to your subject, you keep a distance which make both of you confortable. Difficult for me to explain it. When I use the zoom I find my self too close to the subject that activate their curiosity and distract them. The 50mm solved that issue specially for street photography during my holidays. Shooting with 50mm it keeps me distant from subject with minimum interaction, this means i can focus on what I'm doing and avoid been distracted and got my gears stolen in the street. Already happens once.

Nice video. The 50mm is my favorite storytelling lens.

Hi there, youtube suggest this video, and I have to say that your images are gorgeous~!

Welcome back guys!

Thanks for this crisp and comprehensive video. When you talk about 50mm prime lens, I am assuming you are talking about 50mm lens on a full-frame camera and not a cropped sensor camera; right?

Nice advice.

Thank you so much for this inspiring and thoughtful video. Would you be willing to do a similar video for the 35mm focal length?

I was about to get a 28, even tho i bought a M3 just for the sake of shooting 50s in 2020. I will now reconsider my investment :D

I am using 45mm in lumix g85 and I capture everyting that I like. mostly I am forgeting about composition. What I do is incorrect?

The 50 mm was my biggest surprise! I had started out with street photography doing a zoom lens, then moved to some primes, and finally the 50. I guess what kept me from using it before was the fact that it was a kit lens on most cameras.

EXCELLENT ... WONDERFULLY...

I always preferred the 50. Not a fan of negative space from wide lenses.

Yes 🙌👍👍

The 50 and a 35 my jam

Nice video!

Precisely. At the outset of using cameras with interchangeable lenses, the preference is often for an extremely expansive viewpoint.

True, I have always been using 50mm whole my life. Thank you for this. And you have already visited Nepal nice to see some pics from Nepal. :) If I had known we could go around for photography together .

just curious, how did you catch the photo at 0:36 the man on the bicycle?

On my Panasonic GX8, I use my M43 Olympus 25/1.8 (=50mm in full frame) for 80% of my photos. I like the 'natural' look and lines of this lens without any distortions - just like good storytelling, where the listener feels 'naturally' familiar with the story. I don't need a zoom, I move closer or further away from the subject to compensate for. To frame something larger, I use the manual mode for as close as 13cm from the subject. Contrary to my zoom lens, I like the 1.8 aperture for a shallow depth-of-field and nice bokeh, in lowlights, I can shoot using a lower ISO for sharper and clearer pictures. This lens became my versatile Swiss knife for portraits, landscapes, scenery, and even close-ups.

Thank you for this video - great advice (which made sense for a newb like me) - and wonderful photographs.❤

Excellent presentation of information. For me, it would be greatly enhanced with more images to illustrate the narrative.

Is this refering to 50mm equivalent on a croped sensor or 50mm full frame ?

How can I buy all the issues of the magazine?

I really struggled with the 50 - my standard lens is now the 40mm, for me it's a more versatile focal length.

Thank you very much for this great video! It really motivates me to bring my photography a step further!

This is an eye opening video. Since I've got only one lense which is 16-55mm(FUJI), I'd try to take photos only at 35mm one day. That would be really fun and interesting. Thank you for a brilliant content! Cheers!

I want to buy a secondhand Fujifilm X-T3 and was wondering what lens to get. What’s the 50 mm equivalent for this camera?

Excellent video - the 50mm is not my natural Frame. However, it’s a beautiful Frame because it forces me to refine my Frame and feature only what is required to tell the story. Thank you 👍🏽

I started with 50mm used for many years primarily. Then a 35mm for 4 years and now I just can’t stop using a 28mm.

Oh I just wish there were a video on 23mm. I get into photo from my phone and it is so hard to compose a 23mm wide lens. The only good pictures I get are from tele :(

Are you using a 35mm Fuji lens or a 50mm

Buenas. Supongo, por lo que puedo ver, que el contenido es interesante. Sería oportuno, y dado que son nativos de la lengua española, los hispanohablantes contáramos con subtítulos y no dependiéramos de la traducción automática para disfrutar del viaje y sus aportes. Un saludo cordial.

Nice video. For me the 50 is somewhat of a compromise. It is a bit too narrow as a walk around lens and a bit too wide to be a good portrait lens.

I can't argue with this except I prefer a bit wider and closer to what the eye really sees the world, a 42mm. I have photographed since 1969 and yes, a prime in that vicinity is absolutely preferable. 😅

Awesome work bro. One suggestion regarding the audio quality. Ur voice is bass heavy due to the position of the mic 🎤 is at chest level I guess. It’s a bit annoying (sorry to say that). Could you please change the mic 🎤 in the next one 🙏🏼🙏🏼