🎥 Learn how to shoot with 50mm focal length
Shot entirely handheld, no fancy gear – just you, me, and the 50mm
Gear Used:
Camera – Fujifilm XT 5
Lens – 50mm F2
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Today, in this video, I’ll be shooting with a 50 MM focal length or with my prime lens, right? Now, 50 MM focal length is said to be one of the best focal lengths. lens for street photography, because it is neither very short nor very long, and you can also get very cheap lenses for 50 MM. That’s why. So today I’ll do some street photography in this area with this 50 MM focal length. And I will show you how to use a prime lens and this 50 MM focal lens specifically. So let’s go. Also, if you like this video, don’t forget to subscribe to the channel. If you are new here and give this video thumbs up, I would really appreciate that. Let’s start from the Warschauer Strasse S-Bahn station I want to show you the whole place properly this maybe I can use this line as a leading line. Let’s see. It goes towards the exit This is interesting. I don’t think you can see the camera can you? Let me go down a bit and adjust myself. Maybe now no? I love people with delivery bikes This is like an ordered chaos with people passing by. I can do so much storytelling I keep falling down. Why do I keep falling down I love people with strollers strollers and people with hats. These are the most prized possessions of any street photographer this is such a simple composition with just one leading line, But it makes so much sense. That guy on the bike is also very cool What more we can get. I need to get away from here all else. I will shoot the whole vlog on this place This looks interesting. Maybe I should go. maybe one more shot that guy with suitcase can be an interesting shot. Let’s see yeah let’s go from here now enough I need to show you other places as well. By the way, there are some more shots that I took right now. You can see it on the screen. I’m pleased with them. By the way, when you are shooting with the prime lens or a fixed focal length, you have to move around a lot because you cannot zoom in zoom out so even for even when shooting a particular subject or only at one spot, you have to move around the spot a lot Maybe I can use these lamp posts for like a minimalistic shot. Maybe. let’s see I like it, but I don’t know. Maybe I can use these girls as subject and put something in the foreground. I like it. I try to do some storytelling in each shot otherwise the shot looks just like any other photo Let’s see if I can get some more interesting photos. These girls are very animated. They are laughing a lot so maybe and it’s also very windy so maybe I can catch some movement This place offers so much in terms of composition like you can use these lamp posts as leading lines. You can also compose like a minimalistic short here, but I always feel that you need a wide angle lens, particularly for this place 50 MM is a bit too tight. See I’m already finding it a bit challenging, but that’s the idea right let’s see this looks interesting.. How many times do I say “INTERESTING” in the whole vlog? Let’s count. Let’s see what more we can get I remember there’s also a Starbucks at the corner. Maybe we can shoot through these windows I can’t. I want to, but I can’t. I don’t want to bother people while they are working I don’t know and there’s a gray line. Sometimes I don’t even think about taking a photo, but sometimes the gut feeling is that you know just avoid it. no matter how many times you do street photography, you always want to you know avoid confrontation, especially it doesn’t feel very good with someone looks directly at you. I want to use these grids to form a better framing and better composition in the short. Maybe I can put someone in the centre. Yeah I want I’m looking for someone who is wearing darker clothes because the sky is already very light so I’m just using trying to use a darker subject for better contrast Let’s see. There’s a very interesting person coming from the right and also a bunch of people coming from the left that guy with a bike can be an interesting subject. That’s what street photography is all about. You know just try to see what elements you have in new surroundings and use those elements together to basically tell some kind of story. and you know just follow the rules of composition but I feel that storytelling is the best composition in a photo like for example, if I move to my right you can see that you can basically see the TV tow in the background so maybe I can do some kind of layering here. I can use the background layer. I can put something in the foreground then I can also use those bikes in the middle layer so in this composition, I am just trying to layer up trying to you know introduce three or four layers in the foreground and then when background layer with the prime lens it’s not ideal to be honest. I would like to get more clothes, although that’s not possible that but you see how you know, with the sharp lens you, you can basically achieve a lot we will have to cross to the other side. if you are coming to Berlin sometime, then this is a perfect place to visit because you know you always keep hearing that Berlin is very hipster well this place is the most hipster that you can get In fact, my old you know workplace was also nearby. in this place Also this place there’s a very famous flea market at Box Hagner Plat, which is which basically takes place nearby. So Washarrasab is very happening and, you know, if you go in the evenings, if you can see a lot of events, restaurants full of people and a lot of good vibes all around. Now I’m walking towards a very special spot. It’s basically a spot on the bridge from where you can see the Espun trains come and go so it’s a very iconic shot for birthday. Now when I turn to my left, you will be able to see the railway lines and the TV tire in the background So this is one of the most iconic photos, but we will have to wait for the S1 train to make this iconic and that’s the challenge because now with a 50 MM like this, now that the train is coming, I can put it in the foreground and have the TV tower and other architecture in the background like this. But you know, it’s not a telephoto lens, so I will have to prop it Let me change things a bit. Let me follow the rule of third so I’ll put the TVitar on the upper right hand corner and this train is coming so I’ll put that trade in the lower left-hand corner right but at the points where the lines meet so I’m trying to compose the shot using rule of thirds. This is the iconic shot I was telling you about. They can be you can compose it in landscape mode. Also that’s also very iconic It looks great I’m not. I’m only interested in Sb’s because that tells the whole story about Berlin. By the way, it has been both challenging and enjoyable to shoot with the 50 MM lens today. I mean this place is wide open so it’s not always that you can use this lens at it own sweet spot and really when you are shooting with the prime lens, it matters a lot how much distance you have between you and the subject. This distance matters a a lot so for example with this 50 MM lens, if I want to get really sharp photos, I want to get more closer to the subject then it gives me very sharp photos so always try to look what the sweet spot is for your lens Also, my main purpose of making these logs is not only to discussed photography, but also to show you around Berlin and show you all the really good space spots to do some photography if you’re coming to Berlin and enjoy photography I truly believe that Burlin is one of the most vibrant and one of the most unique cities at least in Europe and it has a lot of history attached to it so it’s a very nice and interesting place to do some street photography Also, I want to debun the myth where people say that you know German in Germany and Germans in particular are not very cool with street photography and people look down upon you and they are always looking for confrontation. That’s not the case. Yes, you have to respect boundaries This looks interesting. Maybe I can put these girls in the foreground. I want to get that bridge in the background. No, I think these photos would come out very sharp, but this is a sweet spot for this 50 ammelance. I can go a bit more closer. honestly, but I don’t want to because the lens is so tight. I will end up cropping the bridge altogether. Let’s see what we get The really cool stuff would be to get a trade on that bridge, but the that’s not the case. This line U3 it’s called Udra. This line is very irregular and if I’m going to wait for the train, I will wait for the train for this shot, but I know that it will take a lot of time and you know that girls those girls might leave but I would really like to get a shot where I get that train in the shot also let’s wait. Let’s see if the train comes street photography is all about waiting waiting for chances to happen waiting for opportunities to happen Yeah, let’s wait for the train. so you can see that you know those girls are already already leaving. It has been quite some time for me to wait for those train But yeah, that’s that’s what street photography is. Sometimes things just don’t happen for you. It’s that’s great. I I just I still feel very good about the photos that I took A train would have been a cherry on the top, but okay that’s fine. Let’s try to go down and get some more nice shots of this bridge and maybe then we can also get some you know shots with train riding on the bridge. So earlier, I was talking about the history and uniqueness attached to Bin, right? So here’s a fun fact for you. So you might know that Bin was divided by the Berlin Wall for a long time, but this bridge served as a border crossing between east and west Berlin between 1961 and 1989 and it was only accessible to pedestryans. So this bridge basically marked was a symbol of division between East and West Berlin, and pedestrians could walk between East and West Berlin through this bridge. right? How’s that for a historical fact so you can see that every corner of this city has some history attached to it, although that history can also be a you know tragic sometimes you know because dividing the whole city by a wall that’s tragic for me at least but yeah, you get the idea, right maybe I can put someone in the background and focus on this sign. That would be a really cool and funny photo Let’s see. Maybe a man who knows I’ll have to wait for someone come from the other way around I think someone is coming. Let’s see. Some ladies are coming also so I can get a photo from both sides That’s a good shot. Sometimes you know storytelling is the best composition ever. I want to take photos of these curs against the sky. That would be cool contrast, but I’ll tell you what happened so basically I was going to take photos of these girls against the sky. I would have blacked them out for silhouette, but they noticed me and then they walked away and that happens a lot especially I’ve seen people walking away a lot after seeing this vlogging camera since I’ve started doing vlogging so if you are basically just doing street photography, that’s fine but if you are vlogging also, then I’ve seen people becoming a bit too concerned and they you know they walk away a lot more. That’s fine I’m also learning on the fly while logging you know this is also new to me how people react to action cameraeras on you know vlogging cameras I’m mad about skateboarding in Europe and looks interesting also. Maybe I can shoot across the street from here. I can use people as you know silhouettes against the background. Let’s try to wait for someone to walk or maybe someone on a bike. I always love delivery people now the train comes. I don’t need that train anymore. as I said street photography is a lot about walking and waiting. Yeah. what would be really cool is to have someone very tall walk on that bridge you know against that background then that silhouette would be much more defined and sharp but you know if you’re staging a photo, that’s not street photography. I don’t want want to put like a tall model against this backdrop and then call it a street photo. So very cloudy and windy today. Something that I really don’t like, but you know, it’s a challenge. If you shoot in the. There are people who, and I was one of them who would go out to shoot only when it was, you know, sunny or only when it rains. So basically all your photos, you take all your photos in sunny weather or rainy weather and so, you know, it looks like, you know, the weather basically defines your photography but if you are into street photography, then you should be able to shoot in any weather. That’s a challenge. Maybe I can use that structure for framing. The people behind that you know below that structure look like silhoues maybe I can use that Why am I taking this photo? Sometimes, you know, you know, you just take photos randomly. So as I was saying, maybe I can use portrait mode and take photo with those people as silhouettes. One thing I do is I put people on the Apple line line on the horizon line. This makes photo much more interesting. Basically, when you are shooting with your grid lines, you should be able to put your horizon or the subject on the upper line and this rule basically makes your photo much more interesting. Let me try another angle. Maybe we can so there is a ship. It’s almost permanently anchored here. I don’t know why. and so maybe I can use it in the foreground and have the back TVitar and the other architecture in the background maybe like this because a lens is so tight sometimes I have to shoot with landscape mode to get you know much more detail in the short because I have that’s a bad idea. There’s nothing in the shot you know sometimes you just have to try. but as I was saying, when you are shooting with a tight focal length by 50 MMment, you know when it’s a prime lens, obviously, then sometimes you have to shoot with landscape mode just to get much more, you know, detail and things into the shot because if I had a wider angle lines like 35 women, then that would have been not a problem. But in this case, you might have seen me shooting with landscape mode quite a lot than usual and this is the reason. I want to cross over now by the way on the right hand side is Helicious store and beneath that station is one of the most nice burger places. I think it’s called Burgermeister. Once had a burger there where my office colleagues at three in the morning As I was saying, there are some ships permanently anchored near Basharrasa and and you won’t believe some of these ships actually serve as restaurants or nightclubs and all that. So this goes without saying this just shows how hipster this place is. Let’s’s a cool building and the almost the whole world map is designed on that building painted on that building Look, this shot would be cool. You can you can find art like this in almost all European cities, honestly, not just Berlin, but it’s still very beautiful. Come to think of it, you can find art like this in almost every city in the world. I mean, if you go to Kannu Place in Delhi, you would find street art like this adot. In fact, a lot of places in Delhi Maybe I can get like a biker using again I’m using this white line as leading line. you know leading lines can be of any shape with you don’t have to shoot you don’t have to find just a straight line. A curve line like this can also be a leading line see I’m trying to place a subject on the upper line or the horiz.al line. This makes the photo much more interesting It’s very important to wear comfortable shoes while doing street photography. I’m wearing boots today and they are killing me. I love these boots. They are very sturdy, but not you know not made for long walking so we’ll now walk under the bridge and you get nice views on both sides I can picture people you know walking from east to west Burling using this bridgeridge. I wonder how that would have been in the past that guy is going to fall. People are crazy sometimes Maybe I can use those you know pillars this design as a frame so if I can get someone walk in between those structures that would be really cool That would be a great framing and composition shot as you can see landscape again because I have no room left. This is a very tight lens. Yeah, nice I love this shot. What a coincidence you know in street photography you shoot quite a lot. You wait for nice things to happen. They don’t and then suddenly something very nice happens out of the blue and makes you whole day. All right, so this is it. I hope you enjoyed this video. You can see that with a fixed of the lip, it was really all about moving you with your feet because a further lip is not going to change. And this is how you basically shoot with a prime length and it really depends on your falmb. With a 50 MM, it was not too short, not too long so it was just right in the middle. But if you’re shooting, let’s say a short of football l light 35 MM then sometimes you have to get very close and if you are shooting with a more tighter or longer football l, let’s say 70 and for example, then you have to move around and move back a little So you can basically understand, right? Sometimes, while shooting, I really wanted to have like a telephoto lens or sometimes I would you know, try to search for my zoom lens, but obviously I didn’t have it But that’s the idea, right? Sometimes we get dependent on one lens, so much that it becomes our shing style of our photography style. So that’s the challenge.enge of using a prime. So I hope this video is very helpful to you and you cannot shoot with a prime leng with your own Don’t forget me to like the Sweden you subscribe to the channel if your new year, or if you really enjoyed this video, that gives you a lot of encouragement. Also, let me know in the comments video if there are other focalins you would like me to try. or what are you prefer focal mix, right? Or do you prefer to show without time lens or a zoom lens? Let me know. I’m always up for a conversation. I hope to see you in the next one okay then bye