I have many lenses that I love, but the one that I constantly fall back on is my 50mm f/1.8 lens. The itty bitty lens that doesn't look like much, 
but is the one that often makes my job that much more rewarding.
A 50mm lens is basic, really. I never even thought I needed one until I overheard someone talk about its greatness. Shooting hand held in a low-lit situation? Not needing a tripod? Capturing incredible depth and style with its shallow depth of field? Small, compact and light? Cheap?? What is this miracle lens?? (I asked myself).
A 50mm! Who knew. I was a poor student at the time, but it certainly did 
not deter me. I went and bought one about 5 hours after I
overhead that conversation.
It's my cheapest lens in my stash but out of the 6 lenses that I have, it's the one I use about half the time. And it's the one I most encourage my students and friends to buy when they start off with photography.
Another thing I love is a cool-naming photography term called circles of confusion. Mmm-mmm good - circles of confusion to a photographer is like chocolate ganache to a dessert maker. Circles of confusion are those fuzzy round circles you get in a photo when small dots of lights in the background get out of focus due to a very shallow depth of field. Also, the farther the distance they are from your focus point, the bigger and juicier they get. They are absolutely delightful! And there's no better way to capture them than by using an f/1.8 lens.
So to celebrate this much-loved lens and its effects that it creates, I've assembled a handful of images that highlight exactly that: its deliciousness!
But now that I'm an aged and weathered photographer (ha!) my 50mm f/1.8 might soon make way for my newest infatuation: the scrumptious 24mm f/1.4. Can you imagine??? .4 more of an aperture opening?? I know I might sound geeky to some, but I know my fellow photog friends will agree, we all go crazy over big apertures on pro lenses!
Here are a few more delights taken by my 50mm lens:
Comments
Circles of confusion!! Don't get me started. Tonight I got extra geeky and made a couple lens covers with hole punches to try out the popular "Bokeh" look (which I'm pretty sure is the simplified word for circles of confusion) .. They turned out great!! I'm going to blog the best shots after I play around with it a little more =)
"Can you imagine??? .4 more of an aperture opening??" made me laugh! Ha! Good times!
Also, love the photos...espeically the ones of Kara. Awe. Now I miss Kara. :(
AO!
Yes, a miracle lens indeed. Until today, I only had one for my 25 year old film SLR, but a new one with autofocus and that communicates with my light meter....well worth the price tag.
Yeah, I pretty much always use my 50mm f/1.8... and you def played a part in me purchasing one! After you kept talking about how awesome it is. And I have to agree!