Do you find yourself shooting the same subjects with the same lens all of the time? Sometimes it’s fun to try to try to photograph a subject with the “wrong” lens.
Conventional wisdom tells me to use a telephoto lens to photo birds, a macro lens to photograph insects, and a wide-angle lens to photograph landscapes. Following that wisdom, I had my macro lens on my camera this past weekend when I traveled with some friends to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia, where I anticipated that I would be shooting flowers and insects.
As I was walking around a small pond, hoping in vain to spot some dragonflies, I suddenly came upon a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). From a distance, vegetation at the water’s edge had blocked the heron from view. With the heron right in front of me, I had two choices—I could try to change to the 70-300mm lens that I had in my camera bag to gain some additional reach or I could make do with my macro lens. I chose the latter option.
My macro lens is a 180mm Tamron lens. It is slow and noisy when focusing at close distances, but when I pay attention to my technique, I have taken some pretty good macro shots with it. How would it do with a bird? I have gotten used to photographing birds with a 150-600mm Tamron lens that has a built-in image stabilization system and, obviously, lets me zoom in and out. My macro lens lacks both of these capabilities, so I really did not know how well it would fare, particularly when I tried to capture some in-flight shots of the heron—I was pretty sure the heron would be spooked by my presence and I proved to be right.
Well, I ended up following the heron around for quite a while and captured images of it at several locations, including in the air. It worked out remarkably well. In some ways, it was even more enjoyable shooting with a prime lens than with a zoom lens, because I could concentrate better on tracking and framing the subject—my decision process was simplified when I had to zoom with my feet.
I particularly like the first photo below. The lighting at that moment was very unusual and the colors are so vivid that a friend asked me if I had used some kind of art filter. With the exception of a few minor tweaks in post-processing, however, the image looks like it did when I first looked at it on the back of my camera.
So what did I learn? I have a greater appreciation of the capabilities of my macro lens and realize that I can use it for more than just macro shots. I think that I also appreciate better the experience of shooting with a prime lens—I think my zoom lenses sometimes make me a bit lazy and sloppy.
I look forward to trying to shoot some more little experiments like this of thinking outside of the box and shooting more subjects with the “wrong” lens.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That first image is really painterly Mike. Very nice series.
Thanks, Chris. I think that I am really drawn to capturing images like the first one. One of the coolest things about me is that it allows me to be both technical and artistic, often simultaneously.
I agree, the first shot has the appearance of a painting. They are all great Mike!
Thanks, Dan. I think I like having photos that look like paintings, especially when they come out that way without me having to process them in a special way.
Those are fantastic shots. I love the way you were able to capture the mud and sand falling from the feet and the water drifting off as the bird took flight. Amazing!!! The back ground of the first shot looks digital cool!
I really like that first one and am thinking the bokeh of that macro lens is what gives that shot such a fabulous watercolor look for the background. Isn’t it fun when a shot comes out like that?
Effective use of the “painterly” filter, Mike!
They are all fantastic shots but there is something about the shapes, movement and detailing in that first image that makes it especially dynamic and engaging.
I really like that first image, it is quite special. Amelia
Very nice! It is always fun to try different lenses! It also helps you “see” differently!
Thanks, Reed. Seeing differently–I like having that as a goal. As photographers, I think we all want to capture unique images and using a variety of techniques and equipment helps us to envision and then to capture those unique images.
Wow, that first picture looks like an oil painting.
If I knew exactly why the photo came out looking like a painting, I would try to replicate the conditions, because I like the “look.” All I can figure was the angle of lighting helped to create that impression.
Beautifully done ☺
I don’t think it matters how you get them as long as you do, and you sure did!
I really like that first shot.
Thanks, Allen. I think that the first shot really stands out because it is so different from the normal heron shots that I have taken so many other times.
The colors in that first shot are really gorgeous. Another candidate for wall print?