Out and About with Telephoto Lenses

Lately I’ve been geeking out on the photography of Saul Leiter, who worked largely under the radar and on his own terms during the latter half of the twentieth century. With the mantra “buy books, not gear” in mind, I bought a copy of Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective, a wonderful collection of his work. I plan on doing a proper report on this volume in the near future.

I understand that Saul Leiter often used a telephoto lens to compress near and far together in creative ways. Seeing the abstract qualities that Leiter achieved inspired me to get out these past few days and make use of two classic Nikkor lenses that sadly don’t get as much use as they should: a Nikkor-Q 135mm f/3.5 and a Nikkor-H 85mm f/1.8, both non-AI. I had them adapted to my Canon EOS R8.

Two days ago, I got out and about with my 135mm f/3.5. Considering that I’ve been shooting in the normal range of focal lengths most often, it really was a breath of fresh air to focus my compositions on a limited area with a telephoto lens. I looked for opportunities where I could compress foreground and background together particularly when subjects were rather close to me as it was. That way, I could make creative use of blur in interesting ways. I also attempted to make use of tight framing through windows or doors, and I sought out window reflections for a bit more of an abstracted effect.

Out of the above four, the image on the lower right is my favorite. When I was walking along my town’s main drag, I noticed a door propped open leading to a long staircase going up. I knew that staircases looking outdoors from inside can sometimes offer interesting light and perspective.

At the same time, there was a bit of a thrill (or fear?) involved with shooting a camera at the top end of a staircase. There was a potential for an awkward moment: as I was planted at the top of the steps with a camera and long lens to my eye, I didn’t know if someone was suddenly about to walk off the street and start climbing those stairs. With my heart racing a bit, I mustered my courage, ran up the stairs, and waited (but not too long) for the opportunities I was looking for. I fired off a few shots before moving on.

I like including people in my photographs but in such a way where their identity is artfully obscured. Perhaps this is my shyness coming out. I prefer to think of it more as an interesting form of abstraction. In the best image of the set, a woman’s foot, the only part that is in sharp focus, is planted on the sidewalk as she walks down the sidewalk. The rest is in somewhat of a blur of motion.

This morning before the afternoon heat set in, I set out with my 85mm f/1.8 adapted to my R8. This is another under-utilized lens of mine. That’s a pity considering how awesome it is. Among all the lenses I use with my Nikon F, it was this lens in particular that drove me to upgrade from my Canon EOS M50 to a full-frame mirrorless camera. Being able to use my 85mm f/1.8 digitally as it was designed to be used tipped the scales toward acquiring my Canon EOS R8 earlier this year.

Although it doesn’t compress as much as the 135mm f/3.5 does, its faster speed gives it an ability to emphasize in-focus areas more. I love the dreamy softness this 85mm f/1.8 portrait lens produces when I shoot it wide open. Sitting between a 135mm telephoto and a 50mm normal lens, it allows for more surrounding context in a composition while still achieving that compressed telephoto effect.

Like many photographers, I find myself reaching most often for a 50mm lens when I want one general-purpose prime lens to use. I dislike carrying around a lot of gear, and I tend to leave behind my zoom lens, versatile as it might be, because it makes me a lazy photographer. Zooming not with the lens but instead with my feet forces me to consider what I’m doing more, and it often results in a better image.

Useful as my 50mm lenses are, my experience these past few days is making me want to use my telephoto lenses more often when I go out and about with a camera. They really did offer me a much-needed breath of fresh air.