7 Random Objects, One Nikon Lens
As a hobby, I love photography. But I often feel shy (and actually kind of afraid) to talk about about it because I just don't have the technical know-how to call myself a "true photographer." It's not from lack of trying either...my Nikon D300 for Dummies book has seen more action than my stack of "vintage" Domino Magazines (and we know that is saying a lot).
Even with technicalities slipping through my mind like a sieve, I still I find so much simple joy in snapping photos, that for today I'm going to brave the critical voice in my head telling me that you all will laugh me out of blogland (please don't), and just show you some of the photos that I took with a new lens that I got the other day.
photo taken with my phone
The lens is an AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G (I had to look up what that means exactly, too). Isn't she a beauty? Even though I take photos all the time, before buying it (my first lens purchase other than the one I bought with my camera body 5 years ago) I still spent hours googling photography terms to make sure that I was getting the right thing. I really wanted something that worked well in low-light situations and would also allow me to get beautiful close-up shots with a milky soft and shallow depth of field. Oh...and I needed to be able to pay for it using the gift cards I received for Christmas (thank you family)...so it had to be somewhat affordable.
Even after all my googling, when my package arrived I was afraid to open the box for fear that my lack of knowledge would land me with something only vaguely lens-related (like maybe a $200 lens cap or a cleaning pad). Luckily (what a relief) I managed to purchase the perfect lens, and got to snapping photos of random things immediately.
I'm obsessed with it! But since I can't really tell you all the technical how's and whys of the lens, I'll let the photos speak for themselves (if you would like more technical details you can read about it here). The only editing done to these photos was a few slight tweaks in the Levels setting in Photoshop.
I have so much to discover about my new lens' capabilities (I can't wait for a good low light scenario...and to snap photos at my sister's wedding later this year), but I can tell that it's going to be a lot of fun to figure out. xo Ez
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| by Ez Wednesday, January 9, 2013 
Reader Comments (61)
Great job! Gorgeous photos and I know exactly how you feel about falling in love with photography. ;-)
Beautiful photographs and such a pretty new lens! :D
Such beautiful photos - they're really inspiring. I too share you 'fear' about techy-photography, but after seeing these beauties, I want to go home and start playing around with my macro lens! Thank you for the wonderful inspiration. Em :)
Oh I love it! Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos, they rally help to show off the capabilities of the lens. Following our convo on Instagram I ordered mine and I'm now eagerly awaiting delivery. Thanks so much.
beautiful Ez. enjoy your new lens. i like your shoes.
Congrats, hope you enjoy your new lens. I got hooked on photography last year my self and loving it ;)
You bought a prime and the lower the F, in your case 1.8 the more light the lens let in.
and for indoor photo's this is a great lens.
I'm a Canon fan, and have a 50mm 1.4 prime along with a couple of L- lenses 70-200 and 24-105
Before I buy a new lens, I always read a review from this guy, and ask in a forum I'm a member of
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/35mm-f18.htm
love the lens that is expensive huh
Whether you think of yourself as a pro or not, these look like they were taken by a pro! Gorgeous images and I can see you are going to have a whole lot of fun with that lens cap :)
I'm smitten with pictures of the sparkly shoes and the spool of sequins! You really have a fabulous eye for composition and your pics are always so clean and uncluttered. Gorgeous! Yay for new lenses!
My first time to comment even though I'm a loyal reader!! I need to find this lense for my canon, I absolutely LOVE the quality of these photos and need a lens with this shallow depth of field. I'm no photographer eather but the lighting in your photos is beautiful!
Thanks for sharing your new purchase!!
The photos are absolutely stunning. Your sister is one lucky girl, because you have a fabulous eye for photography (and a swanky new lens!). It's a hobby of mine, too, and I may have to go get this lens and hope for the same magic. Thanks for sharing your art with us!!
I have that lens! It's my absolute favorite!!!
Well, you may not know the tech side of photography but you sure have a good eye. Beautiful shots! Thank you for sharing.
Your photos are absolutely beautiful! I love the blueberries. I am on the same boat as you, I love taking photos but feel silly if I call myself a photographer when I am just taking them for the joy of it and for my business! However, yours are wonderful! be proud. x
The photos look amazing. You're obviously a very talented photographer and even better than some of my 'photographer friends'. Seriously.
I have the same lens and really love it. It's hard to find an affordable lens that fits your needs, but I've been extremely happy with mine. These photos make me excited to put my camera back in my hands this weekend!
For what it's worth, I decided to get the 35mm instead of the 50 since my camera isn't full frame. With that in mind, the 35 is actually close to the old school/full frame look of a 50 mm lens.
Ez, your photos are lovely! I would feel so lucky to have any of them hanging in a frame in my house!
Ez, your photos are my favourite thing about your blog, you sell yourself short I think - you are a brilliant phographer and I sooooo want to be able to take the gorgeous shots that you do and don't have any photoshop type things, so to hear you only tweek a little bit is great for the novice that I am and gives me hope. enjoy your new lens
Gorgeous! Loving the clean white. I think the blueberries are my favorite. It's always so much fun experimenting with cameras. I always love the new things I see in different types of wall art. I hope you find what you want with your new photography!
Love the shots! ;) I also recently got my canon 50mm 1.8 prime lens and I'm totally in love with it! ;)
These are stunning. I am looking at this post on a cold, Canadian winter night and boy do I feel summer in my bones now!
As someone who loves photography, but still operates in Automatic, I am with you!! I have a 50mm for my Cannon, and it changed everything... but now I'm going to look into the 35mm. I love your pics! :)
Ez,
These photos are simply lovely. I'm looking into buying a dslr camera for myself (my first!) and it's reassuring to hear that even "non-pros" (although your photos look pro to me!) can navigate the purchasing process successfully. It's also nice to hear that I'm not the only one that spends hours and hours googling things. IF you have any advice/sites that were really helpful to you in the camera researching process I'd love to know about them! Thanks, and have a great weekend!
Your photos are fantastic!
These are gorgeous Ez! You're a natural!