I don’t work ALL the time. Like most professional photographers, when I have family over I prefer to put down the camera, because normally camera = work. But sometimes I will grab a simple kit and unobtrusively try to capture family time together without a lot of gear – no lighting, no big cameras, usually just one camera and a prime lens.
I shot these of our family during Easter 2014, mostly with my Nikon Df and a 50mm lens. Simple, easy. I did pop on my 180 mm F2.8 lens for a few shots, but it is still a pretty simple and light weight setup. I am not a fan of the typical 70-200 2.8 zoom lens that many photographers carry. I have owned a couple and they are a workhorse lens, but for me, the 180 2.8 prime works much better. It is smaller, lighter, less expensive, and I think provides a better image than a complex zoom lens. I also have a fisheye that I use rarely, but sometimes it is fun to pull it out, and as a skit on Saturday Night Live says, “everything looks better with a FISHEYE lens!”
