As mentioned previously,the month of October will be about shooting happy with the nifty fifty. Over the next month, I’ve made a pledge to myself to shoot more with my trusty 50mm lens. To use more of my vintage manual lenses, and to find joy in simple photography, ya know without all the bells and whistles and new fangled toys. With a few tips and tricks thrown into the mix, and you might see a few projects I’ve completed that will be shot with my sweet fifty. It’s also a chance for me to participate in the Nester’s 31 Days of Change Series, click on over to her site to find out more.

Now, you might be wondering what makes the fifty so nifty, where do I even start? How about with one?

1. Value. The 50mm is relatively inexpensive compared to a lens with more moving parts. You can typically pick up a Canon 50mm EF f1.8 for about $100 brand new. Here’s one I found on Amazon. Now, that’s something to talk about.

2. Natural Angles. This lens is perfect for those situations when you want an angle that is close to what you see with your own eye. Meaning that, the shot you get will look similar to what you see when your looking at your subject without a lens.

3. Low Light No Problem. When shooting in a low light situation, the 50mm is perfect because you can have a wider aperture to let more light in without sacrificing the quality of your shot. Plus, when there is plenty of light you can get a pretty glow-y effect.

There’s so much more to make the fifty so nifty, but those are the top three that keep me shooting happy.