[Photo walk] Around Flinders Street Station

Ameel Khan April 22, 2024

I got the chance to take a couple of photos around Flinders Street Station this morning. And because I’m still considering buying a pancake lens, I restricted myself to shooting at only the 40mm focal length (which is 27mm on my APSC camera).

Haircut and free whisky from $40

Photo of a chalkboard sign outside a barber shop that reads (in pink and green chalk), “Haircut + free whisky from $40” above the ‘hair guys aus’ Instagram handle and the text “Walk ins welcome”.

Next Yarra River cruise is at 12:15pm

Photo of a small whiteboard on a small counter that's been placed outside an exterior door. Written on the whiteboard in red and black marker is, “Next cruise 12:15. 1 hour cruise sightseeing”. A tall blackboard attached to the wall behind this reads, ‘Yarra River Cruises’, lists cruise times for the day, and also reads, “Bar on board, free coffee/tea, free Wi-Fi, live commentary, and luxury seating”.

Photographer getting her clients ready for their newlyweds photoshoot

Photo of a photographer laughing as she talks to a newlywed couple who are standing on the steps of a train station in the middle of the city. The photographer is posing them before she photographs them.

[Photo walk] Along the Yarra River #2

Ameel Khan March 31, 2024

On this week’s photo walk I decided to use only my long lens (50-230mm APSC, which is 77-352mm full-frame). This let me really zoom-in and isolate my subjects in the frame, which can be challenging, but is fun to do.

Parks VIC boat and runabout on the Yarra River

Photo of a green-and-cream, flat-bottom boat towing a runabout next to it as it makes its way down an urban river. The boat is about to pass underneath an eight-lane road bridge.

Bicycle hoops in Docklands, Melbourne

Black-and-white photo of maybe twenty metal bicycle hoops installed in a covered area outside an office building. There is one bicycle locked to a hoop about two-thirds of the way down.

Collins, Bourke, and La Trobe Street crossings over Wurundjeri Way and Southern Cross train lines

Photo that shows three vehicle and pedestrian bridges across a road and several train lines.

I don’t do drama, I do nails

Frankston train crossing the Melbourne Aquarium building

Close-up photo of a yellow-and-blue train train travelling down an elevated train line next to a blue building.

Let them out!!!

Guiding boat renters back to the dock

Photo of a woman standing at the end of a short dock on an urban river. The woman is talking to some people on a boat that’s just off-camera.

Getting new boat renters on their way

Photo of a man standing at the end of a short dock on an urban river. The man is talking to some people on a boat that’s just off-camera. In the foreground are four people sitting on a small boat that has a large table build into the middle of it. This and several other identical rental boat are docked along the river.

Go-Boat ‘GOBO’ docked along the Yarra River

Photo of a motorboat docked on its own alongside a short dock on an urban river.

Checking her phone while heading slowly down the Yarra River

Photo of a woman piloting a motorboat down the middle of an urban river. The woman is looking down at the phone she is holding in her hand.

Killing time while waiting for friends

Photo of a man sitting in a river-viewing area next to some trees. The man is looking down at the phone in his hands.

Chatting on the Evan Walker Bridge across the Yarra River

Photo of a man and woman standing on a pedestrian bridge across an urban river, chatting with each other. The man is leaning back onto the railing. Another man, wearing earphones and looking at his phone, is walking along the bridge near them.

Sweep rowing training on the Yarra River

Close-up photo of two sets of sweep rowers (in which each person holds only one oar with both hands) from the Australian national team rowing along an urban river.

Sweep rowers on the Yarra River

Photo of two sets of sweep rowers (in which each person holds only one oar with both hands) from the Australian national team rowing along an urban river. In the background, and parked along the farther bank, is a low, flat, blue-and-white, river cruise boat with a ‘Melbourne River Cruises’ sign painted on it.

Guiding the sweep rowers on the Yarra River

Photo of a motorboat with three rowing coaches/trainers making their way along an urban river.

Piloting the Yarra Duchess along the Yarra River in Melbourne

Photo of a man piloting a blue-and-white coloured, flat-bottomed, river cruise boat along an urban river.

Barista at AFLOAT pouring a beer from the tap

Photo of a barista at AFLOAT, a floating bar and restaurant on the Yarra River in Melbourne, pouring a beer while chatting to one of the servers.

Don't forget life.

Photo of a postcard-sized, zine-like, printed poem stuck with tape to the pillar of a green-coloured outdoor stairway. The poem reads, “Life is frantic chaos. But there are still roses for you to stop and smell. Don’t forget life”. It is signed @jaidynpoetry.

Family cats

Ameel Khan March 9, 2024

Growing up in Lahore in the 1970s and 80s we had both cats and dogs as pets – with dogs in the front yard and cats (all of them adopted strays) in the back yard.

These days Nadia and I are the only siblings with a dog while most everyone else has cats. Nadia and I would love to get a cat as well, it’s just that Nadia is allergic to them.

On our recent trip back home I got the chance to spend some time with some of our family cats and, of course, take lots of photos of them :)

Toffee

My younger sister’s orange tabby cat. Very friendly. Loves to sleep on the corner table in the living room.

Toffee portrait

Photo of an orange tabby cat standing at the edge of a balcony, looking down the lens of the photographer's camera.

Toffee is not impressed with my photography

Photo of an orange tabby cat standing at the edge of a balcony, looking at the photographer behind the camera.

Henry

My younger sister’s white cat with blue/yellow odd coloured eyes. Not very friendly, but very happy for you to open the door to let him in and out of the room.

Henry eating his kibble

Photo of a white cat eating kibble out a bowl that's lying on a counter.

Henry interrupted

Photo of a white cat interrupted by the photographer while eating it was eating its kibble out a bowl that's lying on a counter. The cat has one blue and one yellow eye.

Henry at rest

Photo of a white cat with blue/yellow odd coloured eyes stretched out on a window seat in the sun.

Uloo

My older sister’s orange, black, and white calico cat. Very friendly, curious, and quite demanding when she wants pats and scratches.

Uloo is very interested in something off camera

Close-up photo of an orange, black, and white calico cat looking at something off camera.

Uloo at rest

Photo of an orange, black, and white calico cat sitting half on a marble floor and half on a little rug.

Nunu

My older sister’s black cat. Not particularly friendly with non-family members, so not easy to get photos of. But she is a lovely looking cat.

Nunu keeping an eye on things

Photo of a black cat sitting on a marble floor, next to a chair.

Billi/Billy

My aunt’s medium-haired tabby, a friendly adopted stray who hangs around the garden. I didn’t get to spend any time with her/him, but she/he very much wanted to spend time with us while we were visiting.

Billi/Billy wants to be let inside the house (or for us to come out and play!)

Photo of a medium-haired tabby cat sitting prettily on the verandah of a house, looking in through a sliding glass door.

Vintage Car Show Karachi 2024

Ameel Khan March 3, 2024

I happened to be in Karachi for this year’s Vintage Car Show so I brought along my camera and took a few photos.

These are my two favourites. The rest I’ve included in galleries below, which means you’ll have to click each one to see its full, non-square-cropped version.

Favourites

Headlamp

Rolls Royce tyre and visitors

Cars

Hood ornaments and logos

Zooming in on details

Location and visitors

Trip to Pakistan 2024: places

Ameel Khan February 23, 2024

I’m an aviation geek. That means I don’t just take photos of people, I also take photos of the places I go to. Or, well, go through :)

Melbourne Airport

Ground staff member waiting for the luggage containers to turn up

Photo of an airport apron that has a wide-body aircraft parked on it. The aircraft is in the process of being loaded with catering supplies. A roller ramp has been parked to the side of the aircraft. A member of the ground staff is sitting on the corner of this roller ramp, waiting for the luggage containers to arrive so they can be loaded into the aircraft hold.

The Etihad Boeing 777 that flew us from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi

Wide-angle photo of a wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft parked at the gate of an airport terminal.

Abu Dhabi Airport

This corner of Terminal A at Abu Dhabi Airport is quite empty at 2am

Wide-angle photo of large, high-ceiling, shiny, brand new airport terminal building. One one side of the building are windows that go from the ground to the fourth floor. From the angle the photo is taken you can see parts of all four floors, all of which are connected by escalators and elevators.

Waiting at at empty departure gate at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Photo of a large, heigh-ceiling, mostly empty airport departure gate. This section of the building is at least two storeys high, with a wide, elevated walkway running through the centre. In the departure are are several round-backed single-seater sofas for waiting passengers to sit on.

Walnut crescent cookie shaped lights at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A departure gates

Wide-angle photo looking up at a large, crescent shaped, white-and-cream coloured light fixture. This light fixture is mounted on a tall pillar along a first-floor walkway in a high-ceiling airport terminal building.

Walnut crescent cookie shaped lights at the new Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Photo looking up at a large, crescent shaped, white-and-cream coloured light fixture. This light fixture is mounted on a tall pillar along a first-floor walkway in a high-ceiling airport terminal building.

Etihad Airways Airbus A320 aircraft taxiing to its gate at Abu Dhabi Airport

This was the Airbus A320 that flew us from Abu Dhabi to Karachi.

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery taxiing to its gate.

Airbus A320 approaching Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A gate 640

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery slowly approaching a terminal boarding gate.

Airbus A320 getting settled at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A gate 640

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Etihad Airways livery parked at a terminal boarding gate. The passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge) from the terminal is in the process of being extended towards the front-left door of the aircraft and there are several ground operations team members walking around below the aircraft. And ‘Airside Operations Leader’ car is parked in front of the gate at which this aircraft has parked.

The Boeing 787 that took us from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

Photo taken through large floor-to-ceiling windows of an airport terminal building of a wide-body aircraft in Etihad Airways livery parked at a gate. In the background you can see the airport’s weather radar and control tower.

The Boeing 787 that took us from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

Photo of a wide-body aircraft parked at an airport gate. It is connected from its left side to the terminal building via a passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge). On its right side luggage is being loaded onto it. In the background are the other terminal buildings of Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A.

Karachi Airport

Heading from Karachi to Islamabad

Photo of an airport apron taken from inside a passenger boarding bridge (aka air bridge). The gate next to this one is empty.

Islamabad Airport

The Fly Jinnah Airbus A320 that took us from Islamabad to Karachi

Photo of a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft in Fly Jinnah livery parked on the apron at an airport. Several ground staff are walking around the aircraft, getting it ready to start deplaning its passengers and cargo.

Trip to Pakistan 2024: people

Ameel Khan February 23, 2024

Nadia and I took three weeks off to go visit friends and family in Pakistan. Naturally I took several photos as we travelled from one place to the next :)

Selfie at Melbourne Airport before heading off on our holiday

We had an almost-10pm flight out of Melbourne, so we had dinner at Melbourne Airport right after we checked-in.

Selfie of a man and woman, both wearing black t-shirts, backpacks, and face masks, standing in an airport terminal.

All set to fly from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi

Neither of us minds having seats near the bathroom and neither of us minds sitting right at the back of the plane, so we picked seats in the second-last row of this Boeing 777 since that row has just two seats on the window side :)

Selfie of a man and woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated in an aircraft. The two are giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

Selfie along the C-gates arm at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

Abu Dhabi Airport’s brand new Terminal A is quite roomy (having been built for future growth) and is a surprisingly comfortable place to hang out for a ten-hour layover.

Selfie of a man wearing a bright orange jacket standing in the middle of a long terminal corridor, between gates C28 and C29.

Selfie to celebrate our arrival at Karachi Airport

Yay Karachi!

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, standing next to their luggage at the international arrivals gate of an airport.

Ready for the first of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Islamabad to Karachi

It took us almost forty hours to get back from Islamabad to Melbourne (via Karachi and Abu Dhabi). This was the start of our first leg.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated inside an aircraft cabin during boarding.

Ready for the second of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Karachi to Abu Dhabi

This was the start of our second leg, waiting in the international departure lounge.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black t-shirts and face masks, seated in a departure lounge at an airport.

Waiting for breakfast at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal A

This is towards the end of our twelve hour layover in Abu Dhabi.

Photo of a woman, wearing a black hoodie and face mask, leaning on a restaurant table in an airport. Behind her is a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out onto and airport terminal apron.

Selfie before boarding our flight to Melbourne

We’re making sure to stretch our legs and stand as much as we can before our non-stop, thirteen hour flight to Melbourne.

Selfie of a man and a woman, both wearing black tops and face masks, standing in a departure lounge at an airport.

Ready for the third of our three flights back to Melbourne, this one from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

All aboard and ready to boogie (aka sleep) on this lovely Boeing 787 (yay!).

We hadn’t been back to Pakistan since late 2019, so this trip was very much overdue and it was a great way to start the year.

One year with a mirrorless camera

Ameel Khan January 1, 2024

Here’s what I’ve learned after owning a mirrorless, interchangeable-lens camera for just over one year. (I got my camera on Boxing Day 2022 but didn’t start taking any decent photos will it till at least the middle of January 2023.)

This is based on the 438 share-worthy photos I uploaded to Flickr in 2023.

Photos I like taking

Aside from typical life and event/travel photos, I seem to like taking photos that tell micro stories of people and places. I do this mainly through three types of photos…

Interesting everyday

These are photos looking up, down, and around at things you stop noticing when you live somewhere for a long time. These are architectural photos, photos of objects, or photos of people going about their lives doing things I find interesting.

**Looking up along light tower 5 at Melbourne Cricket Ground**. Photo looking straight up along the side of a large, white, stadium light tower on a partly cloudy day.

Questions about people

These are photos that make you wonder what the person/people in the photo are doing, thinking, or talking about.

**Tourists checking out Melbourne’s office-building architecture**. Photo of a couple standing on the other side of the road from the photographer. They have their arms around each other and are looking up at the top of a building across the street from them. A green-and-white tram is about to cross in front of them.

Atmosphere

These are photos that (hopefully) communicate the vibe of the place in which I took the photo or maybe what I was feeling when I took it.

**I want to touch the nose again! (Avalon Airshow 2023)**. Photo of a man at an airshow carrying a little boy in his lap (presumably his son). The man is standing next to the nose of a military transport aircraft. Next to the man is a little girl (presumably his daughter) who wants to be picked up so she can touch the nose of the aircraft again.

Most frequently used focal lengths

When I wasn’t doing my ‘one focal length at a time exercise’, my favourite focal lengths were 27mm, 85mm, and 345mm. These represent both extremes of my two zoom lenses: 27-85mm for my main lens and 80-345mm for my second lens. The 85mm bar in the chart below covers the 80-85mm range where my two lenses overlap, and so that’s why this bar is the longest.

Graphic titled ‘Focal length usage 2023 (full-frame equivalent)’. Below this is a chart titled ‘Normal zoom-lens usage’ that shows a bar chart with bars ranging from 27mm to 300-345mm. The three longest bars in this chart are for 85mm (28% of all photos), 27mm (23%), and 300-345mm (11%).

What have I learned from this?

27mm end: I like taking architectural photos (the wide angle helps you capture more of the building/location) and I often like taking photos that capture the context around my primary subject (eg their location or where they’re headed). Also, in the early days I was still getting used to composing good shots with my new camera, so I would do a looser composition while taking the photo and then crop-in later during editing.
The other ends: I like to zoom in on specific parts of architecture (like the tops of buildings) and I like to simplify my photographs by isolating my subjects within the frame (so it’s easier to focus on the specific object or the person I’m photographing).

Part of the point of the ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise I did over October-December 2023 was to force me to get away from these extremes and try the most popular intermediate focal lengths instead.

Graphic titled ‘Focal length usage 2023 (full-frame equivalent)’. Below this is a chart titled “‘One focal length at a time’ exercise” that shows a bar chart with bars ranging from 27mm to 85mm. The two longest bars in this chart are for 27mm and 40mm (both at 27%). This is followed by 50mm (19%), 85mm (18%), and 35mm (9%).

Aside from all the creative learning I did during my ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise, I learned that 27mm and 40mm are the focal lengths at which I am the most successful (and comfortable shooting). That’s why, when I do buy an everyday-carry prime lens, those are the two I’ll get first (starting with 40mm).

Where to from here?

The end of the year is a good time for reflection and learning, and it’s been fun going through all the photos I’ve taken this year. Importantly, I noted how I improved as a photographer over the last twelve months and what I still need to get better at.

In 2024 I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing right now: taking regular photo walks in and around Melbourne and photographing life, events, and travel. I have a lot of experience to gain and still plenty of incremental improvement to do before I start to plateau both creatively and skill-wise.

So here’s to another fun year of photography!

2023 Boxing Day test at the MCG

Ameel Khan December 29, 2023

Since moving to Australia in 2006, this is only the second time that Pakistan has played Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Nadia and I attended day three of the last test match, back in 2016.

Photo of the grounds at a massive cricket stadium, taken from an under-cover seat some distance away from the field.

This year I attended day one of the match with a bunch of family friends.

Selfie of four people seated in a row at a cricket match, three of whom are wearing Pakistan cricket team gear.

Here are some of the photos I took while I was there.

Lots of ways to get to Melbourne Cricket Ground

Photo of a sign post at the Melbourne Cricket ground showing the walking time and distance (in kilometres) from this post to Jolimont Railway Station, tram routes 48 and 75 along Wellington Parade, Flinders Street Railway Station, tram route 70 along Swan Street, and Richmond Railway Station.

Train tracks between the MCG and Melbourne & Olympic Parks

Photo taken through a wire mesh fence of half a dozen train tracks running between where the photographer is standing and several buildings and sports centres on the other side. A blue-and-yellow Metro train is running along one of these tracks. A covered, elevated walkway runs above the tracks.

Welcome to the Boxing Day test

Photo of an entry gate at Melbourne Cricket Ground, which about two dozen people waiting in short queues to get through security and ticketing. A large digital sign above the gate reads, in all capital letters, “Welcome to the boxing day test”.

Qantas Choir getting ready to sing the Australian national anthem

Photo of three rows of young women, all wearing an identical uniform of black shoes, black pants, and cream coloured tops, standing in choir formation inside a massive cricket stadium.

Qantas Choir singing the Australian national anthem

Cricketer Shaheen Afridi warming up before his bowling spell

Photo of a male cricket player, wearing an all-white kit, jumping in the air as part of his warm-up routine.

Cricketer David Warner batting

Photo of a male cricket player, wearing an all-white kit, standing at the crease and ready to face ball that is being bowled to him.

Young Pakistani supporter

Photo of a young boy in a while t-shirt and a green coloured Pakistan team hat watching a cricket match.

Cricketer Shaheen Afridi bowling

Photo of a male cricket player, wearing an all-white kit, about to release the ball he is bowling.

Melbourne Cricket Club Members Reserve stand

Photo of four tiers of cricket stands, each with a café, bar, or corporate suites behind them. A large sign on one of these seating tiers reads, ‘Melbourne Cricket Club’.

DJ Ash bringing the music to the MCG outfield

Photo of a male music DJ standing at his console while he chats to a man dressed in a bright, multi-coloured ‘Squad Pakistan’ shirt with a large dhol slung across his back.

Karachi Street Food stall outside the MCG

Photo of an outdoor food stall set up in a large garden. A sign above the stall reads, in all capital letters, ‘Karachi street food’. There are several people milling around the food stand, and a line to the food stand extends off-camera.

Long lunch-time line for the Karachi Street Food stall outside the MCG

Photo of an outdoor food stall set up in a large garden with picnic tables placed around it. A sign above the stall reads, in all capital letters, ‘Karachi street food’. A stall in the background has a sign that reads, ‘Sugarcane Juice’. There are several people standing in the garden, and a long line of people queuing at the food stand extends off-camera.

Light towers at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Ameel Khan December 29, 2023

The light towers at Melbourne Cricket Ground are as iconic as the stadium itself, and this month marks 39 years since they were first installed and switched on.

Light tower 1

Photo looking up at the top of a large, stadium light tower on a partly cloudy day. The trapezium-shaped array of powerful lights has been placed on a thick, white coloured tower that has the number 1 written on it.

Light tower 5, next to the Ponsford Stand

Photo looking up, along the side of a massive sports stadium, at a light tower on a partly cloudy day. The tower has the number 5 written on it.

Seats, lights, and flags

Photo looking almost straight up along the side of a sports stadium. In the left of the photo is the underside of a seating stand (the Ponsford Stand), in the centre is a tall light tower, on the right (at the very top of the stadium wall) is a set of five flagpoles with various flags on them.

Looking up along light tower 5

Photo looking straight up along the side of a large, white, stadium light tower on a partly cloudy day.

Light tower 2

Photo of a stadium light tower taken from inside a sports stadium. A large number 2 is written at the top of the light tower. In front of this tower is the top of the stadium, on which there are flags flying on five flagpoles.

Maggie, around the house

Ameel Khan December 24, 2023

Maggie is enjoying the return of summer. She has arthritis so she needs to be warm, and she she’s always loved soaking up the sun. I think her bones also appreciate the memory-foam dog bed we have for her our living room.

Scratching her back after napping in the sun

Photo, taken through a window pane, of a red/brown dog in a residential garden. The dog is twisting around in the garden, all four legs up in the air, while she scratches her back on the dirt and grass.

Fast asleep after her morning walk

Photo of a red/brown dog fast asleep in a large grey coloured dog bed on the floor of a living room. The dog's face is smushed into a blanket lying on one side of the dog bed.

Blearily noticing that I just took her photo

Photo of a red/brown dog in a large grey coloured dog bed on the floor of a living room. The dog is looking blearily into the camera because she has just been woken by her photo being taken.

When she is tired but still follows you from room to room, so you pee with the door open

Photo of a red/brown dog lying on her side, with her head right in front of an open bathroom door. The photo is taken from inside the bathroom.

When we got Maggie all those years ago, we’d take her for hour-long walks every day and she’d still have an endless supply of energy afterwards.

As she got older, she’d start to get tired after forty-five minutes of walking, so we dropped her walk time down to thirty-ish minutes.

These days she still has the mental enthusiasm for half-hour walks, but if we walk for too long in one go, her body pays for it the next day. So we’re now down to fifteen-ish minute walks every morning; with maybe a five or ten minute walk in the evening if she’s up for it.

Not that she minds. She still loves walking through our neighbourhood and foraging for whatever she can eat. But she’s become a lot more chill as she’s gotten older, with fewer fucks to give about the world. And, as long as she knows where we are, she’s no longer in a mad rush to follow us from room-to-room as we move around the house. Unless it’s nearing her walk time or dinner time, of course, in which case she’ll make her presence know no matter where we are and what we’re up to! But otherwise she’s content with her slower pace of life.

[Photo walk] Lonsdale Street (40mm only)

Ameel Khan December 22, 2023

This week I concluded my ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise with a repeat of shooting at only 40mm (which is 26mm on my mirrorless, APS-C camera).

I can now confirm that the first pancake prime lens I will get for myself will indeed be a 40mm one. When I’ll actually go out and get this, I don’t know. But at least I know where I’m going to start :)

Here are the photos I took during my last photo walk of 2023.

Three flights down to Village Street, Docklands

Black-and-white photo of a set of stairs leading down to a street that is three storeys below where the photographer is standing. This staircase is built into the side of the building, with the lowest flight of steps inside the rectangular columns of the building. A woman carrying one large bag and several smaller ones is walking on the pavement that runs along this street.

The curves of the Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne building

Photo looking up from the ground of a very tall, blue-glass covered building. The building has rounded edges and two large curves along its length on either side, making it look somewhat like a fancy water bottle.

Mural at one corner of 246 Spencer Street, Melbourne

Photo of a large, four-storey high, spray-paint mural in several shades of blue. The anime-ish style mural shows an image of a woman with long hair, large eyes, and full lips manipulating energy fields. She has formed a swirl of light in her left hand and there are bits of rock and swirls of more solid looking energy rotating around her face.

Mural at the Lonsdale St corner of 246 Spencer Street, Melbourne

Photo of a large, four-storey high, spray-paint mural in several shades of yellow and pink. The hyper-realistic mural shows an older man and woman, both with white hair and wrinkled, slightly droopy faces. The man has is arm around the woman's shoulder. Both figures are looking straight across the street and, in this case, directly at where the photographer is standing.

Not where I expected to see this argument take place!

Photo of a boarded-up window with the top of a mostly torn off music posted still stuck to it. Several different people have scribbled things on the wooden board in red and black marker. These include text in all-capital letters that reads “anarchy rules”. Below this is a Christian cross with the words ‘remorse’ and ‘pain’ written on it, with text close to this that reads “one rule is pain, the other rule is remorse”. Next to that is a crown with a number ‘666’ written below it and text that reads “eighth and last link to walk this earth”. Two pieces of text in black marker have been crossed off. The first, written below the cross, reads, “The fucking cross you fucking Christians were suppose(d) to bear!!”. The second reads, “We are the Anti Christ and we don’t fuck your children. So can anyone explain Christianity to us? So fuck them, just not with my dick!!”. Written below these crossed-off bits of text is the phrase “Jesus loves you” and a heart symbol. This is repeated on the other side as well. Also written there is “Choose love”, with a heart symbol instead of the word ‘love’. The final bit of text along the top, seemingly in response to this back-and-forth, reads “Have a nice day and do it your way”.

EzyMart is not going to run out of candy anytime soon

Photo looking through the open doorway of a glass-fronted convenience store. Arranged on one entire wall along the side of the store are hundreds of candy packets and bars.

And just how is that working out for y'all, hmmm?

A simple, text-only advertisement painted along the windowless side of an eight storey building. The large, all-white lettering reads, “Create your life’s work”. Below this is the WeWork logo and the text “established 2010”.

This was the first time I’d walked down Lonsdale Street in the CBD to take photos. By restricting myself to shoot at only 40mm I was immediately frustrated by not being able to take good architecture photos, and I take a lot of those types of photos. I guess what I’m saying is that the second prime lens I’ll get will likely be the 27mm pancake prime :) Hopefully I’ll be able to get both in 2024. I guess we’ll see!

Random photos from around the city

Ameel Khan December 16, 2023

I wasn’t able to go on a photo walk this week, so here are some photos I took on my way to various places in the city.

Taking a nap at Federation Square

Photo of a middle age man asleep on a deck chair in a large, outdoor, brick-and-marble, public square. There are people sitting in other deck chairs placed around the square as well.

Looking down into City Hatters, below Flinders Street Station

Black-and-white photo looking down a steep, slightly curved flight of steps that lead to a shop front. Through the open doorway of this glass-fronted hat shop you can see a salesperson adjusting a hat while standing at the payment counter.

Reading a informational brochure on a bus

Black-and-white photo of a man sitting on a bus a few seats in front of the photographer. The man is reading a large, two-page informational brochure which, on the left hand page, has the title “Key benefits of the design”.

City Circle tram in Docklands

Photo of a classic Melbourne tram, with its distinct green-and-yellow livery, waiting at a stop light. A sign painted on the front reads, “City Circle Tram, Melbourne” and shows the number 35 as the tram’s route number. The tram is on a pair of tracks that run parallel to a curving roadway.

I also didn’t get the chance to shoot at a focal length of only 40mm this week. I’ll try to do that next week.

[Photo walk] Southbank, Melbourne (85mm only)

Ameel Khan December 9, 2023

This is my second week of shooting at only 85mm (which is 55mm on my mirrorless, APS-C camera). It was super hot (approaching 32 degrees) when I went out to take these photos, which is why I took a handful.

Cool AF backpacker chilling in the sun

Photo of a middle-aged, dark-skinned man with silver-grey hair styled into a short, soft mohawk with buzz-cut sides. The man is sitting on a long bench next to a tall hedge in an urban park. He is leaning forward, elbows rested on thighs, as he reads a newspaper that he is holding in his hands. On the ground next to him is a large, professional hiking backpack that is full with his gear.

Sir Charles Hotham Hotel building

Photo of the round, domed tower at the corner of a dilapidated, four storey, 111 year old building. The pale yellow paint on this building is cracked and peeling. Long-since faded paint on the side the building reads, “Sir Charles Hotham Hotel”.

Sweep rowing training on the Yarra River

Photo of four sweep rowers (in which each person holds only one oar with both hands) and their coxswain rowing along an urban river. Riding on a motorboat alongside them with a megaphone in their hand is (presumably) their trainer.

Crown Towers Melbourne, as seen through The Guardians artwork

Photo of the top of the Crown Towers building seen through a large ceramic ring that is part of some artwork on the ground floor outside. The artwork in question is ‘The Guardians’ (2000) by local artist Simon Rigg.

Office corners on a Friday afternoon

Close-up photo of the corner of an office building, with two of the floors in frame. On one floor there are tables and chairs set along the windows. On the other floor is an empty, darkened corner office with a large Dyson air purifier visible through the window.

This was the last formal step in my two-and-a-half-month long ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise. Woohoo!

Next week I’ll repeat shooting at only 40mm. If I’m still happy with that focal length, then the first pancake prime lens I get will be a 40mm one. This’ll be great for street, travel, and everyday photography. Especially since it’ll make my camera kit small enough to carry around with me pretty much everywhere I go.

And then I sit and wait till I get a get a good deal on a new (or used) Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR lens. Or I just get the TTArtisan AF 27mm F2.8 third-party lens for my Fujifilm camera. I guess we’ll see how things go.

[Photo walk] Collins Street, Melbourne #3 (85mm only)

Ameel Khan December 4, 2023

We’re on the final stage of my ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise. That means this fortnight I am shooting only at 85mm (which is 55mm on my mirrorless, APS-C camera).

I like shooting at 85mm because part of what I enjoy doing is capturing specific aspects of the world around me, and this focal length lets me zoom in to isolate the thing I want to highlight.

In this particular photo walk I focused on both people and a building details. The advantage of this focal length, of course, is that you can take photos of people from further away without ‘bruising the scene’ (ie without them noticing you and stopping doing whatever interesting thing they were doing that made you want to take their photo in the first place). Is taking photos like this somewhat voyeuristic? Yes, it is. But as long as you’re not being a creep or an asshole about it, I think it’s okay. I, for example, only take photos of people doing things that I wouldn’t mind being photographed doing myself. Most of the time this is just standing around in a public place.

Here are the photos I took.

Early dinner while stuck in traffic on Collins Street, Docklands

Photo of a man wearing a yellow high visibility vest and an orange turban sitting the the drivers seat of a large, white panel (delivery) van. The van is stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic and so the man is using a fork to eat something out of a glass storage bowl on his lap.

Grey building reflecting a grey sky

Photo looking up to the top of a very tall, blue-glass covered building. Because the sky is grey and overcast, however, the windows are looking blue-grey instead. The building has rounded edges and two large curves along its length, making it look like a fancy water bottle.

Taking the time to smoke before heading into Southern Cross Railway Station

Photo of a man with pale blonde hair and a long, white beard sitting on a concrete bench outside on the footpath outside a large building. The man, who is wearing dark clothes and shoes, is holding a cigarette up in his right hand. In the background a woman is walking down the footpath.

Tram line inspectors heading to a job along Collins Street

Photo of two people in safety work wear (blue pants with reflective stripes, orange high visibility top with reflective stripes, white hard hats, and safety glasses) standing on top of a retracted scissor lift that’s been built on to the back a large truck. The truck is white and is covered in a Yarra Trams decal. The truck has just crossed an intersection and is proceeding along a tram track running down the centre of a road.

Triple denim, waiting on a bench

Photo of a young woman wearing blue denim jeans, a grey denim jacket, and a grey denim cap sitting on a long wooden bench outside a large building. She has a metal water bottle lying next to her. She is wearing wireless earbuds and is looking down at her phone.

It’s been a long week

Photo of a man wearing blue pants, yellow hoodie, and grey cloth cap who is sitting on a long wooden bench outside a large building. The man has a duffel back by his side and is leaning forward, head down and elbows on his thighs, looking very tired.

Heading out for Friday evening social event

Photo of four people waiting at the pedestrian crossing at an urban intersection. The two men are dressed in dark pants and untucked casual, button-up shirts. One woman is in a long, checkered dress in shades of brown. The other woman stands out because she is in a shorter, frilly, flower-patterned, blue dress.

Waiting for someone while while wearing the Melbourne uniform

Photo of a woman wearing the Melbourne uniform: black boots, black pants, black shirt, and black puffer jacket. The woman is looking down at her phone while waiting outside the steps leading up to an office building.

Keeping physiotherapists employed

Photo of a young man wearing sneakers, blue jeans, and a cream coloured t-shirt sitting on a large, black-painted concrete block outside a building complex. The man is hunched over as he looks at the smartphone he is holding in his hand.

Happy couple heading out for an evening in Melbourne

A woman and a man are walking down a footpath in a city centre with their arms on each others’ backs. They are wearing matching rings on their right ring fingers. In the background of the photo is a flower shop on the wide sidewalk.

Tourists checking out Melbourne's office-building architecture

Photo of a couple standing on the other side of the road from the photographer. They have their arms around each other and are looking up at the top of a building across the street from them. A green-and-white tram is about to cross in front of them.

Stained glass window of the 'Gothic Bank' in Melbourne

Photo of a round stained glass window with an interior seven-petal shape carved out of brownstone. The front façade and spire of this ornate, gothic-revival style, brownstone building is being seen through a gap in the trees across the street.

Front façade of the 'Gothic Bank' in Melbourne

Photo of the front façade and spire of an ornate, gothic-revival style, brownstone building that is being seen through a gap in the trees across the street. The year 1890 is carved into a shield at the top of the central spire.

Taking a selfie in front of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne

Photo of a man and a woman standing in the crowd in front of the steps of a train station. The man has is hand raised as if he has just taken a selfie of the two of them.

Next week I’ll continue shooting at 85mm, and after that I’ll probably repeat a couple of earlier focal lengths.

Since I’m doing all this to potentially buy myself a compact prime lens in this year’s Boxing Day sales, I think I’ll spend the last two weeks before Christmas back at 27mm and 40mm. Those are the two focal lengths at which Fujifilm sells compact primes.

Happily, I really enjoyed shooting at those focal lengths. So if I am going to buy one of those lenses this year – assuming the sale price is good enough or I can get them second-hand – then I should repeat those two to see which one I should go for first.

[Photo walk] Along Harbour Esplanade, Docklands #3 (55mm only)

Ameel Khan November 25, 2023

We’re still on step four my ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise because I didn’t take any photos last week. That means I’m still at 55mm (which is 35mm on my mirrorless, APS-C camera).

Since I know I’m not going to buy a new 55mm prime lens any time soon (I already own one), I figured I’d repeat the photo walk I started this whole exercise with so I could do a bit of a direct comparison.

27mm vs 55mm focal length comparison

I took three matching(ish) photos to see/demonstrate the difference between 27mm and 55mm.

The weather and, therefore, the light was different when I took these photos, so you’ll notice that I edited them differently.

I don’t have anything to say about these photos, by the way, I just wanted to do the comparison!

Subject framed within a foreground object

Photo of a blue-and-white ferry, now a show boat, as seen through the hole of a bright red lifebuoy that’s attached to a pole next to a harbour.

Subject some distance away from the photographer

Photo of urban dock. In the foreground is a grid of several old, wooden, white-tipped pillars sticking out from the water. In the midground is a boat tied to one of the piers. In the background are several tall buildings.

Subject in the foreground

Photo looking up at a large bronze sculpture of a black-and-white square-ish cow with a tiny head that is stuck, upside-down, on top of a bare tree. In the background is a harbour, a bridge across this harbour, and some tall buildings.

My thoughts on the 55m focal length

I don’t have any strong feelings about 55mm.

I enjoyed being zoomed-in a little more and I enjoyed being able to isolate my subjects from their surroundings a little more than usual.

But I also struggled with not being able to capture the surrounding context that I enjoy showing in my photographs.

I know I’ll get comfortable with 55mm if I stick with it for a while, but honestly, 40mm focal length was much more my jam :)

For now I think I’ll stick with 55mm for portraits and the like.

Photos from my walk

Lady Cutler showboat through a lifebuoy (55mm)

Photo of a large blue-and-white ferry boat, now a show boat, named Lady Cutler as seen through the hole of a bright red lifebuoy attached to a pole next to a harbour.

Docklands Harbour and the Lady Cutler showboat (55mm)

Photo of urban dock. In the foreground is a grid of several old, wooden, white-tipped pillars sticking out from the water. In the midground is a boat, the Lady Cutler, tied to one of the piers. In the background are several tall buildings.

Cow Up a Tree (John Kelly, 2000) with the Bolte Bridge in the background (55mm)

Public art and practical bike stand combo on Harbour Esplanade, Docklands

Photo of a metal bicycle stand bolted into the concrete footpath. Instead of a simple upside-down U-shaped ring, this bike stand has been bent into the approximate shape of a bicycle (though with additional bends and waves so that multiple bicycles can be attached to it).

Receiving a crane-full of construction supplies

Photo of a tall building that’s under construction. A large platform is jutting out of one of the upper floors of this building. A construction worker in high visibility clothing and safety gear is standing on this platform, awaiting the building supplies that are being brought up by crane. A large pallet attached to a cable is being pulled up by a tall crane that is outside the frame of the photo. The pallet is about to reach the platform that the worker is standing on.

Frankston train approaching Southern Cross Station in Melbourne

Photo of a yellow-and-blue electric commuter train traveling through a rail yard that has about a dozen pairs of railways tracks running through it.

Done with the inspection of the V/Line train

Photo of a rail worker wearing an orange high visibility vest. The worker is walking across a rail yard towards a pedestrian walkway. The worker is next to a purple, silver, and yellow train that is parked on one of the tracks.

Working on a diesel engine V/Line locomotive

Photo of a rail worker wearing an orange high visibility vest standing on the walkway that runs the length of a diesel locomotive. This red and yellow coloured locomotive is parked at a rail yard.

V/Line train approaching Southern Cross Station

Photo of a purple, yellow, and silver diesel commuter train traveling through a rail yard that has about a dozen pairs of railways tracks running through it.

Rail worker at the Alstom West Melbourne Depot

Photo of a rail depot with seven large train maintenance sheds, one with an ‘Alstom’ sign/logo affixed to one of its walls. There are also several trains parked in neat rows outside. A rail worker wearing an orange high visibility vest is walking along one of the yellow-lined pedestrian footpaths that weave themselves around tracks across the whole yard.

Taking a break after completing his deliveries

Photo of a white panel van parked on the side of a road. This delivery van has its side sliding door open. In the back of the cargo space are several empty, white, plastic crates that have been stacked on top of each other. The rest of the cargo space is empty. A delivery driver wearing a yellow high-visibility shirt is sitting in the cargo space with his feet sticking out of the open sliding door. The driver is looking down at a phone in his hands.

Next week I move on to shooting at only 85mm. I’m looking forward to that, since 85mm was my most frequently used focal length over the last year.

[Photo walk] Collins Street east #1 (55mm only)

Ameel Khan November 12, 2023

We’re on step four of my ‘one focal length at a time’ exercise, which means this fortnight I’m shooting at only 55mm (which is 35mm on my mirrorless APS-C camera).

I could have skipped this step because I already have a 55mm prime lens, so it’s not like I’ll buy another one if I fall in love with this focal length. But then I’m not doing this exercise just to figure out which prime lens to buy, I’m also doing it for creative-constraint reasons. And that aspect of this was fun.

I didn’t have a very long photo walk, though, so I didn’t get as much time with this focal length as I would have liked. But I do like how I can use it to focus on just one subject in a somewhat crowded location.

When I go out next week I’ll play around with using a shallower depth of field to further isolate my subject from their surroundings. The lens I’m using can go down to f/2, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve with that. (Given the type of photography I do, and the limitations of my existing lenses, I typically spend most of my time between f/4 and f/5.6.)

Dymocks bookshop in colour

Photo looking down, next to a set of escalators, into a large bookshop.

Dymocks bookshop in texture

Black-and-white photo looking down, next to a set of escalators, into a large bookshop.

Koko Black baristas on Swanston Street

Photo of two baristas wearing black boots and black dresses making coffee at a footpath coffee shop branded Koko Black. Two other women on the footpath are looking at what the baristas are doing as they walk past.

Old baby change room at Melbourne Town Hall

Photo of a sign that reads, in all capital letters, “baby change” affixed below an archway that’s between a dark brown wrought iron fence and a lighter brown stone wall. The wrought iron fence separates the entrance to the baby change facilities from the public footpath that runs alongside the historic building. Just outside this sign is a woman talking on her phone as she walks along the footpath.

Bell tower of St Michael’s Uniting Church

Photo looking up at a tall, square bell tower of a polychrome brickwork church building. There are round Romanesque arches built into the building. Along the left side of photo are the leaves of the trees that grow in front of the church.

Cell tower between taller buildings

Photo of a cell tower installed at the top of a five storey building. There are several thin, vertical, white coloured antennae affixed to the structure at the top of this building. There are much taller buildings on all sides of this shorter building. At the very top of the photo frame you can see a jet passenger airplane in the sky.

Spaghetti Tree sign on Bourke Street

Night-time photo of a neon sign in a window that that reads, in stylised lettering, “Spaghetti Tree Restaurant”. The words “Spaghetti Tree” are lit up in red neon while “Restaurant” is lit up in green neon.

[Photo walk] University of Melbourne, during semester break

Ameel Khan November 6, 2023

I had some time, so I did a quick photo walk in and around the University of Melbourne. This was on a Saturday afternoon during semester break so the campus was pretty empty.

It’s been years since I’ve spent any time on campus so it was nice to be back, if only for a little while.

Safety mirror at the Lygon Street tram stop

Photo of a large, convex safety mirror affixed to a pole next to the pedestrian crossing between a tram stop and footpath.

Bicycle hoops at the McCoy Building

Photo looking through six rectangular bicycle hoops installed in a brick pavement next to some bushes.

Bicycle hoops at the McCoy Building, but now zoomed-in and in black-and-white

Black-and-white photo looking through five rectangular bicycle hoops installed in a brick pavement next to some bushes.

Espresso Bar heated area at the Ian Potter Museum of Art

Photo of a glass partition enclosing the outdoor seating area next to a building. A sign on the glass partition reads “Heated Area”, below which are graphical depictions of two red, hot chillies. You can see the reflection of the photographer in the glass partition, though the photographer’s face is obstructed by the text and graphics.

Empty tables at Castro’s Kiosk

Photo taken from table-surface height of a couple of large, outdoor, wooden tables under some umbrellas.

Working from Deakin Court on a lovely Saturday afternoon

Photo of a woman sitting on metal outdoor furniture in a brick court. The woman is on her laptop. In the background of the photo is brick building with several wide, rectangular, ivy-covered support pillars. There is colourful art drawn on the exterior wall of this building, and a door to the side has a sign that reads, “Old Physics”.

Pillars of the Old Arts Building

Photo of a covered courtyard under a historic building that is being held up by several stone pillars.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of Wilson Hall

Photo of a 3-4 storey brick building with windows all along one side of it.

Frank Tate Building (Building 189)

Photo of the rounded end of a three storey, 1920s art deco brick building.

Enjoying the sun outside the Frank Tate Building

Photo of a person wearing a hoodie sitting in a lawn outside a 1920s art deco brick building.

University of Melbourne logo at the Sydney Myer Asia Centre

Photo of the University of Melbourne logo (crest and word mark) in the top corner of a university building.

Cuddling in the sun

Photo of a young man and woman sitting on a park bench outside a brown brick university building. The woman is resting her head on the man’s shoulder. And the man is, in turn, leaning his head on the woman’s head.

[Photo walk] Lygon Street #3 (40mm only)

Ameel Khan November 5, 2023

Here’s part three of my recent Lygon Street walk.

Conclusions about this stage of the exercise are at the end.

Statue of Zelda D’Aprano (2023) at Victorian Trades Hall

Photo of a large bronze statue of Melbourne feminist activist Zelda D’Aprano, founder of the Women’s Action Committee in Melbourne. The statue is holding a large sign in her right hand that reads, “No more male & female rates. One rate only.” while in her left hand she holds a broken length of chain.

Front façade of Victorian Trades Hall

Photo of the light brown façade of historical Victorian Trades Hall that was first built in 1859 and then upgraded between 1874 and 1925.

Sprinkler booster that looks like a robot with large eyes

Photo of a red sprinkler booster that’s part of a fire fighting system installed in front of a building. The sprinkler booster is a large metal pipe sticking out of the ground with a red two-headed terminator at its top. The two fire hose attachments of the terminator look like large eyes. A sign affixed to this apparatus reads “Sprinkler booster. Working pressure 900 kPa. System tested to 1400 kPa.”

Carlton Audio Visual, the fanatic’s choice

Photo of a large blue sign attached to a wall above the entrance of a shop. The sign reads ‘Carlton Audio Visual’. A light blue sign above this shows the street number of this store (164) and reads ‘Fanatics choice’. Smaller signs painted to the left and right of the main store sign read “Hi-Fi sound. Home theatre. Projection room.”

Closed for the weekend

Photo of a several stacks of outdoor chairs next to several outdoor tables, all of which are lying in the outdoor seating area of a restaurant that is currently closed.

Local area map at the corner of Grattan and Lygon Streets

Photo of a tall, wide sign on a sidewalk. The top of the sign reads ‘Grattan Street’. Below this are sections with arrows pointing up, right, and left. Listed under each arrow at the points of interest that a visitor can get to if they walk in that direction. Below all that is a map of the local area, with a large circle drawn around the sign's location on the map. The circle has a label that reads “5 minute walk’.

Cakes at Brunetti’s in Carlton

Photo of two shiny, rounded, pale yellow coloured cakes for sale in a refrigerated display window.

Cake in the Brunetti’s display window

Photo of a shiny, rounded, pale yellow coloured cakes for sale in a refrigerated display window.

I find that I’m so comfortable with shooting at 40mm that there’s no point in sticking to just this focal length for another week. So I’m now going to move straight to 55mm.

Why am I going with 55mm instead of the more standard, ‘nifty fifty’ 50mm focal length? Well, technically, I’m going with neither :) I’ll be shooting at 54mm.

The sensor on my Fujifilm S-X10 mirrorless APS-C camera has a 1.53 crop factor. Meaning if I wanted to shoot at a 50mm full-frame equivalent, I’d need to shoot with a 33mm lens (because 33 × 1.53 = 50mm).

Fujifilm does make 33mm prime lenses, but I already own a 35mm prime lens (the cheap and cheerful Fujifilm XC 35mm F2) so I might as well use that for this part of the exercise. And since 35 × 1.53 =54mm that’s the focal length I’ll actually be shooting at.

It’s easier still to refer to this as 55mm, and so that’s what I’ll continue to say going forward.

I might try shooting at 50mm in the future (now that I’ve sped up this exercise by shooting at 40mm for one week instead of two) but for now let’s go with 55mm and see how I do there.

[Photo walk] Lygon Street #2 (40mm only)

Ameel Khan November 5, 2023

Here’s part two of my recent Lygon Street photo walk.

Bench at Argyle Square

Photo of a park bench under a large tree in an urban park.

Front façade of Building 56 at RMIT on Queensberry Street

Photo showing the regular red brick and grey concrete façade of a university building.

Front façade of Building 56 at RMIT on a sunny day

Photo looking through green shrubs and trees at the regular red brick and grey concrete façade of a university building.

Abandoned shopping cart at RMIT Building 56

Photo of an abandoned shopping card at the bottom of the basement stairwell of a red brick university building.

Reflections of the city

Photo of a large glass skylight that shows the reflection of several tall buildings.

Victorian Trades Hall framed by buildings in the Melbourne CBD

Photo of a historic brown building that is partly hidden by several tall trees growing in front of it. There are three flags flying on this building, the Australian Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag, and the red flag (signifying left-wing politics).

Delivery driver in hi-vis on Victoria Street

Photo of a delivery driver on an electric cargo bicycle waiting to turn right at an intersection. The driver is wearing white sneakers, high visibility fluro-yellow pants and jacket (with hood), and a grey bicycle helmet. The cargo section of the e-bike is holding a large, insulated, soft shell, fluro-yellow coloured food delivery box.

[Photo walk] Lygon Street #1 (40mm only)

Ameel Khan November 5, 2023

I know some of this has to do with the location, the time of day, and how much energy I had at the time, but I found it much easier to take photos at only 40mm (which is 26mm on my mirrorless APS-C camera) than at only 35mm (which I’d been doing for the last two weeks).

In case this is the first time you’re reading about this, I’m in the middle of conducting a creative exercise: for a fortnight at a time, when I go on my photo walks, I’m taking photos at only the 27mm, 35mm, 40mm, 55mm, and 85mm focal lengths.

Aside for the creative challenge of shooting at just one focal length at a time — which I am really enjoying and also learning a lot from — by the end of this exercise I should have a decent idea about which prime lens I’m going to buy next.

I managed to take a bunch of decent photos at 40mm on my last photo walk, and so I’ve split this into three posts. Here’s part 1.