Georgie Kirkcaldie completed my workshop in May 2004. At the
end of the field trip morning session, she found a bargain second hand camera with a standard 50mm lens in a shop in
Central. I had been teaching Georgie's class that a 50mm lens usually has a very large maximum aperture which allows
for very shallow depth of field. Also, the angle of view of a 50mm lens renders a perspective relationship in the
photograph which approximates that of the human eye. In other words, a 50mm lens shows things quite close to how we
really saw them. The large maximum aperture also permits the successful capture of images in lower light levels
than was possible with Georgie's zoom lens.
Georgie went on holiday to Cambodia recently and brought back these
wonderful images that she captured through her newly acquired 50 mm lens. These photos show an intimacy with the
subject that one doesn't usually see in photos taken with common consumer zoom lenses.
