Photographer Joe Pugliese penned a piece on WIRED entitled “The 50 Millimeter Lens is the Only One You Need,” which is best described as an ode to the well-regarded “normal” lens. Back in the film days, the 50mm was the kit lens for many SLRs. I had one on my Olympus OM-10, so I understand where Joe is coming from. I’m personally partial to the 35mm lens, but I appreciated his thoughts.
Pugliese, in case you didn’t know, is a well-known and commercially successful photographer who is represented by Bernstein & Andriulli. These accomplishments would suggest that he is a better photographer than many, and thus his musings on photography hold a little more weight than the average person. Plus, he photographed the magazine’s cover, so it was probably convenient to ask his opinion.
Pugliese writes:
To this day, when paired with a full-frame DSLR, the 50-mm has the same effect. That is to say, it has no real effect. The lens isn’t there to wow us. The canvas is set, and it’s our job to make a picture appear within it. We zoom with our feet, physically engaging with the composition, getting in close to pack the frame with information or backing off to let the scene play through. These technical limits liberate our brains from interference. The 50-mm won’t save us from taking a bad picture, but it won’t get in our way either.
Articulate and succinct.
In 2013, The New York Times Lens blog featured the work of photojournalist Jerome Delay, whose lens of choice is the 50mm. The profile shares a stunning set of imagery that shows what a great photographer can do with the focal length. This is to say that Pugliese is not alone in believing that the 50mm is a great lens. But forget the endorsement of two great photographers. Does any intelligent person really believe that the article is somehow constraining their ability to choose a different lens as the “only one you need”?
In publishing an op/ed of this nature, I’m sure that the editors hoped to foment a lively discussion – after all, online audience engagement is still incredibly valuable. A discussion did ensue, and couldn’t do anything more than shake my head and the typical bile of Internet commenters.
Riccardo R writes:
Bullshits, to be honest. Peraphs the 50 is the only lens YOU need but it is not True about rest of the world. Period
cbenci writes:
A 50mm is not the only lens you will need. It is the only lens you will need that requires a 50mm lens. What a bullshit headline.
There’s no point in elevating my blood pressure over such puerile comments, but I fell for the troll. Many photographers feel the need to express their righteousness on issues ranging from gear to the ethics of photojournalism. In some cases, photographers rise above the fray and present a cogent argument devoid of ad hominem attacks, but more often, an anonymous man sitting in solitude behind the cool glow of his computer shouts an angry response with very little to back it up. They just have to be right, and usually they’re pretty angry about it too. And to what end? Who’s gonna listen if everyone is shouting?
Photographers are constantly fighting for respect. Respect from their employers and clients. Respect from their audiences. Perhaps a little humility and respect within their own community would be a good place to start, dontcha think?
Update: The previously identified May cover photo was incorrectly identified as Pugliese’s. It was Sebastian Kim’s. The image has been corrected.
Related
