Kitty's Revenge

Ever since buying my first prime lens (Nifty), my kit zoom lens (Kitty) has been relegated to the sidelines. There’s something to be said for zooming with your feet; it’s a valuable learning experience. However, as I mentally planned yesterday’s fireworks shoot, it occurred to me that using my primes would have been restrictive. Two factors would have prevented easy movement: being surrounded by other people and using my tripod (Legs), which is not as easy to swivel as my head. Also, considering the fact that my tripod allows for long exposures, the need for the widest apertures of fast prime lenses is lessened significantly.

Mind you, I did use my 35mm prime (Jane) to take photographs before the fireworks started. However, after setting up my tripod, I did what I haven’t done in a long time: I put my 18-55mm zoom lens on my D60 (Nicky). In retrospect, perhaps using Jane would not have been a bad idea, but in light of the aforementioned factors, Kitty’s flexibility was priceless last night. Also priceless was my wireless remote (Millie), which allowed me to avoid camera shake as a result of pressing the shutter button. It, along with Legs, also increased my photographer cred exponentially. :-)

If you haven’t noticed yet, I don’t have an astronomical amount of camera gear. I own one point-and-shoot, one DSLR body, three lenses (one zoom and two primes), one speedlight, two flash diffusers, one tripod and one wireless remote. Up to this point, my gear has served me well, regardless of how often it’s been used.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not about having the most tools – just the right ones.