Happy Monday, y’all! This week we are bringing you some good ole’ fashioned posts on gear. As with everything here at Scobey Central, we have different favorites, so today I (Ashley) am going to tell you a little bit about one of my favorite lenses (the nifty, thrifty, shifty… fifty!!)

The 50mm 1.4 is one of the first lenses that we added to our kit. It’s relatively cheap and small – and it’s a great lens. I shoot 90% of a Wedding Day with my 50, and we have a nice little thing goin’ on!

For me, this is one of the most versatile lenses out there (I know what you’re thinking: “versatile? somebody get this lady a dictionary. it’s a prime!”) Yes. Yes. Valid point. And I do love dictionaries, so send em’ this way. But hear me out. The 50mm lens is the closest thing to what we see in our everyday perspective, so it’s super conducive to framing up and grabbing those shots that you have in your head – because it is reflective of the view that your cutie little naked eyeballs give you. Also: I’m a foot zoomer. I love the look of prime lenses, and I have no problem running around like a crazy chicken-with-my-head-cut-off-photographer (well, hopefully I don’t seem that crazy) to change my point of view and distance to subject.

The 50mm is a wonderful lens for portraits. I tend to be the one in our duo to get in close during our time with Brides and Grooms, and it gives me the ability to really snuggle in while getting just the right amount of fall-off that makes me all swoony.

Other things I love about my 50mm: it’s super fast, great in low light (which is a beautiful thing for me since I am the main person covering getting ready and those rooms tend to have super spotty or straight-up challenging light), it’s free of distortion, very versatile, and has a beautifully reliable focus. This is kind of turning out to be a love letter to my 50mm. And I like it. Well, I guess I’m off to the store to buy her some flowers and chocolate now… to complete the whole love fest.

If you have any questions about this lens, how we use our lenses, or what kind of chocolate to buy your favorite gear, just leave us a comment below!