New photo experience!
There are all kinds of photographers, but one thing you’ll hear over and over is that you need to specialize to get good at anything. In my experience, that’s just not true. If you are a life-long learner, and there is always something to learn in photography, then you’ll probably want to explore new genres for the excitement of learning something new.
A new thing I did recently was shoot a friend’s reunion concert at an outdoor amphitheater, complete with stage lighting, a smog machine, and lots of cords to navigate in the dark.
I was kind of nervous – I knew the conditions might be challenging. It would be dark (but also with really bright lights) so I’d need a fast lens, I’d have to move around a lot, and my camera might have a hard time finding focus with shifting lighting conditions. I was worried I’d come out of a one-of-a-kind experience without any usable photos.
Naturally, I looked up a bunch of stage photos on Flickr to see what they used. The fastest lenses I have are a 1.8 50 mm, 2.8 70-200mm and a 2.8 24-70mm. I started with my 70-200mm so I could keep out of the way but still get some close photos and get a feel for everything. Then, I switched to 24-70mm and finished up with the 50mm 1.4 for those up-close photos.
It was a great experience – lots of energy, people having the time of their lives, and a beautiful night. Reach for new things – you’ll be glad you did.