The Creative Benefits of Shooting With a Single Lens

Using a single prime lens challenges your usual shooting habits and pushes your creativity in unexpected directions. By stripping away excess gear, you're forced into thinking differently about composition and approach, making this minimalist method uniquely valuable.

Coming to you from Jason Row Photography, this insightful video takes you through the streets of Newcastle, demonstrating the creative freedom that comes from carrying just one camera paired with an 85mm prime lens. Row emphasizes the benefits of using minimal gear—specifically how reducing weight keeps your energy and creativity high. When you’re not burdened by heavy equipment, you're more agile, able to move freely, adjusting your angle and framing purely by moving yourself. This method isn't about convenience alone; it's an effective way to sharpen your skills, forcing you to actively seek out compositions rather than rely on zoom lenses to frame your shots.

Row further explains that prime lenses, particularly the 85mm f/1.8 he uses in the video, offer practical benefits beyond portability. They're typically sharper, provide greater contrast, and feature wider apertures ideal for low-light conditions. By narrowing your equipment choices to a single prime lens, you become more intentional about each shot. You're compelled to actively engage with your surroundings, hunting for interesting angles, distinct textures, or muted tones suited to your environment. Row showcases how this technique is particularly effective in challenging conditions like the gray, misty weather he encountered, emphasizing mood-driven compositions and striking black-and-white imagery.

One particularly valuable tip Row offers applies even if you don’t currently own a prime lens. He suggests practicing discipline by setting a zoom lens at a fixed focal length. Whether choosing 85mm, 50mm, or even 24mm, holding your lens constant replicates the prime-lens experience. For an additional challenge, fix your aperture as well—such as at f/4 or f/2.8—and explore what unique visuals you can capture without relying on zoom adjustments. This practice can significantly boost your photographic skills, teaching you to view scenes in entirely new ways and ensuring each shot is thoughtfully composed. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Row.