Most street photographers prefer wide angle or normal focal length lenses for shooting, but of course, that does not mean you can't ever shoot with longer lenses. This fun video follows a photographer as he shoots with a super-telephoto zoom lens for street photography.
Coming to you from Evan Ranft, this great video follows him on a street photography trip with the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens. Whereas most street photographers prefer something like a 35mm lens, there certainly is not any reason you can't shoot with something longer, and in fact, despite the common advice given out about focal lengths, there are a few reasons why one might want to shoot with a longer lens. First, if you are shy or apprehensive about potentially bad encounters with strangers, a long lens can help you to keep a more comfortable and safe distance. Next, it can also provide more versatility to pick out subjects with ease. Lastly, it simply provides a different photographic perspective, allowing you to take advantage of telephoto compression to create images that simply wouldn't be possible with a shorter focal length. Check out the video above to see what it is like.
I usually like 24mm or then 85mm. 50 falls nowere. Either I want the subject isolated (85mm) or I want to give the viewer everything (24mm)
I rented a Canon 500mm f/4 lens for a moon shot. So, the day before, I tried messing around with it on the Mall in DC. A lens that big attracts a lot of attention. But, subjects this far away were completely unaware.
You have to expect that anybody that unfocused would be unaware.