Walking with Philippe and the 20/2.8D

Nancy and I had lunch with Phippe Roger and his wife, Julene, today. I wanted to discuss the wedding shoot/gallery Philippe and I conspired on, and in a big coincidence, Nancy and Julene realized they used to work together back in 1997, so it turned into a mini reunion for them! I took a snapshot for them to share with their old workmates.



As usual, I was delighted by the images from this little gem of a lens. Philippe isn't used to street photography, and was interested in how I get strangers to pose for me. Here's a few shots from the restaurant.




They all laughed at me for taking my camera everywhere, so after I visited the restroom, I presented them with a picture of it.



My best shot was this little gamin at the coffee shop.



It was a beautiful day in Los Gatos, and I'm glad I had my walkaround lens with me.

 

No, I don't believe so. I bought the 20mm/2.8 to complement the focal length range of my 28-70/2.8. If I owned the 17-55, I would have gone the other direction, and complemented it with an 85/1.4 or 1.8.

 

I don't think "shoot first, ask later" is a good strategy in today's suspicious world. I make it a point to get approval first. In this case, the dad was watching his daughter run up and down the ramped walkway to another room in the restaurant. I stopped, smiled, and commented that she was pretty athletic for a toddler... which established communication. After watching for another 15 seconds, I unslung the camera, looked at the dad, raised the camera a few inches to bring it to his attention, and tilted my head back slightly... which was clear non-verbal communication for "can I take a picture". He nodded his head and at that point, I was authorized to kneel down and take a few shots. I'm not going to offer the image for sale, so there was no need for a model's release.

 

Thanks, Scott. I've got more use from it than I had anticipated. It's a very nice little lens.

 

Thanks, Doug. It's neat to grab a good shot when you're just hacking around.

 

I had problems with that shot, Gordon. I didn't have time to find the best perspective, as I was afraid someone might walk in and question why I was kneeling in front of the urinal :roll: 8).

 

Thanks, Don. I'm highly flattered. Hope the lens works out for you!