Tel Aviv Through a Prime Lens

One of the things I realized during COVID time, is that I really like to photograph - and I should be doing it more. And so I decided to give myself a little push in that direction with a little gift, because anyway everything is closed now and I can’t spend my money on anything. I’ve decided to myself with the one thing I didn’t understand why people use - a prime lens. Why do some of us choose to shoot without zoom? I had no idea, but I’m about to find out.

I examined which focal length I usually use, and realized I mostly shoot using wide angles with my kit lens. And so, after reading some reviews, I decided to get myself the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens. The moment I took it out of the box I was struck with awe, as I realized how light it is compared to my 18-135 kit lens. I was afraid I’ll drop the camera due to the fact I wasn’t used to it being so light. It was awesome.

The day after it arrived I took a day off of work, took the camera and grabbed a taxi to the southern - and much more colorful - part of the city, and started practicing. It took me me sometime to understand how to shoot without zooming in or out, and how to wisely use other parameters - mainly the aperture size - but once this day was over, I felt like I made terrific progress. I could really see how I progressed throughout the day when comparing my first photos of the day, from the Carmel Market, to the ones I took later in Neve Tzedek and near the sea. Here are some of my favorites of the day: