Just chilling

I sometimes photograph parties and similar events - in this case for a student organization. I noticed this girl standing there, just relaxing, and I knew exactly what I wanted. I switched to my cheap Canon EF 50 mm F1,8 lens (this is probably the cheapest new lens money can buy, but it's got great optics and it's really light), but I knew that focusing was going to be a problem. I didn't want to use the focusing assist light of my borrowed Sigma flash because I was afraid she might notice that I was trying to photograph her. Instead, I waited with my finger on the camera trigger for one of the reflectors to throw enough light her way so I could get focus. Once this happened, I switched to manual focus (so the focus stayed where it was) and waited once again, this time waiting for colored light - once it came, I pressed the trigger and let of 3 or 4 shots, of which only one was usable.

The 50 mm lens is by far one of my favorites. When I bought my first one, it replaced the kit zoom on the camera I was using at the time (an EOS 400D, also known as a Digital Rebel XTi) for three months. The first time it was taken off was when the camera fell on the floor - the lens was destroyed, and I had to replace the bayonet mount on the body. I got another 50 mm not long after from some friends as a birthday present. I love prime lenses (non-zoom), my next will probably be Canon's 85 mm F1,8.