ABSTRACT
Primes are usually faster, meaning that they have wider maximum apertures so that they can gather more light. Those wider apertures mean that in-focus subjects can be set apart from the background easier, making simple snapshots into lovely portraits. Having to change lenses made me work more for the shot than I did with zoom lenses. I had to think rather than zoom. Sometimes that meant cropping creatively; sometimes it meant running to and fro. It always meant doing what I could with what I had on the camera, or committing to a lens change. My timing was razor-sharp, and my sense of anticipation became like mind reading. You can build those senses with a zoom, too, but unless you shoot a lot, zooms can make you lazy. If you truly want to hone your photographic skills, invest in a prime or two. They’re worth it for what they’ll do for your photography.
