The fixed 35mm focal length (35mm equivalent) is really challenging me to find compositions that will work, and I think in the long run it will help with my vision as a photographer. Taking a page out of my friend, Brian Matiash’s book, I’ve been trying to simplify things every now and then, and so far this camera has helped me towards that goal.

The brown grass and leafless trees of early spring don’t make for particularly pretty photos, so I stayed indoors and shot anything I found interesting. Symmetry was a common theme at the university so played around with that for a change since I typically try to place my focal point off centre (rule of thirds). I also let myself into some lecture theatres and will be making a few lecture hall panoramas in the coming weeks. For now, here’s the first image I shot upon my arrival at the U of C:

This is the skywalk from the Art Parkade to Craigie Hall. I almost kept walking once I got through the doors from the parkade but I’m glad I stopped to shoot this hallway. Converging lines are so much fun!

The details: 3 exposure HDR (-2,0,+2) tonemapped in Photomatix, masking in Photoshop, noise reduction using Noiseware (unbelievable results!), final tweaks in Lightroom. Let me know what you think.