One body and one lens in Japan

I struggled hard trying to decide if I wanted to bring just the M9 and the 50mm f2 on this trip alone or pull out my Canon instead or along side with the M9. Let's see once in a lifetime trip, near ideal conditions for the cherry blossoms. What can possible go wrong with only being able to manual focus and not better iso range? Factor in the weight of carrying a second gear set or the other set. A good amount of this trip will be done on foot. This is a family trip and not a photo trip. My feelings about leaving gear in the hotels. I ended up deciding to go with one body and one lens, I guess in a pinch I could have accidently bought a new lens.

There was so much to take in, so many colors, so much beauty. For the most part, I found that the 50mm was good enough. Wide enough for most things and just enough reach for to be away from a subject. Ended up having to focus, recompose and pray that the subject didn't move out of focus during the recompose. There were sakura trees everywhere and they were blooming. We saw them lining streets, lining water canals, in parks, at temples and they were lit at night for viewing in the evening. Did I wish I had a macro? Yes. Did I wish I had something super wide?  Yes. Did I wish I had a tripod? Yes. Was I going to belly ache about it and miss shots? No. You focus on doing the best you can with what you have in the moment.

Having only the 50mm meant that I would have to stand further back and risk more people getting into my frame or I would have to wait longer to get a shot because people would get infront of me because they didn't see me standing so far back. The 50mm also allowed me to capture photos of strangers without getting into their space. I'm still timid with taking photos of strangers and so many of them were wearing kimonos.

As I look through what shots I had taken, I don't think there was a moment where I wish I had something wider, maybe something longer.I think the main thing is to accept that what you have is all that you have and you have to find a way to make beautiful shots with it. Focus on what's in front of you and not what you wish it was. In the end I was happy with what I got and if never connect with such a great bloom year again I would be ok with it. Although it doesn't mean I won't be trying in the near future.

Japan, your land and people are beautiful. I look forward to our next visit. Stay wonderful!

Interestingly enough a 35mm fell on my lap the same day I arrived back home... Can you guess what it is? More to come on the next post.