In street photography I think there’s some misconceptions about focal length. Oftentimes people get caught up with which camera to use, which lens to use, and for which situation they are best suited. I actually believe that it doesn’t matter which focal length you choose, as long as you stick to one and one only.
My experience
In 2015-2016, I used the Ricoh GRII in Baltimore, because it was a really stealthy camera that got me through the streets and worked well in this particular environment. Upon reviewing my photos from that year of using this camera and the 18mm (28mm), I switched to the 23mm f2 (35mm) on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 because I was traveling to Jerusalem, and thought I needed a more robust camera for these different conditions. Needless to say, it took me a while to learn what works best for me.
Experimentation is fine early on and will help you decide what’s best for you. Once I began using the 23 F2, everything started to fit together nicely in my frames. I felt as though it naturally suited my approach to the streets more. It enhanced my ability to make more complex pictures and layer together a foreground, middle ground, and background. When I made the decision to only use this one lens, I found my photography improved drastically throughout the years.
Stick to one lens
From my experience, I’ve found that sticking to one lens is critical for improvement. Once I ran with the 23 F2, everything clicked for me. I used it for many years and was really loyal to this lens to the point where I never took it off my camera at all. This is why I believe fixed lens cameras are so nice like the Fujifilm X100V or the Ricoh GRIII. When you treat your interchangeable lens camera like a fixed lens camera, it will benefit you.
Once you are comfortable with working on the streets, getting close, dealing with confrontation, and have experimented with different focal lengths, it’s time to choose one and stick to it. It honestly does not matter which focal length you choose, but the fact that you are disciplined enough to use one, and only one is what truly matters. What this means is, the more you switch between two lenses, the more difficult it will be for you to make better pictures and improve as a photographer.
Set limitations
In order to improve your photography, I believe that it’s best to stick to one lens. This is a pretty basic approach, but will allow for incremental improvement over the years. I think that the more you focus on one focal length, the more you become connected to your camera. Treat the camera and the focal length you choose as a connection or an extension of your body and your mind.
The photography that we create on the street is done in a meditative state. You enter a zen zone, or a flow state, where you become one with the camera. You’re not fumbling around with changing lenses, or considering where you must position yourself because of a certain lens. You are merely fully engaged and aware of the life in front of you, by following your intuition, positioning yourself and the camera, and pressing the shutter. The focal choice is now ingrained in your mind and body and you no longer need to think about it. The more that you practice every single day with the same focal length, the more in tune you will be to the rhythm of the city, the movement of peoples feet, and the way that you see the street.
When you become connected to your camera, you will dance along the street gracefully.
Just think, you’re not looking through the viewfinder constantly as you’re on the street scanning the world for compositions. You’re merely raising the camera to your eye to press the shutter when the moment is in front of you. Because of this, the focal length does not really matter at the end of the day. What matters is your connection to the camera itself. Are you comfortable with using this exact focal length? I believe this is a much more interesting approach. To focus on the connection that you have and the distance you are to the life in front of you, rather than numbers and technicalities.
When you set a limitation to use only one focal length for a period of time, or for a specific day on the street, you’ll find yourself in a flow state. It’s important to achieve this state when photographing because you focus on the fleeting moments around you and less about the gear. The more you’re fumbling with your settings, or changing a lens, the less photos you will make successfully.
Set limitations. Use one focal length for one year and stick with it for a long period of time after that. You will improve.