Goldilocks does a smash and grab

 

Goldilocks breaks in to the Three Bears photographic shop and finds three lenses on the shelf. She picks up the 85mm. Mmm…. She thinks, this one is rather big and heavy and focusses really slowly…  and puts it back on the shelf. She then goes to the next shelf and picks up the 200mm. Mmm this one is rather long and little bit slow…. And replaces it where it sat.  She then picks up the final lens… a 135mm… this one is just the right size, focusses fast and allows in a lot of light. This one’s just right.

She looks at the lens in her hands and then places it in her bag. She starts for the door then stops. Realising that they all have their merits, she returns to the counter, picks up the 85mm, the 200mm and a 16-35mm for good measure, stuffs them in her bag and makes a break for it. For, Goldilocks is a keen Derby shooter and knows the value of the unholy and a bit, trinity.

The three bears return home to find they’ve been robbed. Bugger says daddy bear. Bugger says Mummy bear. Bugger says baby bear. Daddy bear sighs, and turns to the family and says, ‘Bloody Goldilocks, I knew we should have made her in to Goldilocks kebabs when we had the chance!’

OK, Goldilocks is me in drag, but it had to be done. I’ve decided to change my kit. For too long there were lenses that just sat in my bag doing very little. It was time to trade them in.

I had been toying with replacing the trusty 70-200mm for a while. While it was a great lens, it added weight to the bag and was rarely used. It’s the lens virtually everyone packs when shooting derby, but it just wasn’t me.  It was too heavy and too white.  So I’ve decided to trade it in for a 200mm f2.8 and complete the unholy trinity.

It seems right to have a slightly unholy trinity when shooting derby. The Canon holy trinity of primes is the 35, 85 and 135. I’ve opted for the 85, 135 and 200. The (un)holy trinity on the long side. Each has its merits and each its drawbacks, but I have always liked primes and it now gives me the flexibility I need, and saves my spinal column from complete collapse. I got in to zoom lenses as a flexible option, but the wind has now changed, back to fixed focal lengths and has got me excited about shooting once more.

As for the three bears, they fiddled their insurance claim and went on holiday to Barbados. Everyone was a winner.