35, 50

In 35mm, perhaps the distance between observational and participatory imaging is fifteen millimeters.

Wide and telephoto touch somewhere between 35 and 50, which means every lens over 50 is called a telephoto and every one below 35 is considered wide, making 35 the longest wide-angle and 50 the widest telephoto.

Inside a view camera, everything appears upside down because light travels in straight lines. As light moves through the camera, an image flips at the point of convergence. When focused at infinity, the distance between the point of convergence and the film plane determines a lens’s focal length. For example, the shorter the focal length, the wider our lens and the more our surroundings wrap around us, letting us step inside the image.

My perfect lens trio is a 28, 50, and 135, and if I had to pick just one, I’m going with the 35. A picture made with the 35mm lens on 35mm film is what photography looks like inside my mind, and when compared to a 50mm, the 35mm lets us step inside an idea.