Rediscovering Misawa Through a 50mm Lens

There’s something humbling about staying in one place long enough that the unfamiliar becomes routine. I’ve walked the streets of Misawa for the past eight years—past shuttered storefronts, aging signage, bicycles resting against cracked walls, and lonely vending machines humming under sodium lights. I thought I knew every corner of this small town. I was wrong.

Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to see Misawa differently—with nothing more than a 50mm lens and the willingness to slow down. No zoom, no wide-angle drama. Just a single focal length and the discipline to explore the familiar like it’s brand new.

Slowing Down the Shutter, Slowing Down Time

This time, I pushed the boundaries—not just compositionally, but technically. Shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds than most would dare, I embraced motion blur and soft edges. A half-second exposure turns a passing car into a smear of light, and a breeze through tree branches becomes a painterly gesture. It's not always sharp, but it's honest.

These small risks allowed old scenes to reveal new moods. The convenience store I’ve passed a thousand times now looks cinematic under the right light. A crosswalk, empty at dusk, feels like a moment between worlds when blurred just enough. Misawa, in its quiet, understated way, still has stories left to tell—you just have to look again.

The Beauty in Stillness and Change

This method of shooting forced me into mindfulness. You can’t rush a shot when you’re playing with slow shutter speeds; you have to breathe with the scene. The camera picks up on your rhythm. And in that slowness, I found something I hadn’t felt in a while: wonder.

The 50mm lens—often dubbed the "normal" lens—can seem limiting. But in that limitation, there's freedom. No distractions. Just you and what’s directly in front of you. Misawa might not be flashy, but there’s a quiet poetry in its streets, in its rust, in its repetition.

Looking With New Eyes

Eight years is long enough to stop seeing. But a small shift—technically, mentally—can reawaken your vision. Walking Misawa with a 50mm lens and a slow shutter reminded me that beauty isn’t always in the new, but in the newly seen.