35mm and 135mm are my favourite focal lengths. When this years Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride came up and I had a chance to get involved, they became the natural choice for my camera bag.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Distinguished Gentleman’s ride is an event that raises money (and awareness) for mental health and prostate cancer.

The event is global, raising nearly $6 million to date with events held in 678 cities globally and nearly 120,000 riders registered. The idea is to get a whole group of riders on retro motorcycles dressed up in their best “dapper”.

Dapper for those who aren’t familiar is clothing reflects a vintage, 60s styles, mimicking Mad Men’s Don Draper. I think it’s an amazing style of clothing, particularly from a photographic perspective

This year we had some a 300SL Gullwing down. The Mercedes 300SL, for those who aren’t aware, is one of the most beautiful cars on the market. They range in price from about $1 million to $4 Million depending on the condition, year, etc.

This is my second year as a rider, first as a photographer. I managed to raise just over $1500, Australian that is. This is me on the day, a photograph taken by a fellow rider at my wife’s request.

I wasn’t sure how the 35mm f/1.2 would perform. I haven’t had it out nearly as much as I would have liked recently. Work has been a little busy and as a result, some of my opportunities to shoot models have dried up. The 3D pop on this lens is incredible. You simply don’t get this level of subject isolation with f/1.4’s.

Overall, the event was amazing, and the weather held up beautifully. If you have an opportunity to photograph or attend the event as a rider, I would highly recommend it.