ONE LENS CHALLENGE - COLLAB WITH JACK FUSCO
INTRO
When was the last time you truly stepped out of your comfort zone—creatively or otherwise? When did you last challenge yourself to see things differently, to break the habits you've settled into over the years? That’s exactly what this project set out to do: shake up the routine, stretch the creative muscles—and showcase just how versatile one of my favorite pieces of gear really is: the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens.
As a portrait and wedding photographer, I’ve come to believe that limitations are often the greatest catalyst for creativity. While there are certainly shoots where I’ll carry a full bag of lenses, more often than not, I prefer the creative restriction of keeping things much simpler. There’s a certain magic that happens when you're forced to work within a fixed focal length—and for me, a good ol’ 35mm prime strikes that perfect balance.
The 35mm is a storyteller’s lens. It’s wide enough to pull in the environment for adding context, yet tight enough to capture raw, intimate moments. That flexibility makes it a popular choice among wedding photographers. It lets you move quickly, adapt to unpredictable moments, and stay connected with your subject without being buried behind gear or standing 20 feet away. It also has a fast f/1.4 aperture which makes it an exceptional choice for shooting in low light.
Working with a single lens forces a level of intentionality that can easily get lost when you have too many options at your fingertips. Every frame becomes a creative decision. There’s no crutch to fall back on—just you, your subject, and the challenge of seeing more with less. And in that challenge lies the opportunity to create some of your best work.
CONCEPT
To push this idea of creative limitation even further, I teamed up with my good friend—and talented astrophotographer—Jack Fusco. Jack and I go way back, nearly 15 years, and while our photography styles are worlds apart, we’re constantly looking for new ways to collaborate and challenge each other.
We both rely heavily on the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art in our respective work, so it felt like the perfect foundation for a crossover project. The goal was simple: photograph two real-life couples using only the 35mm, each in our own way, in the same location.
I would shoot during golden hour, focusing on capturing portraits of each couple in natural golden hour sunlight. Jack would take over after sunset, capturing the couples under the stars. Two different approaches, one shared lens, and a single creative constraint—this was all about seeing how far we could stretch our vision within a limited toolset.
SUMMARY
One of the most rewarding parts of this project was being able to provide a unique and one of kind experience to our two couples. Jack, whose work is usually focused on capturing epic star-filled skies—often with zero people in the frame or a single silhouette—took on the challenge of photographing real couples.
As for me, while I’ve done my fair share of stargazing with a camera, most of that has been as Jack’s sidekick during late-night missions to chase meteor showers or celestial events along the Eastern shoreline. These outings always tend to stray from the “relaxing photo session” that I agree to and more of an “arctic endurance test,” typically featuring sub-freezing temperatures, multiple cups of coffee, and drives home that end around the time the rest of the world is commuting to work. It’s chaotic, cold, and caffeinated—but always a good time.
For this project, we photographed two recently engaged couples. Each shoot was split into two parts: I handled golden hour while Jack took over after sunset to capture the couples under the stars. That left us with a few hours of downtime in between—filled with gear tweaks, weather app consultations, and plenty of coffee.
Night one threw us straight into it. The forecast called for clear skies however, the wind was relentless, whipping across the shoreline with icy gusts that made even basic communication a challenge. Especially, while out on a jetty with salt water crashing against the rocks, spraying up at us. Temperatures hovered around 35–40°F, and standing near the water felt like a face-peeling experience. Shooting golden hour in those conditions was a battle, but once the sun went down, the winds finally backed off, giving Jack a calm window for his star work.
Photo by: Jack Fusco
Night two was kinder to us. The weather cooperated, rewarding us with a beautiful sunset and still conditions that made it easier for both of us to push things a little more creatively. Without fighting the elements, we could spend more time experimenting and finding those more intimate moments that we were aiming for.
Though I did sneak in a few nighttime portraits of each couple against the stars, we stayed true to the heart of the project: splitting the time equally, leaning into our strengths, and relying solely on the Sigma 35mm. That creative constraint ended up giving us exactly what we were hoping for—intentional, memorable images with a strong sense of place and emotion. Most importantly, the couples absolutely loved the results.
If this kind of collab is something you would like to see more of or if you have an idea for a future project, please leave a comment below. To see more of Jack’s work, please head over to his website - www.jackfusco.com.
