Quote Originally Posted by ktsa5239 View Post
.... I’m using a rangefinder with a full frame sensor and a 50mm lens. I’ve tried to use the mentality of not taking the full structure but when I focus on say a wall or a feature of the architecture, it just doesn’t look right. Especially when I need to put my wife in the picture, the background becomes unidentifiable. All this worries me if I have to take the 50mm on the Christmas trip to Melbourne, because I might not be able to get iconic architecture or landscapes. The ideal solution is to take both lenses but from the book I’m learning from, it says it’s best to know one lens so well that you could see the frame before u look through the view finder and switching bbetween two focal lengths don’t help.
Ah! OK .. the Leica in your sig pic.

So if you feel more comfy with the 35mm, then I'd say use that lens more for those times when you feel like you don't want to miss out on a pic.
As for the blurred background ... obviously an appropriate aperture value will help there .. so eg. 35mm and f/8 with your subject(eg. wife) at about 2m distance should be fine.
You could just focus at the 2m distance, or try using 'hyperfocal'(in a manner of speaking) .. more accurately focus just behind the subject using more of the DoF that is inherent in the image.
Subject will be very slightly unsharp compared with focusing on them, but overall if you less blurred background you get more defined rendering all round.

I wouldn't worry too much about forcing yourself to use a specific lens of focal length, just use what comes more natural to you, to start with.
If you then have the inclination, throw on the 50mm lens and just 'experiment' with other subject matter and concepts.
The idea here is just to go out and shoot stuff .. literally just anything easily at hand and shoot lots of it. Some will work, possibly much wont .. and that's how you gain your experience(or educational concepts).
I've always had the opinion that creativity is best experienced by oneself ... rather than taught.
Not to say that it can't be taught, but for each individual it's a different thing.

ps. I've tried to 'teach myself' using abstracts as a genre to gather experience in terms of creativity. Also viewing what others have done, AND commenting on how it could have otherwise been done .. ie. join in on the CC parts of the website.
I generally tend to gravitate into the landscape forums and try to offer some CC to as many as time allows.
Just the act of viewing, having an alternate opinion and then sharing it .. it seems to lock it into a section of memory that helps with your own journey.