Using Wide Angle Lenses
Last weekend, we took Chloe to a pumpkin patch at Cal Poly University in Pomona, California. I wanted to take some shots of her interacting with the pumpkins and get an autumn flavor.
There are two key elements to getting this wide angle look. One is using foreground elements and the other is shooting in bright daylight to maximize depth of field.
As there were lots of people in the background, I chose to get down low and shoot with the pumpkins dominating the foreground. For these shots, I was only a few inches away from the pumpkins. The roundness of the pumpkins and the wide angle lens gave the shots an exaggerated look. These were taken with my Nikon D70s and an 18mm lens.
Because I was shooting in bright daylight, I had lots and lots of depth of field so both Chloe and the pumpkins were in focus.
This is not my ideal view of a fall visit to a pumpkin patch, but this is Southern California and it was a million degrees out and we were all baking in the sun. So no falling leaves and sweaters and a slight chill in the air. Nope, we were slathered in sunscreen, wishing for friends with swimming pools and some Coca Cola Slurpees.
Responses and Conversations
great shots! Ive been reading your blogs a bit and certainly see that you have been having lotsa fun with different lenses. I would like to know more on the different types of lenses usage for different kind of shots. i see photographer shooting potrait shots standing really near to the subject. What kind of lense is required for such shots?Also, if wide angle lense is not flatering for potrait shot, what isthe better tele lense for this purpoose? Ive just got my first DSLR and as curious as any newbies in exploring the differnt types of lenses. I wouldnt want to miss that great shot due to a wrong use of lense. Hope you be able to give some advise..Thanks!
Comment by addixon on March 31st, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Congratulations on your first DSLR! I have been very happy with the range of focal lengths on my two zoom lenses, and they seem to be all I need for most shots. I have a 17-70mm zoom and a 70-210mm zoom. That range gives me great wide shots and nice long lens looks.
I’ll be writing about how to practice framing your shots with different lenses and what makes a shot look better on one lens than another. Stay tuned. In the meantime, you might like this post as a primer on different lens looks:
http://ispeakfilm.dpblogs.com/2006/05/10/camera-lenses-101/
Comment by Stephanie Simpson on April 4th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
[...] Anderswo kann man nur am Kalender erkennen, daß tatsächlich schon Herbst ist. Bei uns ist es aber kuscheliger. 11:56 pm [...]
Comment by kirjoittaessani » Blog Archive » Herbst on April 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am