Tips for shooting with an ultra wide angle lens?

Im new to ultra wide and have been having fun learning it so far. It does have a bit of a learning curve though. Tokina 11-16 f2.8 btw.

So far I have learned and gathered:

1) always need a foreground to make the photo that much more creative and dynamic.

2) get within inches of your foreground.

3) get low to the ground

4) try to keep your subject in the centre of the frame. Off to the sides distorts them

5) if shooting environmental portraiture dont get too close to the person. You have to find just the right distance without creating distortion.

6) try to keep the angle of the lens parellel vertically, so basically shoot straight onto the subject. Angling creates distortion

Any other tips?

Not holding the camera level to the horizon will result in Keystoning, where verticals seem to tilt inwards or outwards. This is sometimes called distortion, but it really is just another artistic effect you can choose to avoid, use or abuse.

The widening of subjects at the edge of the frame is not distortion either, but a result of the lens being rectilinear. It is wise to avoid it if you shoot people, but again, it's an artistic effect.

The last form of distortion you mention is also known as perspective distortion. Subjects very close to the lens appears excessively large compared to subjects further away: large nose and very small ears in a portrait. We are not used to seeing people this close, but as you rightly suggest, it is a function of the distance, more than of the lens.

Most zooms have what is known as geometric distortion: at the wide settings you experience barrel distortion, at the long end you see pincushion distortion. Many cameras and most raw converters are able to compensate for this.

Good luck and good light.

Creative use of the perspective distortion is often the specific reason for using / liking UWA.

Using for portraits is not usually recommended, but again it can be used creatively for "environment" portraits.

Extremely wide landscapes can be shot w/ UWA, but can benefit most with "skies" included, (or as you mentioned -- something close on the foreground like rocks or flowers, etc. ). Otherwise wide landscapes can often be better shot as "panoramics" (if sky or foreground is "boring").

You covered a lot of tips. Ken Rockwell has a few more.

Klaus dk said:

Not holding the camera level to the horizon will result in Keystoning, where verticals seem to tilt inwards or outwards. This is sometimes called distortion, but it really is just another artistic effect you can choose to avoid, use or abuse.

Click to expand...

When you say "holding the camera level to the horizon" you mean holding the camera sensor so it shoots on a perfectly even plane to the ground right?

I have seen some shots where people do tilt the camera up or down, I think it could be used creatively in some situations but generally not portraits.

Klaus dk said:

The widening of subjects at the edge of the frame is not distortion either, but a result of the lens being rectilinear. It is wise to avoid it if you shoot people, but again, it's an artistic effect.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I haven't played around with it enough as of yet but I think you should be fine with your subject (person) 1/3 off the centre of the frame, just don't have them way off to the side.

Klaus dk said:

The last form of distortion you mention is also known as perspective distortion. Subjects very close to the lens appears excessively large compared to subjects further away: large nose and very small ears in a portrait. We are not used to seeing people this close, but as you rightly suggest, it is a function of the distance, more than of the lens.

Click to expand...

Here is an example of the environmental portraiture that I want to shoot with this lens.





From the looks of it, you need to stand quite a ways back from the subject so that the subject doesn't suffer from perspective distortion.

Klaus dk said:

Most zooms have what is known as geometric distortion: at the wide settings you experience barrel distortion, at the long end you see pincushion distortion. Many cameras and most raw converters are able to compensate for this.

Good luck and good light.

Click to expand...

Thanks

Cameranoobie said:

Im new to ultra wide and have been having fun learning it so far. It does have a bit of a learning curve though. Tokina 11-16 f2.8 btw.

So far I have learned and gathered:

1) always need a foreground to make the photo that much more creative and dynamic.

Click to expand...

Not true. Regardless of focal length some photos need foreground interest, others don't.

Cameranoobie said:

2) get within inches of your foreground.

Click to expand...

If the camera is horizontal that's just an inevitable result of using a UWA. But tilt the camera and that disappears.

Cameranoobie said:

3) get low to the ground

Click to expand...

Why? As with any focal length, sometimes you do, other times you don't. It can work sometimes but I wouldn't want all my UWA shots like this.

Cameranoobie said:

4) try to keep your subject in the centre of the frame. Off to the sides distorts them

Click to expand...

A common use of UWAs is to show wide scenes - the whole scene is the subject so it is both in the centre and at the edges.

Cameranoobie said:

5) if shooting environmental portraiture don't get too close to the person. You have to find just the right distance without creating distortion.

Click to expand...

Yes. Now try to combine this advice with your bullet 3.

Cameranoobie said:

6) try to keep the angle of the lens parallel vertically, so basically shoot straight onto the subject. Angling creates distortion.

Click to expand...

It's a good starting point if you want your scenes to look realistic, although in many cases you can use the angling to creative effect.

For architectural shots it can be a good idea to stand well back (if possible), keep the camera level so that verticals stay vertical, and then crop most of the bottom away.

Cameranoobie said:

Any other tips?

Click to expand...

Don't get hung up on "rules". Try to use your lens creatively; use it in different ways to see what works.





--
---
Gerry
___________________________________________
First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006
[email protected]

Cameranoobie said:

Klaus dk said:

Not holding the camera level to the horizon will result in Keystoning, where verticals seem to tilt inwards or outwards. This is sometimes called distortion, but it really is just another artistic effect you can choose to avoid, use or abuse.

Click to expand...

When you say "holding the camera level to the horizon" you mean holding the camera sensor so it shoots on a perfectly even plane to the ground right?

I have seen some shots where people do tilt the camera up or down, I think it could be used creatively in some situations but generally not portraits.

Cameranoobie said:

The widening of subjects at the edge of the frame is not distortion either, but a result of the lens being rectilinear. It is wise to avoid it if you shoot people, but again, it's an artistic effect.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I haven't played around with it enough as of yet but I think you should be fine with your subject (person) 1/3 off the centre of the frame, just don't have them way off to the side.

Cameranoobie said:

The last form of distortion you mention is also known as perspective distortion. Subjects very close to the lens appears excessively large compared to subjects further away: large nose and very small ears in a portrait. We are not used to seeing people this close, but as you rightly suggest, it is a function of the distance, more than of the lens.

Click to expand...

Here is an example of the environmental portraiture that I want to shoot with this lens.

From the looks of it, you need to stand quite a ways back from the subject so that the subject doesn't suffer from perspective distortion.

Cameranoobie said:

Most zooms have what is known as geometric distortion: at the wide settings you experience barrel distortion, at the long end you see pincushion distortion. Many cameras and most raw converters are able to compensate for this.

Good luck and good light.

Click to expand...

Thanks

Click to expand...

If you're interested in using a wide angle for shots like that, I can suggest an ideal accessory.

A retired parachute.

Much more fun than most photographic accessories.

You can use it like this:




Chatterley on Godrevey Beach

Or this,




Natural Happy Girl - New Forest

or this...






Natural Happy Girl - New Forest

Or even this (branching out now and trying another lens)...




Jodi Beth - werewolf Riding Hood

Other colours are available...




Chloe - Micheldever





--
Dutch
forestmoonstudio.co.uk
Photography is about light, not light-proof boxes.

Gerry Winterbourne said:

Not true. Regardless of focal length some photos need foreground interest, others don't.

Click to expand...

That's true you are right. Your example shows that you don't always need a foreground. I think it depends what your subject is and whether you want the eye to be immediately drawn to your foreground or background.

Gerry Winterbourne said:

If the camera is horizontal that's just an inevitable result of using a UWA. But tilt the camera and that disappears.

Click to expand...

Check this out, ran into it the other day and I think this is a rather interesting (but effective) technique that I will have to try out for myself. I think for this kind of shot it (angling the lens vertically) works!

Gerry Winterbourne said:

Why? As with any focal length, sometimes you do, other times you don't. It can work sometimes but I wouldn't want all my UWA shots like this.

Click to expand...

True, I think it depends on what you are shooting, just have to experiment.

Gerry Winterbourne said:

A common use of UWAs is to show wide scenes - the whole scene is the subject so it is both in the centre and at the edges.

Click to expand...

Yes

Gerry Winterbourne said:

Yes. Now try to combine this advice with your bullet 3.

Click to expand...

Okay thanks.

Gerry Winterbourne said:

It's a good starting point if you want your scenes to look realistic, although in many cases you can use the angling to creative effect.

For architectural shots it can be a good idea to stand well back (if possible), keep the camera level so that verticals stay vertical, and then crop most of the bottom away.

Click to expand...

I see what you mean.

Gerry Winterbourne said:

Gerry Winterbourne said:

Any other tips?

Click to expand...

Don't get hung up on "rules". Try to use your lens creatively; use it in different ways to see what works.

Click to expand...

Ok thanks

Gerry Winterbourne said:

--
---
Gerry
___________________________________________
First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne
[email protected]

Click to expand...

Dutch Newchurch said:

If you're interested in using a wide angle for shots like that, I can suggest an ideal accessory.

A retired parachute.

Much more fun than most photographic accessories.

You can use it like this:

Or this,

or this...

Or even this (branching out now and trying another lens)...

Other colours are available...

Click to expand...

Amazing thank you. Where do I buy one of these parachutes?

Cameranoobie said:

Dutch Newchurch said:

If you're interested in using a wide angle for shots like that, I can suggest an ideal accessory.

A retired parachute.

Much more fun than most photographic accessories.

You can use it like this:

Or this,

or this...

Or even this (branching out now and trying another lens)...

Other colours are available...

Click to expand...

Amazing thank you. Where do I buy one of these parachutes?

Click to expand...

I got mine from eBay. About ten times cheaper than a new lens. If you're outside the UK, prices and availablility may differ.

The blue one was a Christmas gift from my wife last year.

The red one was, I think, ex-French military. The French armed forces have far too much style to use a plain white canopy.

Google 'parashoot dress' and you'll see how unoriginal my shots are!

--
Dutch
forestmoonstudio.co.uk
Photography is about light, not light-proof boxes.