Wide Angle Lens

Wide angle lenses allow you to get more of the subject in the frame than you would by using a standard lens.

Wide angle lenses allow you to get more of the subject in the frame than you would by using a standard lens. This makes them useful for photographing interiors and wide scenes in the landscape. Wide angle lenses also have a greater depth of field than the standard lens, and due to the negative magnification show less evidence of camera shake.

The downside is that there is increased distortion of the image and a risk of overexposure. The distortion comes from wanting to get near to the subject to fill the frame. Close ups of faces using wide angle lenses show huge noses and tiny ears. A perspective distortion also often shows at the sides of the frame. This can be corrected later in Photoshop.

Underexposure often occurs because of the tendency to include more sky in the shot than usual. The meter reads for the sky resulting in underexposure of the darker landscape beneath the sky. If the subject is important bracket your shots. This means take the photo at three different speeds or apertures. An example might be if the meter says that the correct exposure is 120s @ f16, shoot three frames at 120s @ f8, f16 and f22. Or you could take a spot reading from the most important part of the subject.

Wide angle settings allow a lot of the subject to be included in the frame, and slower shutter speeds can be used when hand holding the camera.

Wide angles are great for use in cramped spaces, although this can distort the perspective a little. You could use this distortion to produce a more creative photo. An example is in motor car adverts, where the car is photographed from a very low angle and close up. This makes the car appear more dramatic than it really is. Who says that the camera never lies? Shooting low can often be put to good effect if the composition has a large main subject and an impressive scene behind it. Use a small aperture to ensure that the entire frame is sharp. Of course you could be more selective and only have your main subject sharp by choosing a larger aperture and a fast shutter speed.

Shooting buildings, especially such as skyscrapers can be fun with a wide angle lens. By tilting the camera you can get dramatic perspective distortions. If this is not the effect that you were after, converging verticals, you can fix it later in photoshop.

Compositionally we need to be careful when photographing empty vistas such as the beach. There often needs to be a subject included to make a focal point. Be careful with exposure when shooting vistas with a wide angle lens. Remember what we said about exposing for the subject and not the sky. Make sure that you keep the horizon line straight or you will need to spend time on your image editor. Check in your LCD after the shot to see if the exposure etc. is O.K.

If you cannot afford a wide angle lens try one of the less expensive wide angle attachments that are on the market. If you are debating whether to purchase a telephoto or a wide angle as your first extra lens my advice would be to go for the wide. Initially I think that we like the idea of bringing far things close up, but unless your type of photography needs the telephoto I think that you will use, and therefore get more value for your money if you purchase the wide angle

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