Wide-angle lens - what does a photographer need? Why is the wide-angle lens so popular among professional photographers?

Wide-angle lenses (increasing viewing angle)

Wide-angle lenses have firmly taken their place in photography. Along with telephoto and portrait lenses, wide-angle lenses are among the three most common among professional photographers

· 06/02/2017

Article text updated: 10/18/2018

I won’t be mistaken if I say that absolutely all visitors to my blog have experience shooting wide: smartphones have a lens with an equivalent focal length (EFL) of 25-28 mm. But not everyone produces masterpieces. Today I propose to analyze how to photograph with wide-angle optics so that it does not turn out to be a UG.

First, let's deal with the abbreviation “UG” - “sad g..but.” When a novice amateur photographer acquires his first wide shot, he dumps tons of shots like this on social networks and on specialized photography forums.

What's good about this photo? Probably only the line of the fence leading the viewer’s eye to the SVKTs (the plot-important compositional center, if anyone has not yet read Lydia Dyko’s textbook “Conversations on Photographic Craftsmanship”). Why do I think this photo is UG? Someone will say: “Because the building was shot close and there is distortion” (in in this case the lines tend to converge at one point, although in reality they are parallel). Why distortion appears when shooting wide if you tilt the lens axis is discussed in detail and with diagrams in the photo lesson “Why do I need full frame"(a link to this article and others that will be mentioned throughout the conversation can be seen at the very bottom).

But I don’t agree that distortion is the main evil here. I load the image into Photoshop, make a duplicate layer, set guidelines in the menu “Edit – Transform – Perspective – Scale”. I'm more or less leveling the walls of the building. It got better (if I had shot from the front, the result would have been a little better). Still UG...

So the reason is different. I believe that this photo is of poor quality because it contains medium shot(near corner of the building), rear (far corner and bell tower), but no front. If there was some interesting object on the near plane, the viewer would not even pay attention to the distortion.

Want an experiment? I take the original photo with crooked walls and make a simple photo collage.

I bet you didn’t even immediately notice that I additionally curved the walls of the building in the editor...

Wide Angle Lens Features

Wide-angle lenses have two characteristics that set them apart from other types of lenses. Firstly, shirik stretches the perspective (intensifies): objects in the foreground turn out to be very large, and objects in the background quickly decrease in size.

Photo 5. The train cars, you can believe me, also have the same height in front and back, although due to the perspective enhanced by the wide-angle lens, they do not look very realistic. But impressive... 1/160, -1.67, 8.0, 450, 14.

Secondly, a wide-angle lens produces an image that English-speaking photographers characterize as “inclusive,” that is, “inclusive, interpenetrating.” In Russian, I would say, “pulling the viewer inside,” or “interactive.”

Agree, when you look at these flowers, it seems that they are behind glass, you can reach them. An extraordinary feeling. Neither a portrait lens nor a telephoto lens will give you this feeling - this is the “magic” of wide-angle optics.

Mistakes that beginners make when shooting with a wide-angle lens

Experienced photographers identify four types of imperfections in photographs taken by amateurs with wide-angle lenses:

1. There is no object close to the lens.
2. There is no clearly defined SVKTs.
3. Trying to fit too many objects into frames.
4. Distorted faces in portraits.

Let's try to analyze each of these points.

1. The subject is located far from the camera lens

In my opinion, the first mistake is the cause of 90% of weak shots and it is closely intertwined with the next two.

Most of the best shots taken with a wide-angle lens are taken from a distance of less than a meter (for large objects) and even from a few centimeters (for large objects). we're talking about about little ones). For example, I photographed the flowers in picture No. 6 from about 10 cm.

To get interesting shots, we must have greater image depth (in other words, enhance the perspective), that is, we must approach the subject at a minimally short distance.

Let's do an experiment. Let's take a photo from street sculpture full frame Nikon D610 with reportage zoom Nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 at the wide end FR = 24 mm. At first I approach a very short distance: literally half a meter.

I think the car is about to jump out of the screen and onto the computer! I move a little further, literally 50-70 centimeters and... the magic is lost.

Well, if you move away a couple of meters, then our subject is completely lost in the picture. The charm disappears completely.

I believe that in the example above, the circle of paving stones more or less serves as the foreground. If it were not there, the perception of the image would be even more weakened.

But for those who hate wide shots, I’ll give an example of the same plot, but shot at a long focal length.

Notice the size of the windows in the background in both the wide-angle and telephoto shots. Now is it clear why, when photographing against the backdrop of a mountain or monument, it is better to ask the model to move away from it and use a lens with a long focal length to take pictures?

In an article with a story about why I need a wide lens and why I need a telephoto lens, I drew attention to: if you take a frame with a Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 at FR = 200 mm and FR = 180 mm, then the change in focal length will be only 10% and, most likely will not be noticeable to the viewer. And in the photograph taken on a Canon 16-35 mm f/2.8 with a focal length of 35 mm, and then with a focal length of 16 mm, despite the fact that the focal length changed by only 19 mm, the relative change was 219%.

It’s the same story with changing the distance to the subject: we shoot with a telephoto lens - moving away a step, we get practically no changes in perspective, but if we shoot wider, there is a significant jump...

We must not forget that there are wide-angle lenses (FR = 24-35 mm for full frame, and FR = 15-22 mm for CROP), and there are ultra-wide-angle lenses (FR = 14-24 mm for FX, and FR = 10-14 mm for DX) - they are many times more sensitive to the photographer’s mistakes made when constructing the frame.

The situation as in photos No. 12 and No. 13 is described by professionals as “the arrangement of composition elements at the same distance from the lens and, as a result, the loss of the SVCC.”

Well, maybe I didn’t choose very well here good example, since the car in the background is located 30 meters away. If she stood 5 meters from the bear, then both subjects would merge and it would seem that they were located almost in the same plane...

How it works? Read the photo tutorial about the differences between crop and full frame - there are diagrams and formulas there (the link is located at the end of this article).

I'll tell you briefly here. If in photo No. 11 the distance to the bear is 1 m, and to exactly the same bear in the background is 5 m, then the difference is in their change linear dimensions image in the picture is Δ=((5/1)*100%-100%)=400%. When the photographer moves 2.5 m away from the first bear, then Δ=((5+2.5/(1+2.5)*100%-100%)=114%...

In practice, this means that in the first case the perspective is very pronounced: the bear in the foreground will look 4 times larger in the picture than a sculpture of the same size located at a distance of 5 m from it. In the second situation, such bears will look different in the picture in size from each other only 1.14 times.

This means that the trick of standing back, shooting wide, and then cropping out the subject won't work without losing the magic of the wide frame. Indeed, in this case the perspective will be less pronounced.

To compare perceptions: let’s say we shot the same scenes with a telephoto lens from a distance of first 20 and then 22.5 meters. Then the change in the size of the bears would be in the first case Δ=((25/20)*100%-100%))=25%, and in the second ((27.5/22.5)*100%-100%)= 22.2%. Firstly, the sizes of both sculptures in photographs taken with a telephoto lens differ from each other significantly less than when using a wide lens (compare 25% and 400%), i.e. the prospect is less pronounced. Secondly, changing the distance to the subject also does not lead to dramatic differences: 25%/22.2%=1.13 versus 400%/114%=3.51...

So again: do you want beautiful pictures With a wide-angle lens, move closer to enhance perspective, that is, the difference in size between the foreground and background. Here's another practical example. I approached the sculpture at 30cm.

Everything seems to be fine, the picture is captivating. What happens if the distance is reduced by 15cm?

I note that the examples chosen here are not ideal from the point of view of composition. I’m also learning and it’s not often that I get to shoot my masterpiece wide. In particular, in this example and in the frame with the bears, the bottom is cut off unsightly. In the photo report, I would probably leave the previous image so that the slab on the ground would be completely included in the frame. Well, here are a couple more shots to demonstrate the postulate: it is better to photograph with wide-angle optics from a short distance.

2. There is no clearly defined object in the frame when shooting with a wide-angle lens

The requirement to have an SVKT in the frame that draws the viewer’s attention is interconnected with the previous point: if you move a little further away, the viewer gets “lost.”

Dear reader, forgive me if my tone came across as somewhat didactic. I repeat once again, I also don’t know how to shoot wide, I’m just learning. And on the blog I post my “lecture notes.” I know that it often happens that this SVKTS is difficult to find and designate, that sometimes there is no way to get closer, etc.

To bring a shot like this to life, it's vital to find something that will catch the viewer's eye: a rock, an inscription, a crack in the foreground.

Why do you think I go on trips to distant countries with my wife? I need it to bring the “human element” into the composition.

My theory here is this: in these shots the main subject is not the person, but the environment around him, and it, as it should, is located close to the photographer.

3. Trying to put too much in a photo

Shirik has a very wide viewing angle. This helps when we want to show, for example, the habitat of our object. But this also interferes with building a composition, since the photo may contain too many minor details that distract from the main thing. There is only one piece of advice: know your limits and be careful when choosing the frame border.

4. Shooting portraits with a wide-angle lens

You've probably come across strict recommendations many times: portraits of people should not be shot wide, as the proportions of the face and body are greatly distorted.

The first frame was photographed from a distance of 15 cm, the second from 30 cm.

I would like to make a clarification here. When a girl, a fashion model, writes to you: “Dear photographer, please take a portfolio for me,” it’s probably better to take a Canon 50mm f/1.4 or Canon 85mm f/1.4 portrait lens. And if you walk down the street and take street photos, you can get very interesting pictures with a wide-angle lens with the effect of involving the viewer.

Conclusion

Let's summarize. Without a wide-angle lens it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to shoot a professional report from a wedding, birthday, party or travel. If only because we need an establishing shot with general plan, giving the viewer an understanding of where the event is taking place (see the lesson “How to photograph a photo story”).

To ensure that wide-angle photos are not UG, you need to follow simple rules: 1) come close; 2) show the viewer clearly who the main object is; 3) do not make a “hodgepodge” of thousands of subjects, be simpler; 4) if you want natural proportions of the human body, long focal lengths are used, but for street photography and humor you shouldn’t be shy about shooting wide.

I understand that I am not an authority on photography, but try to carefully consider the points that I have outlined here. Then go to the Mywed website and analyze the best shots - 30% wedding photos shot wide. Then type in Google the phrase “Businessman, the best photos of the year". There, too, a third of the scenes were taken at a wide angle. Analyze each photo, compare it with what is in your portfolio, and then you too will start shooting masterpieces with a wide-angle lens. Good luck friends!

I would also like to add that all of the above does not mean that we should always use shirik, and there are exceptions when we do not follow the rules described in the article. I would also like to point out that in a photo report it is advisable to alternate shots taken different types lenses: if all the pictures are taken with a wide-angle lens, the viewer will get bored.

We noticed that when shooting with this type of optics it is extremely important acquire lines in the frame? Almost everywhere they very tenaciously “capture the eye” and lead the viewer to where the photographer needs. You need to be very careful when building a composition.

In this article we saw photos taken with the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ultra-wide-angle lens. This lens has a relative:

The wide-angle lens is one of the most popular tools for landscape photographers. However, using it correctly is not so easy. The field of view of wide-angle lenses is so different from what is familiar to the human eye that an inexperienced photographer can easily make annoying mistakes when shooting with such a lens. On the other side, correct use A wide-angle lens can help you take a stunning photo. So how do you take photos with a wide-angle lens? This article contains all the key points you need to know to successfully shoot with a wide-angle lens.

If you pick up a wide-angle lens for the first time, you will immediately notice that it noticeably exaggerates linear perspective.

We are accustomed to the fact that the closer we get to an object, the larger its image in the photograph, to the point that only a certain part of the photographed object will fit in the photograph. The angle of view of wide-angle lenses is so wide that it allows you to be incredibly close to your subject and still fit it completely into the frame.

Of course, the actual perspective of photos doesn't really depend on the lens used, but on the distance between the photographer and the subject being photographed. However, wide-angle lenses change perspective more than other lenses, allowing you to capture subjects from closer than usual.

But remember that exaggerating perspective is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows you to get a wide and detailed image of the foreground. On the other hand, everything that is further than the foreground is incredibly compressed. For example, if you shoot mountains with a wide-angle lens, you will end up with large, detailed images of the objects in the foreground, while the mountains themselves will look tiny and completely lacking in grandeur.

This feature is the main problem faced by photographers who use a wide-angle lens for landscape photography. Therefore, before taking a photograph of a landscape, evaluate the scene you are shooting - if there is large objects, the scale of which you would like to convey, then a wide-angle lens will not best choice for these purposes.

For clarity, compare the two photographs below. The first one was taken with a 20mm lens. As you can see, the mountain range in the background looks inconspicuous and somehow small:

Photo at 20 mm. NIKON D800E + 20mm f/1.8 @ 20mm, ISO 100, 3/1, f/16.0 © Spencer Cox

The second photo was taken with a 70mm lens. Evaluate how the same mountains look on it. As they say, no comments:

Photo at 70 mm. NIKON D800E + 70-200mm f/4 @ 70mm, ISO 100, 1/25, f/11.0 © Spencer Cox

So we come to another one key point Something to remember when shooting with a wide-angle lens: always pay attention to the foreground. If objects in the foreground are larger and more detailed, then, naturally, they should be interesting and attract the viewer's eye.

Take another look at the foreground of the first photo above. He's downright boring. All we see are ordinary grass bushes and pieces rocks, which are certainly not important enough to take up half the photo.

Despite these features, wide-angle lenses are ideal for many types of landscape photography. If you have a good foreground, feel free to use a wide-angle lens - it will make the viewer feel as if they can step into the photo. Achieving a similar effect using telephoto lenses - more suited for shooting distant objects - is almost impossible.

Features of shooting with a wide-angle lens: Wide view

Many photographers believe that they should not use a wide-angle lens as a means to fit all the desired subjects into the frame. But one may not agree with this opinion.

Sometimes a picture may appear before your eyes, which can only be captured with a wide-angle lens (or take several pictures with a telephoto lens and “stitch” them into a panorama in the editor). Obviously, you'll need to pay close attention to the foreground and background, but the results will be worth it. An example of such a situation is when you notice . If you want to capture this stunning sight in the landscape, then optimal choice will become a wide-angle lens.

Wide viewing angles sometimes confuse photographers who start shooting landscapes with a wide-angle lens. Seeing beautiful view, they shoot it at the widest angle available on their lens. Then, when they open the resulting photos on a computer, they see large blank areas in the captured frames and try to understand what went wrong.

When shooting with a wide-angle lens, always be careful about the composition of the frame, making sure that there are some elements in each area of ​​the photo. interesting elements. In most cases, your wide-angle lens will fill large areas of the photo with grass and sky. Agree that such images will most likely not be very effective.

Remember a simple rule: using a wide-angle lens is justified when there is a need to fit a lot of interesting objects into the frame, and each area of ​​​​the image will contain something that can attract the viewer's attention. Frankly, these situations happen less often than you might think.

How to Photograph with a Wide Angle Lens: Negative Space

Another way to use a wide-angle lens is to take photographs with big amount negative space.

What is negative space? In photography, negative space is an area of ​​an image that is unoccupied and does not attract the viewer's attention. If your photo shows a single, short tree surrounded by a snow-covered field, then there will be a lot of negative space in the image.

Wide-angle lenses do a great job of filling a photo with negative space, but most often this happens against the photographer's wishes. If you want to capture the beauty of a distant mountain, then you probably don't want 3/4 of the frame to be filled with empty sky that few people will look at.

However, for some images, negative space is an incredibly powerful tool. It allows you to highlight your subject by surrounding it with a blank area.

Negative space gives a photograph an atmosphere of loneliness and emptiness. If you are trying to show the insignificance of your subject in the world around you, then negative space is exactly what you need.

Of course, this technique is rarely used in landscape photography. And the decision to use it depends solely on the creative intent of the photographer.

Conclusion

Wide-angle lenses are one of the most popular tools in landscape photography for a reason. Only they allow the photographer to shoot close to the subject without worrying that he will not fit into the frame. Additionally, if you're shooting a scene filled with a lot of interesting and aesthetic elements, then a wide-angle lens can be the best way to capture her.

Wide-angle lenses are not easy to use. They tend to add a lot of negative space to the frame, which is not always desirable. At the same time, they reduce the area of ​​the photo's background in relation to the rest of the photo. Because wide-angle lenses produce images that are very different from what the human eye is accustomed to, many photographers use them incorrectly.

If you learn to deal with the challenges and quirks of using wide-angle lenses, they will have a long place in your arsenal. Plus, the longer you shoot with a wide-angle lens, the more you'll become comfortable with it and use it more effectively.

How do you use wide-angle lenses? Share your experience in the comments below.

As a traditional bonus, we offer you an interesting video about shooting with a wide-angle lens:

Based on materials from Photographylife.com. Author and photo: Spencer Cox.