In this lesson: Gain an understanding of how to compose dynamic images with simple wide-angle techniques

Wide-angle lenses offer a way to give your images a little bit of an illusion. Learning how to harness that power can lead to much more dynamic photographs.

In general, lenses with a focal length shorter than 35mm (on a full-frame camera) and shorter than about 22mm (on an APS-C camera) fall into the wide-angle category. It’s quite common to use focal lengths that are even wider even though these are normally categorized as ultra-wide.

Wide-angle lenses offer unparalleled diversity and are the go-to lens for many photographers when it comes to adding a new sense of dynamics to images. Because they offer an unusual perspective, they can often create more exciting images in some situations than a normal or telephoto lens. In addition to the obvious wider field of view, a wide-angle lens may offer these advantages:

• Emphasize depth from foreground to background. This is advantageous in landscape images in which you want to give the viewer a sense of scale. For example, in the image of the lone tree, the wide-angle of view gives us clues as to the size of the landscape – it’s apparent that the single tree is a good distance away from the background.
• Closer minimum focusing distance, meaning the nearest object to you in the photo will be in focus. For example, if you want to include foreground interest in a photo, a wide-angle lens will allow you to get closer to that object and still have it in sharp focus, like the grasses in the sample image of the lone tree.
• Increased sense of perspective due to the exaggeration of size differences – nearer objects will be larger and farther objects will be smaller.
• Often easier to hand-hold – wide-angle lenses often have large apertures, meaning you can use faster shutter speeds with less worry of camera shake.

Wide angle lenses also exhibit tendencies that can be a disadvantage if not carefully managed. Those include:

• Barrel distortion may cause straight lines (horizons, etc.) to appear curved, especially at extreme wide-angles (as seen in the sample image of the skateboarder).
• Edge distortion may cause objects at the edges of the frame to appear elongated toward the outside of the frame.
• Lighting can be uneven across the increased width of images.
• Filters and lens hoods can cause vignetting or partial blocking of image edges.
• Convergence of vertical lines can be severe when the lens isn’t perpendicular to the horizon.

Challenge Activity

In this activity, you will explore the effects of wide-angle lenses described above, and learn to utilize them to your advantage.

Step 1: Mount your camera on a tripod and frame a landscape shot with a wide-angle lens. Use a level to align the lens axis, ensuring that the camera is perfectly level. Take a photo at this angle, then several more shots with the camera pointing at upward and downward angles. Note the effects of barrel distortion in all of the images and how that distortion varies with the camera angle.

Step 2: Mount your camera on a tripod, and, using a wide-angle lens and with the camera level, take several portraits of a friend or family member from a fair distance away, such that you can highlight the subject’s surroundings. Note how the wide-angle of view offers the image depth and a better understanding of the space.

Step 3: Using the same setup as Step 2, move relatively close to your subject and take several shots from various viewpoints and angles above and below their eye level. Note how the distortion and convergence discussed above shapes your model. In the sample portrait of the two little girls, notice how the close-up view with the wide-angle lens has distorted their faces (and the background elements too). Try to create both humorous and flattering images using these effects.

Step 4: Move your setup to an area with strong vertical lines, such as a row of tall trees. Get in close to the vertical objects and follow the same procedure as Step 1. Note the effects of convergence and distortion on the vertical lines. Try to find a point of view and angle that creates a pleasing image with these effects.