How to use super wide-angle lens?

If you have a super wide-angle lens and use it vividly, then your work will not be bad. The following is the information about the use skills of wide-angle lens that I have compiled for you for your reference!

Control the shooting distance

Robert Capa, a war photographer, once said, "If your photos are not good enough, it is because you are not close enough." Although this classic saying is not aimed at ultra-wide-angle lenses, it has virtually become the best interpretation of it.

The closer you get to the subject, the more dramatic the effect will be, because the exaggerated perspective and distortion, as well as the profound sense of space in the front and back scenes, strengthen the image tension.

Under the wide viewing angle of the super wide-angle lens, the proportion of all the scenes, actions or expressions in the picture will be relatively reduced. If these are the information to be conveyed by the photo, people will not be impressed if they are not close enough, and even people will not be able to grasp the key points of the picture.

However, if the ultra-wide-angle lens is not properly controlled, the exaggerated deformation and distortion of the scene will destroy the overall balance and aesthetic feeling of the picture. Therefore, it is necessary to balance while pursuing strong visual impact to avoid adverse effects. The most common example is when shooting portraits, if the distance is too close, it may cause the nose or forehead to be distorted.

Therefore, you need to think ahead when shooting with a super wide-angle lens. If you want to achieve an exaggerated dramatic effect, you should be as close to the subject as possible. If you want a more objective perspective, stand away honestly.

Super wide-angle lens is a special member of the lens family. This kind of lens can stimulate our creativity, but it will also bring great difficulties to use. Only after mastering the characteristics of super wide-angle lens can we really create a different "wide" world.

Try more vertical composition

Horizontal composition is the most commonly used composition method in photography, and it is also the most natural and used composition form. But since there is such a big difference between super wide-angle lens and ordinary lens, we should also make some changes in composition.

When shooting with a lens with a general angle of view, the vertical composition has more advantages in showing the scenery with obvious vertical line characteristics, and the subject often looks taller, more upright and more solemn because of the vertical composition.

And the super wide-angle lens, because of its unique visual angle advantage, can more easily connect the contents of the upper and lower parts of the picture to form a picture contrast.

If you want to shoot portraits, you should use vertical composition more. As long as the edge distortion characteristics of ultra-wide-angle lens are used reasonably, long legs and so on are not a problem.

Maybe some friends are not used to shooting with vertical composition, but in the use of super wide-angle lens, vertical composition can definitely help you shoot good works!

Make more use of the foreground

The so-called foreground refers to people or things that are located in front of the subject or close to the front. In the lens picture, it is used to foil the main body or form a part of the dramatic environment.

In a picture, adding some foreground appropriately will make the picture more dramatic. It is also helpful to enhance the spatial depth of the picture, balance the composition and beautify the picture.

Because of the unique field of view of the super wide-angle lens, if you only take a large area of plane scenery, the whole picture will appear to lack a sense of depth and be very dull.

Therefore, how to reasonably add foreground to the picture is a compulsory course if you want to make good use of the super wide-angle lens. But this is not to say that everything is shot into the picture without a purpose.

when choosing the foreground, we should consciously use the foreground to render a certain atmosphere or feature in line with the principle of choosing scenes with seasonal and local characteristics as the foreground. For example, it is most common to choose flowers and trees with seasonal characteristics to add atmosphere to the picture. Similarly, scenery with local characteristics can also add strong local color or exotic atmosphere to the picture.

with the background, the super wide-angle lens can play its due role. A broad vision and a sense of depth beyond imagination will definitely make you feel unexpected shock.

Controlling glare and light ratio

Photography lovers know that lenses can be divided into standard, wide-angle, telephoto and fisheye lenses. Among them, especially the ultra-wide angle is difficult to master and not easy to shoot well. One of the reasons why it is not easy to shoot well is that there are too many elements in the picture.

because of the large viewing angle, there are often bright light sources in the shooting scene, which is enough to produce destructive glare. How to reasonably control and avoid glare is also one of the shooting techniques that users of ultra-wide-angle lenses need to learn.

in addition, how to control the light ratio of each subject in a picture is also a knowledge in the use of super wide-angle lens. Dead black or dead white are problems that should be avoided as much as possible.

If you want to better control the light ratio in the field of view of the super wide-angle lens, a better way is to bring a gradient lens with a high index. It is also feasible to shake the black card, but it is not recommended for novice friends because of its high skill.

The most suitable time to use the super wide-angle lens is the morning and dusk, which are called "magic moments". And it is said that the super wide-angle lens performs better in winter, because heavy snow will reduce the light ratio between the sky and the ground.

The wide field of vision of the super wide-angle lens can be described as a "double-edged sword". Only photographers who can reasonably plan various elements in the picture can really control such a unique lens.

Focus carefully

Generally speaking, due to the ranging line, the focusing accuracy of digital SLR cameras is not as good as that of paraxial cameras such as Leica. This also highlights the problem that the ultra-wide-angle lens is easy to focus-out condition when shooting.

Therefore, when shooting, especially when we are close to the subject and use a large aperture, we must pay attention to whether the focus of the picture is accurate.

for ultra-wide-angle lenses, there are also some problems with autofocus. To be on the safe side, when using a super wide-angle lens, it is best to use manual focusing if conditions permit.

it is a safe choice to turn on the live view function in the camera, find the part of the scene you want to focus on and zoom in, and focus slowly.

without manual fine focusing, we may have out-of-focus parts that can't be displayed on the camera screen when we play back the photos, and we will only regret it when we want to make a large output.

For friends who travel all over the world by autofocus, if you want to start with a super wide-angle lens, you'd better learn how to do manual fine focusing in advance. Otherwise, it's really blind to the material of super wide-angle lens.

Pay attention to the dark angle of the picture

Dark angle is a phenomenon of loss of light around the picture. There are many reasons for forming dark angle, such as a large angle between the optical axis of the lens and the light of photographic imaging, or the lens diameter of the telephoto lens is not enough, and the aberration of the corners is large.

Maybe many photographers try to get rid of dark corners, so they buy more expensive photographic equipment. However, according to the current production process, as a super wide-angle lens, dark corners are almost inevitable.

This is because when shooting with a super wide-angle lens, the distance of light entering the lens to the edge of the photosensitive element is much longer than the distance to the central part.

Therefore, people should pay special attention to this problem when shooting with super wide-angle lens. Photographs taken with a super wide-angle lens may appear that the color tone gradually becomes darker from the center to the edge of the picture, that is, there is a certain degree of dark corner phenomenon.

Fortunately, digital post-processing is very convenient now, and general post-processing software has functions and settings that can eliminate dark corners. Moreover, the operation is relatively simple, which is basically a one-click fool operation.

In fact, dark corners also have certain benefits. To learn to use them flexibly, some photographers think that the appearance of dark corners is helpful to the overall photographic composition, highlighting the subject matter of photography, making the theme more vivid and giving people another aesthetic feeling. It's a matter of opinion whether we should use the dark corner or not when using the super wide-angle lens, and how to use the dark corner.

Skills of using ultra-wide-angle lens

Using filter

The knowledge of filter is too complicated, so I don't want to introduce it too much here. It is recommended to buy a circular ND filter, that is, a subtracter. Put a circular reduction mirror on the lens, and then slow down your shutter speed, which is suitable for shooting scenes with water or clouds, making your clouds dynamic and the water silky smooth.

since we use a small aperture and a low ISO, our shutter speed will slow down. What should we do if we shoot with our hands? So I suggest you use a tripod to shoot. A stable tripod can make your photos clearer! Bainuo and Sirui are recommended for the domestic tripod, and Gitzo's tripod is recommended in one step.

use a level

most cameras have the function of a level, and many tripods also have a level. Why do we have to make the camera horizontal? Because when shooting the horizon, you will feel uncomfortable if it is crooked. In most cases, make the horizon in the photo horizontal, so that it looks comfortable!

use focusing accurately

although the small aperture we use makes the depth of field not so shallow, focusing is still very important. When shooting scenery, I suggest turning on the live view function in the camera, magnifying it ten times and focusing it manually. This is the safest scheme. So where do we focus? Some friends may know the concept of hyperfocal distance, but it is a bit complicated. Based on my experience, I suggest that you focus on an object that is not too close or too far away in the photo, or focus on a third of the photo. This is a method suitable for lazy people, and it is applicable in most cases.

make the building vertical to the ground

I have seen many photos taken by many friends. When shooting with ultra-wide angle, the buildings are inclined and close to the middle, which is the perspective deformation brought by ultra-wide angle. In most cases, it is best to make the building vertical to the ground when shooting the building, which is in line with our understanding of the reality.

what should I do if I shoot it askew? It's okay, enter the later software lightroom, and we will adjust it later!

Besides, have you taken any pictures of crooked buildings that are still beautiful? There are also some, but most of these photos are regional close-ups, or to deliberately shoot a sense of tilt, trying to bring a kind of pressure to the viewer.

shoot from bottom to top, and try to make a vertical composition

when shooting vertically, the wide viewing angle with super wide angle will make the photographed object bigger and more magnificent. Be sure to remember that the seat is lower and lower!

shoot from the top down

if you work hard enough or are lucky enough to climb to the top of the mountain and reach the edge of the cliff, you can try to shoot down and look at the ground from high altitude, which feels wonderful and the film will be very atmospheric.

Foreground makes photos more colorful

The advantage of super wide angle is that you can take more pictures and have a wider angle of view, but this will make your photos lack the theme, so we need foreground, and a good foreground can make your photos more beautiful!

Put the sun in the field of view of the lens

The ultra-wide angle of view can even make the sun appear in your photos. Such photos are rare, so you can try and take different photos. This is the fun of photography! But remember, sometimes the sun is too dazzling, which will make the ground very dark. At this time, post-processing or other methods are needed to solve it. ?