3. Ultra-Wides and Wides

The EF 8–15mm f/4L Fisheye is ultra-wide, one of two fisheye lenses Canon manufactures at the time of writing, the other being the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. A fisheye lens exhibits the visual qualities of its moniker, offering a 180-degree angle of view. What does this mean? It means if you point the lens straight at the horizon, you’ll more than likely capture your shoes in the shot, as well as the sky straight above you! As a result, everything within the frame of a fisheye lens is distorted, seemingly stretching outward toward the image’s viewer. When you see a fisheye perspective, you immediately know it for the extreme distortion and curvature of straight lines, such as the horizon, building corners, and the like.

Circular fisheyes produce a classic fisheye look in that the angle of view—all 180 degrees—is contained in a circular image in the middle of the frame (Figures 3.2 and 3.3). This is a result of the focal length being so wide that real estate on the camera’s sensor (or film) has to be sacrificed. As you zoom out from 15mm to 8mm, you start to notice a circular visual manifest through the viewfinder. (Tip: make sure you take the lens hood off to ensure a circular image as opposed to another shape.)

Full-frame fisheyes, such as the EF 15mm f/2.8 and the longer end of the EF 8–15mm f/4L, project an image onto all of the camera’s sensor, albeit still extremely distorted (Figure 3.4). Lest your hands move the zoom ring easily, the EF 8–15mm f/4L Fisheye includes a “Limit” switch, which locks the focal length at 15mm and avoids the circular vignetting that would occur at shorter focal lengths.

As I stated earlier, fisheye lenses fulfill a fairly niche function. The extreme curvilinear distortion and warping of the image is a unique visual, and although these lenses are downright fun to play with, they are not for everyone. I don’t own one—they just don’t fit my style. Others have a ball with them, seeing everything from landscapes to cityscapes in new, bulbous ways!

The 14mm is a rectilinear lens, which means it maintains straight lines as visually straight, despite the accompanying wide-angle distortion that occurs when focal lengths get more and more expansive (Figure 3.6). This feature paired with this focal length makes for an incredible landscape lens (Figure 3.7), as well as one that can be used to really push up on high-action activities and show off the environment at the same time (Figure 3.8).

Although it is difficult to use in all instances, given that subject matter diminishes in size greatly if just a few feet away, the EF 14mm f/2.8L is an extremely well made and highly functional lens for those wanting the widest rectilinear focal length possible. Unfortunately for some, this lens also comes with a premium price tag, so it might be worth renting before purchasing. If you’re anything like me, though, you’ll find an affinity for this chunk of glass.

A lens that covers landmark focal lengths, such as 16mm, 24mm, and 35mm, is ideal for an all-around wide-angle zoom. I prefer a wide-angle zoom that covers this range. Like many shooters, I tend to move from one extreme of the lens to the other and not hit much in between. I might use 17mm to tighten up on a feature-heavy portion of a desert landscape, and then move somewhere close to 35mm to make an environmental portrait. Somewhere near the middle is 24mm, a popular focal length for wide-angle prime lenses, as well as the starting point for the higher-end standard zoom lenses (Figure 3.11). It is also a very flexible focal length that doesn’t quite distort like 16mm or 17mm but can still be used effectively to establish a visual context in the shot (Figure 3.12).

Simply put, skies with unique cloud structures are more interesting than if they were empty. The sky is not something we can control, and bald (cloudless) skies are simply a part of shooting outside. However, we can take advantage of the shapes and forms the sky presents some days (Figure 3.14).

Outstanding sunsets and layered color at sunrise or sunset, striated clouds cutting diagonally across the sky, and intense overhead thunderstorms are good reasons to compose a wide-angle shot with little more than the sky itself. When presented with these types of skies, move to a position so the structure fills the frame (Figure 3.15). Sometimes this means moving closer to the storm (while being safe) or farther under the clouds.

Even though the sky is the champion in shots like this, remember to place at least a sliver of the earth’s horizon in the shot (Figure 3.16). Showing a bit of land does two things: It provides both perspective and scale, and it showcases context and a sense of place. A very colorful sky full of performance can seem massive when tied to a minute structure on the ground, and that structure on the ground gives the viewer an idea of the environment in which it was shot (Figure 3.17). Power lines (which I desperately try to avoid at a small visual scale) and city buildings suggest an urban backdrop; mountaintops silhouetted against the sky indicate something more natural.

Working the structure in a sky and filling a wide-angle frame up with great clouds and color help a shooter avoid capturing a lot of unwanted and unnecessary void space. For the most part, you want to avoid shooting an empty sky (Figure 3.18). Sometimes the void is what you want, perhaps for unique color or interpretive value (Figure 3.19). The void can be very powerful as a way to show emptiness and critical depth. When I am confronted with bald skies or clouds lacking character, I look for other natural or artificial structures, such as the overhanging branches of a large tree or a creative feature of a building downtown (Figure 3.20).

The rule of thirds—one of the Holy Grail composition guides, suggesting placement of significant subject matter on invisible lines that trisect the frame into vertical and horizontal thirds—comes in especially handy while using strong foregrounds and wide focal lengths. Keeping the primary subject matter near the left or right vertical third and on or in the bottom third of the shot leaves plenty of real estate for the mid-ground expanse, as well as the horizon line on or in the upper third of the frame (Figure 3.24). Design-wise, this type of composition also leaves room for placement of text or other graphics that complement the editorial use of an image.

Strong foreground subjects can also be used as guiding lines themselves. Explore the linear structure of subjects, considering it as a way to direct the eye through the frame. Wide-angle focal lengths allow us to exaggerate this direction, resulting in both aesthetic and strategic composition. One of my favorite places to discover new lines in unsuspecting subject matter is a large pink granite mountain in the Texas Hill Country (Figure 3.25). From high and low, I can find great wide-angle composition by simply pushing in tighter on nearby boulders and arranging myself so that other boulders fall in dynamic lines through much of the frame. I also use fragments of subject matter to help frame a shot (Figure 3.26).

Pointing a wide-angle lens up and down, and pushing it in on a subject and then backing it out all come with fairly drastic changes in perspective. It is the nature of the focal lengths to alter everything in the lens with the exception of the smallest part of the center of the frame (Figures 3.30 and 3.31). This area is like the eye of a hurricane, in which all is “normal.” Outside this very small zone, lines are extended, subject matter grows or shrinks (depending on its distance from the lens), and contents near the edges of the frame begin to stretch so much it looks like they’re trying to get out of the shot.

Distorting perspective is the nature of these lenses and wider focal lengths. It is handy, though, to know where this distortion can get us in trouble. I’m all for breaking the rules when it counts, but when something round (like the petals on flower plants) becomes extremely oblong, I re-adjust my composition, my physical position, or even the lens I’m using to negate this unwelcome warpage. I encourage shooting at wide focal lengths every chance you get just to see how subject matter reacts in the frame.

It all depends on the type of portrait you are wanting to make. More formal portraits may not benefit from the expansive perspective that wide-angles exhibit (Figures 3.33, 3.34 and 3.35). For example, corporate headshots require the least amount of distortion possible to a face and body. Wide-angles don’t surface much in bridal and traditional engagement and family portraits. Aesthetically, these types of portraits benefit more from longer focal lengths that compress distance between foreground and background, and more easily throw the background out of focus.

However, wider lenses are great for environmental portraiture and less traditional forms of portraits. As an editorial photographer, I’m constantly in environmental portrait mode, where showcasing the primary subject’s context is important (Figure 3.36). Wider focal lengths allow the shooter to include a great deal of this environment while also powerfully composing the subject (Figure 3.37).

Full-body environmental portraits work well if the subject is kept from the edges of the frame, where her form may stretch too much because of the glass. Pushing in tight on a waist-up version of the same subject engages the viewer with the subject in a more stylized fashion. Family portraiture that resembles a photojournalistic look more than a traditional one can employ wide focal lengths to place the viewer in the “middle” of the action. Portraits that also exhibit interpretive drama and intensity are often wide-angle shots (Figure 3.38).

This look is not for everyone. Heavier people tend to gain more weight visually when wide-angles are pushed in on them, and while shooting subjects from below eye level may convey power for some, others may not like how it elongates their body. When shooting down on a subject with a wide-angle, you may turn the subject into a bobble-head doll (Figure 3.39) or make them top-heavy, seemingly leaning toward the outer edge of the frame along a slanted line (Figure 3.40).

The wide-angle portrait is a balance act of context and perspective. Although lenses have no bias toward gender, people viewing portraits often do. Wide-angles are less prevalent in making portraits of women—especially in commercial settings—than of men, due to the level of distortion that comes with these lenses (Figure 3.41). Again, it all depends on the type of portraiture you are looking to create (Figure 3.42). Practice and knowledge of how the lens will affect the portrait’s look are key to successfully using it (Figure 3.43).

All this being said, extremely wide focal lengths are generally not used for portraiture. The next chapter will cover a vast range of lenses and focal lengths that are more popular for this type of work, as well as a great many other forms of photography.

Lock it to the left

Walk outside with your wide-angle lens and zoom it out to the widest focal length (if you have a prime lens, just walk outside). Whether it is 24mm, 18mm, 10mm, or 8mm, stay at one focal length and work on composing with an extremely expansive perspective. Look around for strong subject matter to place in the foreground of some landscape shots, such as a knee-high plant or small rock formation. If you are downtown, look for street signs to compose with iconic buildings or roads to showcase strong lines. Working with the widest focal length you can will allow you to get comfortable with it, and as a result, develop some very interesting images.

Study the structure of the sky

Point your camera up to the sky and look for great composition up there. The next time a thunderstorm rolls your way, or the sky looks like it will offer up a nice sunrise or sunset, position yourself under it and look for structure. Strong lines created by striations or stretches of clouds, identifiable forms like circles and triangles, and layers of color make for not only interesting skies but often intriguing shots.

Portraits with a purpose

Choose a person—friend or family member—and photograph her in her environment. Create several portraits of your subject at varying wide-angle focal lengths and camera-to-subject distances. Seek out compositional elements and prime spots in which to place your subject. When moving in and away from your subject, recomposing the person in the frame, pay special attention to the distortion the focal length creates for the environment and your subject. Shoot full-length shots as well as waist-up portraits, and see what works best with the environment and the subject.

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