Shooting Wide

[cshontz]

I'm still experimenting with the Canon 10-22 EF-S - learning its strengths, and limitations. I've had good luck outdoors, but I've had mixed results indoors or shooting symmetrical objects that we expect to see proportionally correct.

For instance, I was pleased with what I saw when I framed this shot. I love how it captured the vertical space. However, when I loaded it up on the computer, I was disappointed by the egg-shaped distortion of the Jeep's tires and wheels. How would you recommend making the best of this scene using a wide angle lens?

 

[articulate]

Learn to love it. This is the nature of mega-wide angle lenses.

So try to keep round objects away from the edges if you don't like the effect. I wouldn't make that an absolute rule though, because sometimes the composition and/or light trump your dislike of the distortion.

Other solutions involve ditching that beautiful lens you just bought. Such as stitching several photos together that were used at a longer focal length, or getting a "shift" lens for this kind of thing.

This brings me back to: learn to love it

 

[Lost Canadian]

I agree with Mark. What it looks like you are trying to do with this picture is gobble up real estate, as you said vertical space. Despite it's name though this is not the strength of super wides. You have to think odd/interesting perspectives when you place that lens on your camera. First choose your focus and desired effect. For instance try to illustrate a really big jeep in a garage, or show a big garage swallowing up the jeep.

Move around, get real close if your focus is the jeep, get down down down to the ground or close to a wall if your trying to illustrate the size of the garage. With super wides it's all about illustrating and exaggerating distance and size relations.

 

[Photog]

Wow, that lens is doing a great job. All the straight lines are still straight. Very little pin-cushion effect.

Super-wide anlge lenses are designed to make common scenes more dramatic, and dramatice scenes absolutely wild.

The edges and corners will be stretched, as the front tire of the Jeep shows.If you were to move closer to the front of the Jeep, the tire would look like an oval, and a little stretching from the lens won't make it look so odd.

Don't give up on it! As Mark said; "Learn to love it".

With any good photo shoot, move around your subject, near and far, up and down. You will see how the image is stretched, and what angles are not so pleasing.

Try shooting some landscapes. Sizes and shapes are not as well defined, and you can get away with a lot more shape and size distortion. Check out these photos by Marc Adamus. He is a master of wide angle and long exposures.

Cheers!

 

[cshontz]

Thanks for your advice guys. I'll take it to heart and try different things.

 

[jakesurfer]

wow... i love it. i want those lense.

 

[nwoods]

Some great suggestions here. If you want total straightness and lack of parrallax out of the lens, you need a Tilt-Shift len$. Or, shoot smaller images and merge them together. PhotoShop CS3's new PhotoMerge tool is astonishingly good.

A third alternative is to play with the perspective in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), introduced in CS2, and made even better in CS3. You can define what is straight in RAW, then port it into PS and tweak your perspectives to get the rest of the photo to match by using the Lens Correction filter.
http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/lens_distortion/lens.htm

Personally, though, I think that indoor Jeep photo is great.

 

[articulate]

A third alternative is to play with the perspective in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), introduced in CS2, and made even better in CS3. You can define what is straight in RAW, then port it into PS and tweak your perspectives to get the rest of the photo to match by using the Lens Correction filter.

Good post.

What about round objects like the tire?

 

[GunnIt]

Shooting super-wide is one of my favorite past times. Get used to the distortion and use it to your advantage. You are about to discover some other new challenges that these lenses provide, as demonstrated below.

Gotta keep your feet out of the shot! (look at the very bottom of the photo

Watch out for that finger close to the lens! (right corner, bottom)

You will learn to be a contortionist to try and keep your shadow out of the shot...and it does not always work.

 

[GunnIt]

Yep, that wrap effect on the horizon can be a pain...or in some cases even pleasing.

 

[LJRockstar]

These are a few shots I took at Rausch Creek the last time I was there. Took them with my Sigma 8mm Fisheye. Some times the distortion is pretty cool other times it isn't what I'm looking for. One thing it does REALLY well is close up stuff and confined areas, like the one of the underside of a rig to show breakage.