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pfm Picture A Week (PAW) 2016

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Lefty said:
Thanks for the honest feedback. Perversely, I actually bought the 14-24mm f2.8 because I am not a natural wide angle shooter. My 'go-to' style of photography is classical portraiture using 50mm + focal lengths. I like to push myself outside my comfort zone and try to develop what I perceive to be my weak areas in photography. I admire the ease with which some people are able to take interesting wide angle shots. This is something which I am looking to emulate.

In terms of wide angle distortion - it seems this definitely bothers some people more than others. The leaning trees were actually intentional. I tilted the lens so as to accentuate the leaning. The 14-24 has very low levels of distortion (for an UWA lens) so this was harder to achieve than it sounds!

In terms of the need to have foreground interest - I see this as a 'rule' which can be followed or broken depending on the artistic outcome you wish to achieve. (like the rule of thirds). One doesn't have to follow it and as I develop my wide angle technique, I hope to be able to use the natural pushing away of the subject and wide angle distortions to my creative advantage.

Lefty
Click to expand...

I got into "extreme" wide angle photography many years ago, and I don't really remember why, or how. As a kid I always wanted longer and longer telephotos, and eventually had an awful 300mm f8 beast that was really awful... I bought a Yashica FR1 as I wanted to trigger the shutter electronically, but never really did, and that lead me to the Contax variants, and being a lens person (I am an optometrist by profession, and my childhood ambition was to be a lens designer!) the Contax / Zeiss link meant that I developed a passion for Zeiss lenses. The Zeiss 18mm f4 was an iconic lens in the 1980s, and I eventually was wealthy enough to buy one. I cannot accurately recall when I bought my first one, but it was probably in the mid 1990s and it was around £1k.
I then was suddenly presented with a whole new viewpoint on the world. Depth of field that went from about a foot away to infinity, and perspectives that the human eye doesn't actually see, but can perceive were opened up.
As a landscape photographer (sort of...) this was a bit like lying on the ground and looking... I really like that!
Nowadays we can buy really excellent extreme wide angle lenses as the industry has had to develop high dioptric lenses to cope with tiny sensors, so a 12mm f2 lens like the Samyang I use on my Fujis is excellent and cheap - actually at least as good as my £1k Zeiss 18mm. Just get low, and enjoy the perspective!
 
JemHayward said:
I got into "extreme" wide angle photography many years ago, and I don't really remember why, or how. As a kid I always wanted longer and longer telephotos, and eventually had an awful 300mm f8 beast that was really awful... I bought a Yashica FR1 as I wanted to trigger the shutter electronically, but never really did, and that lead me to the Contax variants, and being a lens person (I am an optometrist by profession, and my childhood ambition was to be a lens designer!) the Contax / Zeiss link meant that I developed a passion for Zeiss lenses. The Zeiss 18mm f4 was an iconic lens in the 1980s, and I eventually was wealthy enough to buy one. I cannot accurately recall when I bought my first one, but it was probably in the mid 1990s and it was around £1k.
I then was suddenly presented with a whole new viewpoint on the world. Depth of field that went from about a foot away to infinity, and perspectives that the human eye doesn't actually see, but can perceive were opened up.
As a landscape photographer (sort of...) this was a bit like lying on the ground and looking... I really like that!
Nowadays we can buy really excellent extreme wide angle lenses as the industry has had to develop high dioptric lenses to cope with tiny sensors, so a 12mm f2 lens like the Samyang I use on my Fujis is excellent and cheap - actually at least as good as my £1k Zeiss 18mm. Just get low, and enjoy the perspective!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the words of encouragement. The Samyang lenses are excellent. I very nearly bought their 14/2.8 but was put off by the high levels of distortion. However, it's a damn sight cheaper than the 14-24/2.8! Must say I'm enjoying my first baby steps into Ultra Wide Angle photography :)

Lefty
 
Lefty said:
Thanks for the words of encouragement. The Samyang lenses are excellent. I very nearly bought their 14/2.8 but was put off by the high levels of distortion. However, it's a damn sight cheaper than the 14-24/2.8! Must say I'm enjoying my first baby steps into Ultra Wide Angle photography :)

Lefty
Click to expand...

distortion and wide angle is a big subject... I'll create a new thread on this in a few moments...
 
Thanks CB - to be honest, couldn't really fail with this one as those kids were having such a ball. :)

Thought I'd try a bit of my own Fuji advertising and named this one 'Keep it light' (sorry it's a bit naff but it's been quiet here today!). :)

Keep it light by Boxertrixter, on Flickr

Fuji X100 (ye Olde One)
 
Inspired by Gromit's excellent flower shots from yesterday, here's one from an after lunch walk with the humble (but excellent) Nikkor 50mm f1.8G:



Spring Warmth by Amar Sood, on Flickr

Nikon D610 / Nikkor 50mm f1.8G AF-S

Lefty
 
ShelsleyPork_1024px.jpg


Damp and overcast at Shelsley Walsh this morning (iPhone5/chrome emulation)
 
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