The magic of wide-angle lenses
Are your daily landscape and nature photos not achieving the desired effect? Sometimes all it takes is a change in framing and composition. But sometimes the quality of the lens must also be considered. Don’t talk about the theory of only equipment. The pros and cons of the lens can definitely play an important role in actual combat, so this article will also recommend some equipment that I personally think is better.
Tilting the camera makes the signature perspective exaggeration effect of ultra-wide-angle lenses (full-frame equivalent focal lengths below 24mm) more pronounced. Perspective exaggeration makes nearby objects appear closer and distant objects appear further away, making the scene appear deeper , more grand.
Move the lens closer to the plants, some wide-angle lenses have semi-macro capabilities (such as the RF24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM), and even small objects appear relatively large in the frame. For example, the image on the right was taken at about 0.5x or half-macro magnification, which is perfect for capturing a praying mantis and its natural environment.
RF24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM is a compact and lightweight wide-angle fixed-focus lens with a minimum focusing distance of about 14cm. It also provides the advantages of f/1.8 maximum aperture and 0.5x macro shooting. This makes it a powerful tool for capturing images of the beauty of nature. In addition to shooting landscapes such as majestic mountains and waterfalls, it can also show close-ups of plants and insects in the surrounding environment. It can even rely on a large aperture to cope with astrophotography that captures the vast Milky Way at night.
In addition, in macro shooting, different focus selections can create different image effects. When moving the shooting focus, the macro object to be photographed should be in the middle of the screen. Generally, you should select the most attractive part of the screen, that is, the part you want to express the most, and keep the shutter half-pressed. After the camera is ready (wait for a while to allow the camera to focus) then press the shutter calmly to avoid blurred photos.
Generally speaking, the closer the lens is to the object in macro mode (so you should look at the parameters of the closest focusing distance when purchasing equipment, generally about 10cm is more suitable, 20cm is a bit too far), the larger the object will be, if you do not Pay attention to the finishing touch, the picture of the film will appear very dull. For example, when shooting subjects such as small insects, the focus should be on the eyes of the insects. The eyes are the aura of life, the clearer the shot, the better. Especially for tiny creatures like bees, caterpillars and ants, more attention should be paid to the expression of the eyes.
0.5x macro and 0.25x macro
Looking at another design phenomenon, more and more macro lenses have a maximum magnification of 0.5x, also known as “semi-macro”. On the other hand, there are some that offer at least 0.25x magnification, called “1/4 Macro”. What’s the difference between these, especially compared to a lens capable of at least 1.0x life size magnification (1:1 ratio on CMOS)? Look at the picture on the right, the smaller the magnification, the weaker the macro visual effect.
Of course, we can obtain different kinds of flower images under different magnifications, and 0.25x magnification can be used to capture larger flowers and plants, because on a lens with a maximum magnification of 0.25x, even when shooting at the closest focusing distance, Small objects also don’t fill the frame. (Remember: on most lenses, the maximum magnification is achieved at the closest focusing distance).
combine two worlds into one
The beauty of wide-angle lenses is that they can capture a lot of background information, and they can also be ideal for “layering shots”, showing the underwater world and the land or sky in the same frame, which is often used by photographers when diving or going to the beach unique way of shooting. At the same time, it should also be noted that it is necessary to purchase a slightly expensive underwater housing, otherwise the loss of equipment will outweigh the gain.
Beginners can try to find the subject in shallow water, such as finding a piece of sand in shallow water, and then find some places where the water is not too deep, and the water quality is clean and thorough, immerse about half of the lens in the water, observe through the viewfinder, and Adjust the final composition while paying attention to the background.
For example, we are close enough to the corals to emphasize the perspective between them and the background. Shooting the corals allows the clouds to take up a large part of the composition, which not only emphasizes the height of the sky, but also creates an interesting contrast to the corals.
Next wait for the fish to approach the water line, the water boundary line almost in the center of the image helps to establish the relationship between the two worlds in the upper and lower half of the composition. In automatic or semi-automatic mode, momentary movement on the water will cause the exposure setting determined by the camera to fluctuate. To ensure that the exposure remains constant, learn to use M mode.
I opened the aperture to f/6.3, the purpose is to draw more attention to the subject in the foreground, f/6.3 can be used to slightly blur the background. Next, focus on the coral in front of you and watch the fish move so you can release the shutter at the right moment. I didn’t use flash here because I wanted to enhance the coral tones with slightly sharper shadows to add a unique touch.
“Copy” wide-angle with medium telephoto
Wide-angle images are usually associated with keywords such as greater depth of field, greater spatial depth, and exaggerated perspective. But as an old mage, we all understand that if we really face an extremely vast and vast scene, we often don’t like to use fisheye or wide-angle, because the theme we want to reflect may not be easy to detect when the picture comes out.
Longer focal lengths may not capture the same perspective as a wide angle (mainly perspective effects and distortion with some differences), but with the right technique, they can also create images that look like they were shot on a wider lens. Depending on the scene, longer focal lengths may work better, the bottom right shot with a 67mm lens focal length mimics wide-angle vision while capturing the density of this expanse of purple silver grass.
Under the right light, the purple silvergrass looks like a giant golden carpet that stretches for miles. In order to capture such a scene, the author chose an autumn afternoon to go to the shooting point, arrived at around 4 pm and began to wait. While waiting, the author began to observe the surrounding location and noticed something: the grass grows very densely, and to reflect it in the image, some wind is needed to reflect their different postures. Second, thick cloud cover appears low, casting long shadows under nearby tree stumps.
I originally thought of the best location for sunset, about an hour away, because the warmer light renders the colors better. However, as the cloud cover increased, the author decided not to move the ground and started shooting immediately. Although the shooting time was not yet sunset, setting the white balance to “cloudy” enhanced the golden color of the field, and it still looked like a sunset a feeling of. So look, in fact, photography does not have a fixed rule. In many cases, the photographer needs to control the timing and location of the shooting.