Pre Widwed: Perspective

If you look back over your old National Geographic journals you see lots of great pictures.  In fact many of the people who subscribe to National Geographic, admit to doing so for the outstanding photography - especially the occasional striking images which really knock one's socks off ... that make one go "Wow!"

It is no secret that the lion's share of those National Geographic wow pictures were shot with wide angle lenses.

Wide angle lenses offer this innate ability to transform reality, enabling you to show seemingly mundane things in new and exciting ways.  It's often said that the difference between documentation and art is that the later doesn't just show the fact of something.  It offers narrative on fact in the same instant. The subject is revealed and by interpreting it in an "out of left field"  manner, the resultant image inherently lurches toward a form of artistic expression.

Keep this thought in mind: wide angle lenses aren't really about width. They are about depth. They are not merely there to fit everyone in the frame at the family picnic. They are there to re-interpret the relationship of picture elements in a three dimensional sense. I suppose that means that they are good at revealing what most of us might describe as "perspective".

Wide angle lenses can do this by exaggerating the apparent distance between nearby picture elements and more distant ones,  while at the same time rendering everything in sharp focus. Obviously the essential thing that the photographer must do to enhance this effect is to ensure that the nearby elements are genuinely nearby and that you are using a small enough aperture for sufficient depth of field.  The depth perception thing really doesn't happen without that.  Remember: the closer the stronger.

Of course concepts like wide angle distortion, leading line composition and foreground interest are related to what I have described but let's just fixate on PERSPECTIVE for now - exaggerating perceived distances. That is your Wide Angle Wednesday (widwed63) challenge for this week. I am really looking forward to seeing what you come up with tomorrow.

Please forgive me if I am telling you what you well and truly know from your own experience. In fact, many of you are much better at this than me. But some of you may not have considered wide angle photography before or realised what you can do with it.

I quickly shot two pictures above to illustrate how getting close to a nearby element can enhance perspective. There's a similar comparison in the extras. Don't forget to check out the two links above. You don't need a fancy lens. You may be amazed by what can be achieved with the wide angle setting on a simple compact camera. Have fun and get close.