Quick Tip: Use Super-Wide Angles For Architecture
By Brian Auer • July 12th, 2007There are many ways to take photos of buildings and other structures, but one of my favorite methods of capturing arcitecture is with a wide angle lens. I’m not just talking about the standard wide angles — I’m talking super-wides. I have a 10-20mm zoom, and I find myself shooting more at the 10mm range of the lens. It creates much more distortion than at 20mm, but I try using that to my advantage in order to give the subject more impact. So if you have a wide angle lens that causes distortion, ignore all the rules of architecture photography and get creative. See how strange you can make your subjects appear — who knows, it might look better that way.
Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from San Diego, California. He's also the guy behind the Epic Edits Weblog. As a hobbyist photographer since 2003, his passion has been to constantly improve his photography skill set, to share his own knowledge with others, and to become an integral part of the photographic community.
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Superwides are a lot of fun for tall things. I was recently having fun with them for taking pictures of trees from underneath overhangs.
This is the lens that I really want. I was on a photo shoot recently and noticed a young photographer always getting up close to things (rocks, flowers, cracks in the pavement). I realized that while he was viewing things in Macro, I really see things in Wide Angle. It will probably have to wait until next year, but I can’t wait to get my hands on one.
They are a lot of fun. I’ve been shooting mostly with my 10-20mm on my cross-country trip. They make you think differently when you put the camera up to your eye — it’s a great mind exercise.
Super wide angle makes scenes so much more dramatic.
Great idea, I’m really into using zoom lenses at the moment (just because its sunny here in Ireland at the moment and insects and so on look so cool) but I’ve been thinking about wide lenses recently. I like to take pictures of old ruinous buildings (castles and abbeys mostly) and you’ve given me a couple of good ideas
thanks