Using a wide angle lens in photography

A lens is considered to be wide angle when it offers a field of view wider than about 60°. Its most obvious effect is to reduce the size of the image in the viewfinder. At the same time it allows objects in the foreground to be included which a normal lens would exclude. Obviously the wider the angle the greater these effects. Apart from these facilities, a wide angle lens offers other, less obvious advantages. It has a greater depth of field than longer lenses, and by including more of the foreground area it exaggerates perspective and increases the feeling of depth in a picture.

There are also a number of disadvantages to this piece of equipment that you should bear in mind. Its greater depth of field means that in normal circumstances there is a tendency for pictures to be sharp all over, so that more care is needed in isolating the main centre of interest. It is much easier to produce pictures which are 'busy' and confusing with this type of lens. The inclusion of more foreground without the necessity of moving further back also means that there is a considerable risk of perspectives being so greatly exaggerated that they appear distorted. This can be particularly apparent when photographing subjects well endowed with parallel vertical lines, such as architecture. As soon as the camera is tilted up or down away from the horizontal the lines will begin to converge.

This occurs regardless of which lens is used, but the closer viewpoint of the wide angle exaggerates the effect dramatically. Perspective is purely a function of viewpoint and is not related to the focal length of the lens, with the exception of specially computed lenses such as fish eye and anamorphic. As with most 'faults' that exist in the photographic process, these effects can be used intentionally to produce unusual and dramatic images but if they are caused without deliberate intention the result is usually unpleasant and distracting.

It is the particular ability to create a strong impression of depth that makes the wide angle lens a specially useful tool for the landscape photographer. By including close foreground areas in the picture area and enhancing the impression of perspective, the wide angle lens offers a unique quality to this area of photography. Remember that while the effect of a longer lens can be obtained by enlarging or cropping, there is no way of creating wide angle effects without using a wide angle lens. In addition to including more foreground area the wide angle lens will also of course allow more sky area to be shown.

This is particularly useful when a dramatic or interesting sky is an important element in the composition of a picture. The effect of polarizing and special effect filters will be much stronger in such pictures when used with a wide angle lens. Another advantage of these lenses, particularly valuable in landscape work. is that it needs only a slight change of viewpoint to achieve a marked variation on the composition and the juxtaposition of the elements in the picture.

As well as lateral changes in viewpoint, the wide angle lens can be especially effective when working from a low or high position, creating much more dramatic results than would be achieved with lenses of longer focal length. When a bright sun is included in the picture the effect tends to be more pleasing with a wide angle lens, which often causes 'starburst' type streaks to radiate from it, eliminating the need for attachments. With the wide angle, flare is less likely to occur and consequently it is easier to maintain the contrast of the subject when shooting into the sun than when longer lenses are used.

There are three ways to avoid tilting the camera in order to include the top of a building in the picture. Most obvious (but not always possible) is to move further back. This will inevitably include more foreground area than you might have wanted. This can be overcome by simply cropping off the surplus area or by finding some foreground interest that can be used as an additional element in the composition.

If space is so restricted that you cannot move further back then try moving the camera position higher. Often it is possible to gain access to a building opposite the one you wish to photograph and to shoot from a position about halfway up the face of your subject. The only other alternative is to use a lens or a camera which enables the optical axis of the lens to be moved higher in relation to the film. This lets you raise the viewpoint optically without having to actually move the camera higher.

Most large format view or technical cameras have this facility, which explains why they are widely used by professional architectural photographers. However, a number of lens manufacturers make 'perspective control lenses' designed to fit single lens reflex cameras. These are simply wide angle lenses fitted to a panel, with a screw adjustment which allows the lens to be shifted away from the optical axis. The panel can be rotated so that the lens can be moved horizontally as well as vertically.

If none of these alternatives are possible, then the only way to include the top of a tall building is to go ahead and tilt the camera upwards. If this is done in a considered way the result can be extremely effective. As a general rule, if you stand in a position opposite and in the centre of the base of the building you are shooting, and tilt the camera so that the base of the building is included in the picture, the result is usually a photograph of a building about to fall backwards.

You can avoid this effect in a number of ways. First of all, exclude the base of the building. Secondly don't allow the picture to become too symmetrical, stand towards one corner rather than in the centre; it can also be helpful to allow some foreground detail to appear in the top or sides of the frame, for instance an overhanging branch or an archway.

A more pleasing effect can often be gained by tilting the camera horizontally as well as vertically. These camera angles are usually more effective when there is some detail or interest in the sky tone, such as strong white clouds or even just a rich blue sky. As a final generalization it is better to overdo the effect of tilting rather than to approach it too tentatively and allow it to simply look like a fault.

Whenever you are shooting in situations where there is movement, excitement, crowds of people and lots of activity the wide angle lens can be a vital accessory. A quick glance through the news magazines will show that such a lens is a popular, almost obligatory choice for today's photojournalists.

It can however be just as useful for the man who wants to photograph a childrens' tea party as it is for someone covering a demonstration. In crowd conditions, the considerable depth of field and lack of need for critical focusing which is inherent in a wide angle lens is high on the list of advantages.

It is possible to change angles and viewpoints quickly to follow the movement of the action without the encumbrance of a swiftly changing plane of focus. The ability to work at close quarters to your subject and still include a wide field of view creates a quality of involvement and intimacy in the pictures which in turn gives the viewer a much stronger impression of reality.

A less obvious advantage of these lenses is that they enable a photographer to work close in to his subject without anyone realizing that they are the subject, especially as the lens often does not need to be pointed directly at them. Inexperienced photographers may well believe that a long lens is much more useful for candid photography but this is by no means necessarily so, and in many circumstances a wide angle lens is far less likely to attract the subject's attention.