Exercise 12: Close and involved

A true wide angle lens is about 28mm or less.  One of the uses of a wide angle lens is to be able to cover a large subject area in a single shot. For this exercise I have to use a wide angle lens and concentrate on using it close to people to capture a sense of the viewer right inside the frame.

Here are some of the shots I took.

This shot certainly gives the viewer a sense of being part of the shot.  I feel like I am walking down the steps looking at this.

This image is the perfect example of how a wide angle lens can distort the view.  In this shot the horse is much bigger than in real life.  The size of the buildings in the background are greatly exaggerated too making the man look bigger than them.  The viewer of this image would feel like the horse was going to walk into them at any moment - and it nearly did!

The car is exaggerated in this shot but it gives the viewer a sense of intimacy with the shot.  

I found this a little more difficult to shoot as it is very difficult to shoot someone up close without them becoming aware of what you are doing.  In saying that I found it a good way to shoot if you want to capture more of the background or the subject's environs.

Advantages of shooting with a wide angle lens:

• Get to include more of the subject's surroundings which is good for narrative
• Gives the viewer the feeling of being involved in the scene
• Enjoyable to be part of the scene yourself
• Can give a sense of action or movement or just the feeling that something is happening in your shots which I feel you would lose by standing back

Disadvantages:

• People tend to notice you
• Shooting wide angled can lead to distortion of the person's face etc if they fill a lot of the frame
• Not the most comfortable way to shoot strangers