Helpful Tips for Using Your First Ultra-wide Angle Lens

The ultra-wide angle lens is one of the most exciting out there, able to take sprawling, majestic scenes and bring their entirety into a single frame. They can be rather challenging to use, however. If you just picked up your first ultra-wide angle lens and you are ready to get started, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you a range of useful advice sure to have you on your way in no time. 

Coming to you from Matt Zefi with B&H Photo and Video, this great video tutorial will show you some helpful advice for learning to use an ultra-wide angle lens, particularly for landscape photography. Perhaps the most common mistake made with an ultra-wide angle lens is not including a foreground element. A foreground element is necessary because wider focal lengths tend to shrink the background and push it away, and without a foreground element to give depth to the frame and give the viewer a natural entry point, the shot can look very flat and empty. It doesn't take much; even just something like a carefully placed rock can make all the difference. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Zefi. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi." 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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