Whether you’re a DSLR owner or have invested in one of the smaller compact system cameras, you’ll probably want to try your hand at some landscape photography at some point. This will naturally lead you to investing in an ultra-wide angle lens, but you’ll soon find that the learning curve is quite steep! This week we’re going to share our top tips on how to get the best results from this specialist lens, and show you that it’s not just for landscapes! 

We don’t always recommend protective filters because in many cases the lens hood offers ample protection from accidental bangs and scratches, but when you’re out amongst the elements chasing sunsets on beaches, or up the side of a mountain, every little helps. Buy a professional quality clear filter and leave it on the lens permanently.

The first thing you notice when you look through one of these lenses is how far away everything seems – including the foreground. When composing your landscape shot try to find something of interest very close to the camera to lead the eye into the shot – even a relatively small rock formation can look large when you get close up to it with an ultra-wide, so don’t be afraid to include something that you might normally disregard.

The other classic use for an ultra-wide is architectural photography, because it allows you to get close enough to include the whole building in the frame. However, photographing buildings is one area where you’ll encounter some serious distortion if you’re not careful to keep your lens as close to vertical as possible.

Any tilting of the camera will cause your vertical lines to converge quite alarmingly and will subsequently require some serious manipulation in post-production to correct. Of course, you could use this to your advantage as a creative choice, but it helps to understand why it happens so that you have control.

Buildings Wide Lense

“Never use an ultra-wide for portraits” is an oft-repeated rule, and generally we agree, but there are occasions when it can look great. Use your ultra-wide to create spectacular environmental portraits by adding people to your landscapes – you could even take sensational selfies this way!

Another fun project is to use the distortion effect of an ultra-wide to take cartoonish portraits. Choose the widest setting on your lens and get nice and close to your subject to create crazy images with distorted heads, eyes and noses. Try it out! A good giggle is guaranteed!

We hope this will help you make the most of your ultra-wide lens and maybe some of the great images you take will look amazing printed onto canvas!