Photo Sharing: Ultra Wide Angle

[WDWFigment]

I always love seeing what you will post next Tom! Love the colors!!!

Thanks!

Tom,

You should forget about being a laywer and go into photography, you a great eye for it! Let's be honest, do we really need more lawyers? I say no.

Thanks for the kind words.

I think unless you are willing to do wedding photography (even if I were willing, which I'm not, I would not be good at that), photography is a tough field in which to make a living.

I definitely agree that there are too many lawyers in the world. Luckily, the field is contracting around here and I have a lot of classmates who are fearful that they aren't going to be employed after graduation, which is a really scary thought after potentially incurring student loans in amounts as high as $40,000 per year for 7 years.

In light of all of that, I think I'll stick with the lawyer thing for the time being at least. We both are happy that way (I have a job and there are still less lawyers in the world). If it's any consolation, I don't plan on being an ambulance chaser or the kind that advertises on TV. I'm

Great minds think alike, Tom?

Definitely. I like the pinks and purples in your shot. SSE really is the perfect subject. So many different "takes" on the same thing.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

A quick google search found this:

http://www.khulsey.com/photoshop_tutorials/photoshop-lens-distortion-correction.html

Thank you! This will help tremendously.

Just as a little note on shooting with UWA lenses - most of the lenses for UWA sold nowadays are 'rectilinear' lenses - which essentially means they've been designed to minimize distortion on the vertical and horizontal lines when shooting - they emphasize the distortion control most in the center of the frame, with a sharper drop off near the corners. However, this is based on shooting straight-on to your subject - level shooting is crucial to avoid distortion. As soon as you tilt the shooting angle upwards or downwards from the horizon line, you introduce extreme distortion effects.

While this can be very desirable and intended, making for some very cool shots, it should be a tool in your arsenal to use when you want it, not something that happens unintentionally and requiring lots of correction in post processing. So think about the way you are shooting the shot, and decide if distortion is wanted or not. If not, shoot nice and level, straight on to the horizon, 90 degrees from your subject's vertical lines. The lens will usually do an amazing job of keeping those lines nice and straight, without the barrel distortion and perspective skew. If you want that cool UWA distortion effect, then play around with your shooting angle and have fun!

Thanks ZackieDawg. I thought I was shooting straight for both shots, but for some reason, I always end up tilted. I may be one who should always use a tripod because I just can't seem to get shots level no matter how hard I try to get it right before taking the shot. My head must be screwed on crooked or something! OMG, add to that the fact that I'm short! Everything I shoot is usually done pointing up! Being short sucks.

Edit: So Zackiedawg, what do you recommend for short people to do when using an UWA lens? I zoomed with my feet to get a better shot, but then end up having to tilt upwards to get it because I'm short!

You can also use Photoshop's "free transform" tool to fix the issue without having to crop (or without having to crop as much); however, this is not "scientific" (for lack of a better term) and you can end up with odd results. Still, it's what I use most of the time. Normally, I duplicate the layer before doing the transformation so I can use the layer under if it becomes necessary to mask.

EDIT: looks like that article discusses free transform. I have to say I use it in a different manner...when I use it (which is not often as I like the distortion) I normally stretch the photo in ways that 'hide' distortion and possibly actually introduce more distortion that somehow compensates for the original distortion. Yes, my technical knowledge is very limited. I just "do stuff" that looks good to me...

Thanks WDWFigment. Your technical knowledge is not as limited as mine! BTW, I was thisclose to buying a Tokina 11-16 2.8. I have it in the cart and it was in stock and everything! All the stars were aligned to get it! Then I woke up and realized I should master the one I have first...<sigh> maybe one day...

 

[handicap18]

Clicking the picture takes you to its Flickr page!

Great minds think alike, Tom?

Hey, I got one of those too...

 

[Suburbanmom]

UWA Tokina 11-16mm came in very handy for this group shot.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey, I got one of those too...

We've had orange, pink and blue. Do I hear green????

Seriously, nice shots everyone! I actually loved seeing all the different takes on the same subject!

UWA Tokina 11-16mm came in very handy for this group shot.

Great use of the lens!

 

[handicap18]

The Frog Pond in Boston Common, Boston, Ma after a fresh coat of ice from the Zamboni:

10mm using the 10-20mm Simga lens on my Nikon D300:

 

[RBennett]

The Frog Pond in Boston Common, Boston, Ma after a fresh coat of ice from the Zamboni:

10mm using the 10-20mm Simga lens on my Nikon D300:

Am I going blind?? I don't see a picture.

 

[Marlton Mom]

UWA Tokina 11-16mm came in very handy for this group shot.

Hi Amy,
I was wondering if you used any software to straighten out any distortion. This pix looks pretty distortion free... Nice!

Marlton mom

 

[DisFam95]

Just a quick shot w/ my new Tokina 11-16 of my favorite place! I promise Ramsey - I will never buy from anywhere else without checking with you 1st!

Competitive Cameras in Dallas.

 

[Suburbanmom]

Hi Amy,
I was wondering if you used any software to straighten out any distortion. This pix looks pretty distortion free... Nice!

Marlton mom

I don't think so
I shot and processed this while I was still in the Dominican Republic (got home last night at midnight) and I don't remember doing anything more than adjusting the levels and upping the contrast...and cropping the top and bottom off. I tried really hard not to tilt the lens and I think I was eyeing the grid, trying to keep the stripes straight.

 

[WDWFigment]

Clicking the picture takes you to its Flickr page!

 

[boBQuincy]

Canon Xsi, Canon 10-22 @ 10 mm

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Clicking the picture takes you to its Flickr page!

Tom, I noticed that a lot of your photos seem to have an almost metallic sheen to them. (Specificaly this one and the last Epcot photo you posted of SE) How are you achieving this? Your photos just seem to pop off the page!

 

[handicap18]

Am I going blind?? I don't see a picture.

Don't know. I can see it both in IE and Firefox when logged in and when viewing as a guest user.

 

[WDWFigment]

Tom, I noticed that a lot of your photos seem to have an almost metallic sheen to them. (Specificaly this one and the last Epcot photo you posted of SE) How are you achieving this? Your photos just seem to pop off the page!

A lot of contrast and high black levels. I can't stand it when a picture looks 'flat'.

 

[boBQuincy]

I applied what Tom mentioned to this photo, it certainly adds a lot of punch but takes away in some other areas. It's a personal choice, many of my photos are somewhat muted for a "quieter" look but the punchy ones definitely grab your attention!

 

[BorisMD]

Yeah, that's the beauty of photography, it's so customizable that you can do what suits your taste.

I like Scott's compositions, but I find the shots to have a little too much punch -- for my taste.

Nevertheless, I like what you have done with the wide angle lenses.

Regards,

Boris

 

[WDWFigment]

I applied what Tom mentioned to this photo, it certainly adds a lot of punch but takes away in some other areas. It's a personal choice, many of my photos are somewhat muted for a "quieter" look but the punchy ones definitely grab your attention!

I greatly prefer the second of these two (but then again, I've made clear my personal processing style preference). I think it really emphasizes the color in SSE and adds dimension to the geosphere. If you want to combine the best of both worlds, try stacking those two images, and masking to combine SSE of the second shot with the rest of the first shot.

 

[Pooh_Girl]

Don't know. I can see it both in IE and Firefox when logged in and when viewing as a guest user.

Sorry, I think that it must be my work computer not letting me see it. (Sorry, I'm logged into DW's account and I didn't feel like swapping out.) When I got home and looked on my laptop, I see it just fine. Nice picture!

 

[WDWFigment]

Clicking the picture takes you to its Flickr page!