What Are The Shooting Techniques For Wide-Angle Lenses? How Is It Different From A Standard Lens?

Because of its unique perspective, wide-angle lenses have unique shooting effects and are often used to shoot wide scenes and close-up subjects. So, what are the shooting techniques for using wide-angle lenses? What is the difference between wide-angle lenses and standard lenses? Let’s explore it together today.

1、What are the shooting techniques of wide-angle lens?

Mastering some shooting techniques can help photographers better utilize the characteristics of wide-angle lenses, show unique perspectives, and create more vivid and interesting works.

Make the most of your wide view

Wide-angle lenses have a broad field of view, which can include more background details and environmental elements. Photographers should make full use of this feature when shooting, and create a more three-dimensional and vivid picture through composition and angle selection, presenting richer scenes and emotions.

Choose the right subject to shoot

Wide-angle lenses are suitable for shooting wide scenes and close-up subjects, and these characteristics should be taken into account when choosing a subject. For example, you can choose wide landscapes, buildings, street scenes, and close-up people and objects as the subject of your shot, which can show the unique perspective and perspective effect of wide-angle lenses.

Choose the right subject

Pay attention to controlling perspective effect

A wide-angle lens is prone to perspective effects, and a strong sense of perspective will appear even when shooting subjects far away, but it is not enough to overdo it. Photographers can control this perspective effect by adjusting the shooting angle and composition, making the subject more prominent and vivid, while also avoiding excessive distortion or deformation of the image.

Note the distortion in the corners of the image

Wide-angle lenses are prone to deformation and distortion of corners, such as elongated edges or shrunk centers. Photographers need to pay attention to the composition of the picture and the details of the corners when shooting, avoid getting too close to the edge of the picture, and keep the whole picture balanced and stable.

Avoid zooming in too close to the subject

Due to the characteristics of wide-angle lenses, it is easy to deform or distort the subject when zooming in. Therefore, when shooting close-up subjects, the photographer needs to pay attention to controlling the distance of zooming in to avoid excessive zooming in and causing the subject to deform. You can adjust the shooting angle and distance appropriately to maintain the true shape of the subject.

Avoid getting too close to the subject

Note the combination of foreground and background

Being able to capture more details of the foreground and background is one of the important features of a wide-angle lens. Therefore, photographers can use the combination of foreground and background to create a sense of layering and depth, and by finding suitable foreground elements to increase the layering of the picture, the whole picture will be richer and more eye-catching.

2、What is the difference between a wide-angle lens and a standard lens?

As two commonly used lens types, wide-angle lenses and standard lenses have obvious differences in many aspects such as viewing angle and focal length. Photographers can choose the appropriate lens type according to their creative purpose and shooting needs.

Difference 1: Viewing angle

A wide-angle lens has a broad viewing angle, can include more background and environmental elements, and has excellent depth of field and perspective effects; a standard lens has a more natural viewing angle, can present a picture similar to that of the human eye, and is suitable for shooting portraits and general daily scenes.

Different viewing angles

Difference 2: Focal length range

The focal length of a wide-angle lens is usually shorter, generally less than 35mm, which can capture a wider picture and more environmental elements; the focal length of a standard lens is usually between 35mm and 85mm, with a slightly narrower viewing angle, which is closer to the picture seen by the human eye.

Difference 3: Shooting subject

Wide-angle lenses are suitable for shooting wide landscapes, buildings, street scenes and other scenes, and are also suitable for shooting close-up people and objects; standard lenses are more suitable for shooting portraits, still lifes, daily life scenes, etc.

Different shooting subject

Difference 4: Distortion and deformation

Wide-angle lenses are prone to corner deformation and distortion during shooting, such as tilting of buildings and stretching of people. In comparison, standard lenses have relatively small distortion and deformation, and the picture is more realistic and stable.

Difference 5: Perspective effect

Wide-angle lenses can easily produce perspective effects, making objects near and far appear more exaggerated and three-dimensional; the perspective effect of standard lenses is relatively flat, and the distance relationship of objects is closer to reality.