Working the Subject with a Wide-Angle

By Kerry Drager

When I find a stationary subject I really like, I try to shoot it in as many different ways as possible. And one foggy morning at my pond, I did just that with this bright red wooden boat. The light was right: soft from fog and very pleasing ... ideal for capturing colors and details.

My self-assigned goal this particular day was to give one specific lens a creative workout - my 12-24mm wide-angle zoom (paired with my Nikon D-SLR) - while coming up with a variety of compositions. In the accompanying examples, the focal lengths were almost identical (22mm in one, 24mm in the other) ... I used format (horizontal, after shooting a vertical) and camera position (moving physically closer and pointing my camera downward for the horizontal) to create two very different images.

Note, too, that I chose a viewpoint that emphasized the graphic-design quality of the strong diagonal lines formed by the boat and paddles. I even re-positioned the paddles after shooting the bigger view! Remember: It's my pond and my boat :-)

This is the sort of personal project around my home that keeps my shooting eye sharp while also providing some photographic fun during the many times that I can't make it out to a more exotic locale!

Note: Check out my online photo courses here at BetterPhoto.com:
Creative Close-ups and Creative Light and Composition

Red Boat - Vertical ... photo by Kerry Drager
f16 at 1/4 sec.; 12-24mm zoom set at 22mm; ISO 100; tripod &
cable release; polarizer to cut glare and boost color.

Red Boat - Horizontal ... photo by Kerry Drager
f22 at 1/2 sec.; 12-24mm zoom set at 24mm; ISO 100; tripod & cable release; polarizer to reduce glare on the reflective surfaces.

Comments

[Lois]

Love your 2 pictures and appreciate learning more about composition. Also your ability to capture an interesting subject right in your own backyard! I need new eyes in my yard. Lois

[Kerry]

Hi Lois,
Thanks for taking the time to comment ... much appreciated! And I'm pleased that you like the photos!!
Kerry