This morning some of the family went out to visit dad in the
nursing home. On the way back some of
them wanted to stop in the town of Senoia for a little shopping. I took the opportunity to shoot some photos and
to complete the next exercise.
The purpose is to demonstrate how zooming in on a subject is
not the same as standing next to it. In both cases you can fill the frame with
your subject, but the image will not be the same. I took three pairs that demonstrate this
quite nicely. All
were shot using my standard kit lens, a Nikkor 18-55mm. The first image was taken with the longest
focal length (55), the second with the shortest (18). This required shooting the subject from a
distance, then walking up to the subject and shooting again.
The differences seem quite clear. In the pair of images of sign posts, the one
shot at short focal length shows greater depth.
The one shot at long shows compressed planes, making the image appear
flat. The other two pairs show buildings shot at
short focal length displaying distortion.
The church seems rounder and the museum to tilt to the left.
 |
| 55mm |
 |
| 18mm |
 |
| 55 |
 |
| 18 |
 |
| 55 |
 |
| 18 |
Implications? Buildings or other large objects may be best
shot at long focal lengths from a distance.
Scenes with depth should perhaps be shot close if you wish to avoid compressing
planes. I’ll have to experiment
more. This was quite a useful and
interesting exercise.
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Hi Jeff. I really like the pictures you've used for this article. I think they illustrate the differences in using various focal lengths very well. I like that you've used 18mm and 55mm, so within reach of a standard zoom, as it shows it's a simple change that everyone can make when taking photos. I also think using the signposts was a really good idea!
ReplyDeleteThe perspective you've used for that first photo creates a very powerful image - I like that a lot! I like the subject matter you've chosen for this exercise and like Lucy, think that you've demonstrated the differences really well, particularly within the focal length you've used.
ReplyDelete