There’s nothing quite like a breath-taking, frame-filling scene to remind you of how beautiful this big, big world of wide-angle photography is. Here’s a quick primer to start capturing this perspective with your Alpha camera.

How wide is wide?

Wide-angle lenses would be defined as anything below 35mm focal length (Full Frame base). Under 20mm focal length would be considered as Ultra-wide.

A good lens for general use would be the FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM as it covers ultra-wide for landscape shooting and 35mm for travel. With its bright F2.8 aperture, it can easily cover darker indoor photography.

Want to create beautiful milky way photographs like a pro? The SEL14F18GM is an excellent choice for astrophotography. Despite being small and light, it delivers supreme resolution even F1.8 in the darkest of nights.

Why shoot wide in the first place? It’s a matter of ultra perspective.

If you are a landscape photographer, you can express a great sense of perspective with ultra-wide-angle lenses. Images shot up close seem dramatically larger whilst further ones seems so much smaller. This in essence creates this 3-dimensional feeling that draws you to any wide angle photography.

Sony wide zoom lenses
SEL1224GM, SEL1224G, SEL1635GM, SELP1635G, SEL1635Z

Sony wide prime lenses
SEL14F18GM, SEL20F18G, SEL24F14GM, SEL28F20, SEL35F14GM, SEL35F18F

You should also take note of whether you’re using a cropped sensor. The focal length doesn’t translate directly. A wide-angle 35mm becomes close to a 50mm on an APS-C camera which is hardly wide at all. Simply multiply the full-frame lens’ focal distance by 1.5 when converting to its equivalent. For Sony lenses, FE lenses are for full frame cameras while E-mount are for APS-C cameras.

1. Focus on the foreground/background

Sometimes a scene will present itself with a vast field, dramatic seas or even detailed rock faces. Compose your image from a low perspective, capturing more of the foreground to not only bring it closer but exaggerate its scale making it more impactful. Foreground objects closer to the camera will appear larger in scale with wide-angle lenses.

In the same light, filling the frame with an overwhelming sky two-thirds of the image would not only capture attention but draw attention to the dramatically smaller objects at the bottom frame.

2. Use the zoom

You don’t always have to go wide. With a zoom lens, in particular, try to cultivate the habit of zooming inward by increasing the focal distance to crop out unnecessary elements which would often be distracting to your subject.

3. …or your legs

You can also remove unwanted elements in the frame by simply walking closer. This applies even more so with fixed prime lenses. In street photography, this is critical to getting that elusive subject amidst that busy, rich background.

4. Beware and be aware of distortion

Distortion is very prominent with wide-angle lenses. Lines and objects such as people’s faces distort close to the curved edges of the frame especially when you aim the camera upward or downward. These will seem unnatural and distracting. Try to keep your subject at the centre where there is the least distortion. If you’re shooting a landscape with a horizon, try to keep it level. If all else fails, you can also consider correcting it in post-production or just simply avoid standing at the ends of group photos. 

Sometimes distortion can also be used in your favour. Aim the camera upwards to make a subject appear larger and more dramatic such as an imposing building or statue that dwarfs everything around it.

PRO TIP: Want to capture wide angle photos that your smartphone can’t? Try capturing headshots really close to create an exaggerated and really funny portrait of your dog or partner. 

5. Lead into your subject

Occasionally you’ll notice a staircase, winding lines or even street signage close to the frame of your image. Use these to lead the viewer’s eyes toward your subject creating a dynamic flow to your photos.  

Now that you hopefully have a wider knowledge of wides, grab a lens and an Alpha camera and go capture that big, big world.