Tips for Using Your First Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens

I’ll never forget the first time I looked through the viewfinder of a camera fitted with a 20mm ultra-wide-angle lens. Everything looked amazing and I blew several rolls of film shooting everything I saw along the way. Prior to using this “exotic” lens, I had never shot with anything wider than the 50mm normal that came with my first 35mm camera.

The sobering part came when I developed the film and started eyeballing the results of my first outing. In a word, they were underwhelming, but I kept at it until I figured out how to use ultra-wide-angle lenses in ways that enabled me to capture the kinds of photographs I envisioned capturing with these wonderfully challenging lenses.

Photographs © Allan Weitz 2021

The Chevelle Super Sport above almost leaps off the screen—the distortion is a result of coming in too close and tilting the lens slightly downward. If I were to back up a foot and level the camera, the distortion would not be as obvious.

Wide-Angle and Ultra-Wide-Angle: What’s the Difference?

The average normal (50mm) lens on a full-frame camera has an angle of view (AoV) of about 47°, which closely replicates the way our eyes perceive perspective and the spatial relationships we see around us.

A wide-angle lens is generally defined as being a lens wider than a 50mm normal lens but not wider than 28mm (approx. 75° AoV). Lenses with focal lengths wider than 28mm are considered ultra-wide-angle lenses and they range from 25mm (approx. 82°) to 10mm (approx. 130°) with about a half-dozen fixed focal length options between them. There are also a number of OEM and third-party ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses available for pretty much every popular camera system.

The lenses discussed in this article are designed for full-frame DSLR and mirrorless camera systems. The same rules and guidelines apply when using comparable ultra-wide-angle lenses designed for APS-C and MFT format cameras. Equivalent focal lengths for smaller format cameras can easily be calculated by multiplying the focal length of a lens by 1.5x for APS-C cameras (1.6x for Canon EOS cameras) or 2x for Micro Four Thirds format cameras.

Do Ultra-Wide-Angle Lenses Distort?

The short answer to this question is Yes, but, depending on the lens, many forms of distortion can be brought under control. The only exception to this rule are circular fisheye lenses, which take optical distortions to their extremes. (More on these later in the text.) The most common—and in my opinion one of the creative (and fun) aspects of shooting ultra-wide-angle lenses—is how heroic mundane things become when framed close up to the lens. The exaggerated proportions that result can be wonderful if you take the time to explore your options.

For example, in the photo above, by shooting at ground level and up close with a 21mm-equivalent lens (approx. 90° AoV) on a point-and-shoot camera, I could make the corncob appear humongous by taking advantage of the forced perspective created by focusing very close with an ultra-wide-angle lens.

There are two key methods of minimizing distortion when taking photographs with ultra-wide-angle lenses. The first is to always keep the camera level. The moment you tilt the camera up or down, you begin introducing distortion into the final photograph. It should be noted this distortion can often be the reason the photograph is interesting, but this is an aesthetic decision the photographer must make for themself.

The second factor in reducing distortion is distance. Sometimes moving in or out an inch or two (or a foot or two) can make a world of difference when it comes to controlling the degree of optical distortion in a photograph.

By maintaining a careful distance from the rear of the vintage automobile shown above, I maintained minimal signs of distortion, despite the 90° AoV of the 21mm ultra-wide-angle lens on my camera. Moving in even a few inches closer greatly changed the geometry of the composition by elongating and distorting the side panels of the car.

Keystone Distortion

A distortion commonly associated with wide-angle lenses is keystone distortion, which is the distortion that makes buildings appear as if they are tilting or falling backward. This is caused when you cannot back up enough to get the entire building in the frame without tilting the camera upward, causing the camera to go out of parallel to the structure being photographed. To get around this problem, many photographers defer to using tilt-shift lenses.

Keystone distortion can also be corrected post-capture using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and other photo editing software. (To learn more about tilt-shift lenses and correcting keystone distortion post-capture in Photoshop Lightroom click here.)

Rectilinear or Non-Rectilinear Lens Design: Why Should You Care?

Without wandering too far out into the weeds, there are two types of wide-angle lens designs—rectilinear and non-rectilinear. With the exception of fisheye lenses, most every consumer ultra-wide-angle lens is a rectilinear design. In a nutshell, when positioned level to your subject, parallel lines such as walls of a building are rendered straight when photographed using a rectilinear ultra-wide-angle lens.

Non-rectilinear lenses are capable of capturing wider fields of view, albeit with notably visible distortion save for the horizon line—and that’s assuming the camera is level. Fisheye lenses, which can capture fields of view wider than 180°, are non-rectilinear lenses.

If taking photographs that render perspective correctly is your goal, you’ll want to use a rectilinear lens. If creativity and gonzo imaging is what you prefer, go for a non-rectilinear lens.

Looking at the two photos above, the motorcycle with the buildings in the background (left) appears distorted because the camera was tilted slightly upward. The front end looks elongated because the bike is angled to the lens. Conversely, the red firebox and yellow pylons (right) were taken with the same lens, but the camera was level to its surroundings, so the walls and building aren’t falling over—all parallel lines remain parallel. Spatial distortions are glaringly obvious in the photograph, but parallel lines remain parallel and the vanishing lines remain true across the image field.

Visual Anchors and Framing Techniques

Strong visual anchors are essential for successful photographs, and these anchors are even more essential when composing photographs using ultra-wide-angle lenses. They are particularly important for landscapes. Without a dominant visual, the eye wanders aimlessly. This is where visual anchors and framing techniques come into play.

This wide-angle picture of the dunes, beach, ocean, and sky is pleasing, but visually it’s a boring photograph. With the exception of the narrow band of darker blue water, there is little in the way of visual tension. More importantly, there isn’t any strong visual anchor point or center of interest. It’s an OK picture, but it’s not a picture that draws you in.

In terms of visual dynamics, the above close-up photograph of the shadow of a handrail captured from slightly below with a 16mm lens is the dominant form in this semi-abstract composition. The dark form of the shadow grabs the viewer’s eye and takes it on a joy ride down and back up the stairs again.

Bold splashes of color against monochromatic or otherwise contrasting backgrounds can also be used as visual anchor guides.

There’s nothing like a splash of color in this otherwise near-monochromatic cityscape captured with a 10mm ultra-wide-angle lens. Note the degree of distortion toward the corners of the frame, even though the camera is relatively level. This is due to the extreme A0V (130°) of the lens. How wide is 130°? To give you a point of perspective, I was no more than two feet from the back of the red VW.

Visual anchors and framing devices need not be obvious. In the above photograph of New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center, the surface of a concrete retaining wall running diagonally across the image field wall visually complements the angular design of the convention center in a very subliminal manner.

Sometimes the phrase “framing the image” can be taken literally, as shown above. A window overlooking a Chinese village mountainside leads the viewer’s eye through the open window and the trees and fields below. Photograph taken with a 25mm lens.

The darker interior of the train carriage serves as a visual framing device in this photograph taken between two cars on a commuter train, using a 16mm lens. Here too, the darkened interior surrounding the brighter scene through the window and beyond adds a layer of depth to the photograph.

An early morning photograph of an Amtrak viaduct over the Raritan River in central New Jersey, taken with a 15mm lens. By getting in close to the base of the viaduct, I was able to use the arch itself as a framing device, which was mirrored in the viaduct’s reflection. The edges of the frame were intentionally darkened post-capture in Photoshop as a secondary visual framing device.

The above photograph of an abandoned gas station was taken with a 10mm rectilinear lens. The extreme field of view of the lens enabled me to overlap the overhead structure and its footing as a visual framing device over the boarded-up service station. Because the camera was level, aside from perceptual spatial distancing, there is little in the way of distortion.

Ultra-Wide-Angle Lenses and Spatial Relationships

One of the characteristics of wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses has to do with the perceived spatial relationships between visual elements within the frame. Just as the curved side-view mirror on your car warns you about objects being closer than they appear, wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses also expand the perceived distances between visual elements within the frame. (Telephoto lenses do the opposite—they compress the perceived distances between visual elements within the frame.)

The above photograph of a walkway at a Jersey shore nature preserve was taken with a 16mm lens. The point where all lines converge appears to be about 1/8-mile from camera position when, in fact, it was closer than 100 feet. Spatial exaggerations aside, as long as the camera is held level there is little, if any, evidence of distortion in the photograph.

Landscapes

I do not think it would be a stretch to say shooting landscapes with an ultra-wide-angle lens is about as satisfying as a good day of fishing. Landscapes and ultra-wide-angle lenses are a natural, and unlike architectural photography, where maintaining parallel lines is a primary concern, there aren’t any parallel lines in nature to be concerned about.

Portraiture Using Ultra-Wide-Angle Lenses

Depending on the positioning of the camera and subject, taking portraits with ultra-wide-angle lenses can produce either fruitful or horrifying results. What’s interesting is that moving the camera position an inch or two one way or the other can make or break the composition. Perhaps the best piece of advice one can offer is never to place an ultra-wide inches from your subject’s face because the results will be Bozo.

In addition to keeping your subject at a comfortable distance from the lens, you should always position them within the center third of the frame to avoid distorting your subject’s features.

In this portrait of Louis Mendes, his equally legendary Speed Graphic is front and center, while Louis is carefully positioned in a way that minimizes the elongated edge distortions that are common in ultra-wide-angle lenses.

Exposure Settings for Ultra-Wide-Angle Lenses

There aren’t any specific rules about exposure settings when using ultra-wide-angle lenses. As for ISO settings, I prefer slower ISO sensitivities for optimal detail and overall tonality, but if lighting or environmental conditions dictate using higher sensitivity levels, so be it—current-generation cameras can handle higher ISO ratings very respectfully.

Because ultra-wide-angle lenses boast a great deal of depth of field even at wide apertures, focus is seldom a critical issue when shooting with these lenses. When photographing at closer distances and at wide apertures, it’s even possible to incorporate selective focusing into your photographs.

When shooting landscapes, unless you have reasons to do otherwise, it’s a good practice to stop your lens down at least 3 to 4 stops for greater depth of field and overall sharpness. Unless there is something visually interesting going on in the foreground, stopping your lens down to about f/8–f/11 with the lens focused at infinity should work in most situations. Although your lens might stop down to f/16 or even f/22, at the smallest lens apertures most lenses no longer perform at their peak in terms of resolving power and suppression of optical aberrations. For this reason, the smallest lens apertures should be reserved for times you need maximum depth of field.

Unless you are trying either to freeze or blur ambient movement in your photograph, the best practice is to set your camera to Aperture Priority. This enables you to maintain control of the depth of field in the image, which is less critical for most wide-angle photography than the actual exposure time.

Lastly, if there are clouds in the sky, use a Polarizing filter to darken the blues and make the color and detail in water and foliage seemingly pop from the frame.

Ultra-Wide-Angle Takeaways

• Distortion is an inherent trait of ultra-wide-angle lenses. The trick is to understand how to control it.
• The easiest way to minimize (if not eliminate) optical distortion is to keep your camera level—as soon as you tilt the camera up or down, you introduce distortion.
• When photographing architecture or landscapes, it’s a good idea to mount your camera on a tripod to maintain level horizon lines. A bubble level or your camera’s internal electronic level (if your camera has one) are also recommended as a means of keeping your camera level.
• When composing photographs using an ultra-wide-angle lens, always include a visual anchor to lead the viewer’s eye. This can be a bold color, a shadow, or other graphic design element that makes the photograph work.
• When possible, add a visual framing device as a means of adding a greater sense of physical depth to the photograph.
• Polarizing filters can greatly improve the color saturation and detail in landscape photography.
• Find the sweet spot when composing your photograph—not too close as to distort your subject and not too far as to reduce the visual impact of the composition. Not sure what works? Keep moving and shoot along the way. At some point you’ll nail the photograph you’ve been aiming for.

Do you shoot with ultra-wide-angle lenses? Do you like using them? Do you find them challenging? Any good ultra-wide-angle tips you can offer? Let us know in the Comments section, below.