Space
The last time, we discussed the spatial compression associated with telephoto lenses, and in this blog we will discuss how space is visually expanded by wider angle lenses. There are number of properties that wider lenses, 28mm and down, allow for, but for the moment I want to discuss spatial expansion specifically. Generally, wide angle lenses are used when one wants to expand on the angle of view when taking a photo. They are also a great help in shooting smaller interior spaces when doing architectural photography. They easily allow for that, but there is a price to pay; over enlarged foreground content, parallex issues, and size of background items looking smaller than in actuality. All three of these "problems" are manageable if they bother you, but for now I want to discuss the benefits.
These types of lenses have two visually interesting features though; very short focal lengths, and the ability to expand visual space so that middle grounds/backgrounds feel far more distant than the actual spatial realities. The reason the short focal length is so critical is that in low light situations, where you want to have no motion, you can actually shoot around f8 and still have a reasonably sharp picture. As you are losing sunlight at the end of the day or gaining it at dawn, this allows you to shoot pretty quickly. This allows for hand holding the camera if you are not really clear about composition, and a tripod runs counter to how quickly you may need to work. Needless to say, at a higher depth of field everything comes into complete focus with these types of lenses as infinity is mere feet away from the lens. This is immediately apparent in the photo of the desert roadway above which was taken northeast of Reno, Nevada.
The feature that I really like with wide angle lenses though is the ability to stretch space while simultaneously using the foreground loom. Many people use wide angle lenses to just expand their angle of view, but I strongly prefer to actually have my photos begin close to where my eyes are, rather than a hundred feet away from me. These types of lenses make what is close appear larger than it actually is, while quickly accelerating the rate at which middle ground and background details get smaller than if you used a normal or shorter telephoto lens. This really emphasizes both distance, but also the sense of three dimensions in an image. The photo above of the desert roadway demonstrates these two features simultaneously. Critical to the image though is the extremely low point of view where there is also an elevated sense of the actual roadway material composition and texture. The lens is not just exaggerating the width of the yellow line, but also making the clumps of composite in the asphalt appear larger in the foreground.
Clearly another issue operating here is the tonality, a sea of relatively neutral tones with that nasty yellow line down the middle of the photo, and a sliver of saturated blue sky miles away in the back of the photo. I take no credit for any of this whatsoever. While most of the photos I discuss in the blog are relatively recent and shot digitally, The Road was taken towards the end of Kodachrome. Though hellishly toxic, I have never ever seen a capture material that was so accurate and vibrant especially when it comes to warmer tonalities. Next blog we will expand on the sharpness and spatial features discussed here, but treat the world as if the planes of an image can be moved in and out of space like a stage set at will.
