Lens advice for skate photography

[8ounty]

There is a new skate park opening up in my neighbourhood in the next few days, and so I would like to try my hand at capturing some quality action shots down there.

Big question though - are my lenses up to the job (see sig), or is it a good idea to invest in another? I'm on a fairly restricted budget so a fish eye lens is right out of the question

Also this will be a new style of photography for me - I'm used to still-life and portrait work, so any tips would be great.

As always your help and advice is most appreciated.

[OsmosisStudios]

Ideally a fisheye, but you could do with something wider than 28 (44mm equivalent). See if you cant find somewhere where you can RENT a lens for a bit.

[8ounty]

Taking a stab in the dark, would the 'Canon EF 28mm f2.8' satisfy the bill?

[sybren]

I would go for the Sigma 4.5mm fisheye!

The 28mm is a nice lens (FoV-wise) but I would go wider - if you don't want a fisheye I can recommend Canon's EF-S 10-22mm zoom.

[8ounty]

The only reason I was deterred by a fish eye lens was that it's out of my price range, unfortunately your other recommendation is even further outside of it

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by 8ounty

Taking a stab in the dark, would the 'Canon EF 28mm f2.8' satisfy the bill?

Well, no, since 28mm is 28mm on your zoom. So no different.

Why not see i you can fin a 17-40 f/4L?

[Ryan DS]

You can really use just about any lens, but generally skateboarding comes down to either fisheye or a longer focal length (i.e., 50mm, 85mm, 105mm, etc.) Fisheye shots are used for shots involving rails, stairs, gaps, or grinds down sloped ledges. The fisheye exaggerates the size of these objects.

Longer focal length shots are typically for more creative shots or shots where you want to capture without exaggeration. These tend to be a little harder because you've got a lot more area and "rules" to work with. You have to think about tight or loose composition quite a bit when using a longer focal length.

With that said, you should be able to use the lenses you have, you just have to be aware of everything going around, but as you usually shoot still-life and portraits, this shouldn't be a problem. Look at some skateboard magazines to get some ideas and just have fun with it.

Another thing is that skateparks tend to be difficult to shoot especially if they are outdoor concrete parks because of the subdued color of the scenery. Definitely use flashes if you have them. And I would try and rent a fisheye as well.