Facebook Pixel Tips for Using Your Wide-Angle Lens Better

Tips for Using Your Wide-Angle Lens Better

One thing I see beginners make mistakes doing when they first get into photography is using a wide-angle lens. Many think it’s just for getting more stuff to fit into your image, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Here are three videos to help you understand wide-angle lenses and use them better so you can create more dynamic and effective images.

#1 – 5 Reasons you need a wide-angle lens

First up is this video from DigitalRev TV. It’s a few years old now but the information is still good, and the tips are solid.

Kai can be a bit unorthodox, but the tips here are good. Here’s a quick summary:

  1. Get closer
  2. Push things away and pull other things near
  3. Cool lines
  4. Expand spaces
  5. Reality distortion field (as he calls it)

#2 – How to use a wide-angle lens

In this video from Tom Greenwood, learn how using a wide-angle lens can help you tell a story and create a powerful connection between the subject and the viewer. Plus get tips on shooting wide angle portraits, action shots, and landscapes.

#3 – Three tips for using a wide-angle lens

Finally, three more tips for using a wide-angle lens from Matt Wallace in this video from Adorama TV. The one he emphasizes the most is to get close to the subject – that a wide-angle lens is for close-up photography. I personally could not agree more!

  1. Make sure you have an obvious and predominant subject in your frame
  2. Get closer to the subject
  3. Use leading lines

If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.– Robert Capa

Need more help?

If you still need more help and tips for using your wide-angle lens try these dPS articles:

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

Darlene Hildebrandt
Darlene Hildebrandt

is an educator who teaches aspiring amateurs and hobbyists how to improve their skills through free articles on her website Digital Photo Mentor and online photography classes. She also teaches all about photo editing using Lightroom, Photoshop, and Luminar Neo and has courses available on all three.

I need help with...