Wide Angle Wednesday!!!

"Converging Above the Marketplace"

(1/30 sec @ F/8, 18mm fl, ISO 500, 18-55mm Nikkor wide zoom, pattern metering, handheld)

As mentioned yesterday, I'm using themes for the next while in order to keep myself motivated and challenged as a photographer. Wednesday's will be dedicated to wide angle shots. Some days I'll use ultra wide lenses, others just a standard wide angle. I'm starting off though with what all manufacturer's call the "kit lens". This is a moderate, all purpose zoom, it's widest view at an 18mm focal length, it's tightest at a 55mm focal length. It's great for anything from landscapes, to architecture, to candids. It's the lens they usually throw in with your first DSLR purchase. And I never leave the house without it.

I spent part of the day yesterday wandering our newly renovated Farmer's Market downtown. Those of you who know me well know I took one look at the design elements and construction of the space and totally forgot all about actually photographing farmers and their wares. You enter at the top level of the market overlooking the entire space and see all the duct work, piping, and support elements... and it's pretty cool looking! Not to mention the ceiling being peppered with glass spherical lighting and the original Jackson Square Clock residing now indoors after being restored to it's original glory and safe from vandals. Obviously I wanted to emphasize all the converging lines and shapes, showing the height and the angles that spread through the space. So my choice was naturally my wide angle lens.

Because I was indoors and without the tripod (which would have been in the way since the aisles are tight and very busy with shoppers) I had to bump my ISO to 500, which adds a bit of noise but allowed my camera to get the shot without any shake on my part. I was still able to rest my arm on the railing for a sturdy position. There was northerly side light from a big bank of windows providing enough light throughout the space. I have corrected any lens distortion in PSPx3, and at 18mm there was some slight curving to the column on the left specifically. I also decided to work in a cross processed color filter effect layered over a darker B&W version to really draw attention to the designs and lines along through the composition without being over saturated. Very industrial looking as a result, and exactly what drew me to the scene in the first place!

This was a fun edit for me, and once again, I KNEW this shot was one I would love to work on the second I took it. With my average kit lens, at it's widest focal length. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to have a thousand lenses. Learn first to excel with the ones you have! My high school photography teacher taught me that way back in my film camera days, and I've never forgotten it!  I think he'd enjoy wide angle Wednesdays too.

Thanks for letting me ramble on for today folks! Have an awesome day... can't wait to show you what's on tap for Thursdays!