Examining the differences various focal lengths can make to an image.
For this exercise I made my way to St James' Park in London on a rather dull overcast day.
 |
| Photograph 1 @ 17mm |
In photograph 1, taken at a focal length of 17mm, a wide angle of view is seen, creating a pleasant albeit static image. Banks to both sides of the lake are clearly visible and there appear to be some features of interest in the distance.
 |
| Photograph 2 @ 35mm |
Changing the focal length to 35mm in photograph 2 has taken the banks to the side of the lake completely out of view. The features that appeared distant in photograph 1 are now more prominent and appear much closer to the viewer.
 |
| Photograph 3 @ 50mm |
The 50mm focal length used in phoograph 3 has the effect of bringing the background details much closer to the viewer. Suddenly the distant features of photograph 1 are now becoming the main subject of the composition.
 |
| Photograph 4 @ 100mm |
In photograph 4 the composition has been shifted slightly to make more of a feature of the building to the left of the original image. Using a longer focal length of 100mm has taken most of the original foreground out of view and the building that was previously a small segment of the first composition can now be seen in much more detail.
 |
| Photograph 5 @ 300mm |
For photograph 5 I changed the composition again, whilst leaving the tripod in the same place. In this picture I have zoomed in on the London Eye and clearly visible inside the pods are the outlines of people. In the first 3 photographs it was not possible to determine these details. The longer focal length of 300mm has the effect of taking the viewer much deeper into the scene. In this picture the flagpole appears to be significantly closer to the wheel than it does in Photographs 1-3. This is an effect of the image being "compressed" by the use of a long focal length.
Exercise: Focal lengths and different viewpoints.
This was an exercise that I had a little trouble with. Finding an appropriate scene proved a little troublesome! Eventually, something as simple as a car park provided the solution.
Using the signpost as my foreground interest and the car as the background subject I captured photograph 1 at a focal length of 170mm. In this image the car and signpost appear to be perhaps a dozen or so paces away from each other. In two dimensional form the signpost is approximately twice the height of the car, although the sign itself is approximately 40% of the size of the background subject. In this picture the viewer is drawn into the scene somewhat, perhaps feeling that the car in the background is almost within touching distance.
I then changed my lens and walked forward a few yards, from where I took photograph 2 at a focal length of 17mm. The first difference which strikes me is that the shape of the sign has changed a little and it appears to taper off towards the right. The car is now clearly seen to be at least forty paces from the signpost, and viewed in this perspective it would be possible to fit it into the actual sign at least four times. The signpost now appears to be many times taller than the car. In this image there is much more a feeling of the viewer being a little isolated from the scene. The car appears to be a lot farther away than it actually is and the wider angle of view has added a sense of openness to the entire picture.
Exercise: Focal lengths and different viewpoints.
This was an exercise that I had a little trouble with. Finding an appropriate scene proved a little troublesome! Eventually, something as simple as a car park provided the solution.
 |
| Photograph 1 @ 170mm |
 | ||
| Photograph 2 @ 17mm |
Using the signpost as my foreground interest and the car as the background subject I captured photograph 1 at a focal length of 170mm. In this image the car and signpost appear to be perhaps a dozen or so paces away from each other. In two dimensional form the signpost is approximately twice the height of the car, although the sign itself is approximately 40% of the size of the background subject. In this picture the viewer is drawn into the scene somewhat, perhaps feeling that the car in the background is almost within touching distance.
I then changed my lens and walked forward a few yards, from where I took photograph 2 at a focal length of 17mm. The first difference which strikes me is that the shape of the sign has changed a little and it appears to taper off towards the right. The car is now clearly seen to be at least forty paces from the signpost, and viewed in this perspective it would be possible to fit it into the actual sign at least four times. The signpost now appears to be many times taller than the car. In this image there is much more a feeling of the viewer being a little isolated from the scene. The car appears to be a lot farther away than it actually is and the wider angle of view has added a sense of openness to the entire picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment