Photography 101 – Lens Part 3

PHOTOGRAPHY 101 – LENS, part 3

As we talked about before, your glass (lens) makes a huge difference to the finished image.  It’s not just about megapixels and sensors (though very important); a good lens can make an image either sub par, or cause a double take!

Focal Length:

The Focal Length, or zoom capacity of your lens can either flatter a person or make them look AWEFUL!  It’s simple – zoom out all the way (lots to see in viewfinder) and the image starts to stretch (think big noses!). Zoom in all the way (closeup) and you instantly flatter faces!  Not only that, but your flash won’t be so harsh, and have more room to spread.

Perspective:
The more zoomed in you are, the closer the background will appear.  The more zoomed out your are, the the more distant the background will appear.

Lens Sweet Spot:
Most, if not all zoom lens, have a “sweet spot” – say you have a 35-70mm zoom (35 being “zoomed out” and 70 being “zoomed in”). Your sweet spot would most likely be somewhere in the middle..say around 55mm.  When I say sweet spot, I mean getting the sharpest image possible from your lens.  The more quality (and expensive) the lens, the sharper it will be and more constant from zoom to zoom.

Macro:
What is a macro lens?  Well, this means that you can focus on objects with the lens very close.  This is often available on nicer point and shoot cameras as well (look for the flower symbol).  These are a must for any nature (think flowers) or still life (think food) shots.  Being able to get so close with your camera also helps you get very unique views of your subject that a normal lens wouldn’t be able to get. In most cases, you will do well to have a tripod or shooting stabilizer bag.

Next time, we will discuss different filters – Polarizing, Neutral Density, Skylight, UV – why do we need these!?

My Photo Classes are now being offered through the Marysville Parks and Recreation.

Cheers!

Daniel Jolly

Ps. – we have lot’s of photography items for sale or for free use (like our light-table and loupe) to help out.  Come on in!