Wide angle lenses, due to the width of their coverage, allow you to take pictures without looking through the lens. You can approximate in your mind's eye what the composition should be and point the camera in that direction. I did exactly that in this shot of a woman in Morocco. As soon as you point your camera at someone, their demeanor often changes and the candid expression or body language you wanted to capture is gone. Instead, you might capture a stiff, uncomfortable and unnatural pose that isn't what you wanted at all. Setting the camera's shutter speed, aperture, and ISO beforehand, you can then photograph a subject or scene that looks entirely candid . . . because it is. My settings for this were 1/320, f/13, 800 ISO and I used a 24-105mm lens set to the widest focal length.
4 Comments
Mar 18, 2016, 1:17:30 AM
Bob Vestal - Thanks, Jim. Actually, I also have the 24-105 mm and like its focal length range as you do. Just wanted your perspective, because the 24-70 mm, both I and II, have received such high praise. Thank you also for the link. The Morocco shots and those women's eyes are stunningly beautiful.
Mar 17, 2016, 11:08:40 AM
Jim Zuckerman - Hi Bob, I use the 24-105mm for about 75% of my shooting. I find the 24-70mm to be too limiting. It's just not long enough and I rarely use the 50 - 70mm range. It is quite sharp and I'm happy with it.
Regarding subjects getting angry, I have had that only with Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa. Especially with the women, but the men as well. Therefore, I've learned that you always ask permission or pay someone and set the shot up. Check out this link to my Morocco shots -- the first two pictures were setup and paid for. http://www.jimzuckerman.com/morocco
Mar 17, 2016, 12:23:37 AM
Bob Vestal - Jim, I notice that you use the 24-105 mm f/4 lens quite often. Is this your main short focal length zoom lens for travel? If so, I assume that you are satisfied with its optical quality and build compared to the 24-70 mm f/2.8 I or II, which are considered among Canon's best lenses.
As for the image, I agree with Robert. Great image. Because of the size of the camera, it still may be hard to grab an image like this without the subject noticing that you took a photograph. What do you deal with a subject who becomes angry? They might do something worse than throw food!
Mar 17, 2016, 12:01:31 AM
Robert Dominis - So would you say that people in Morocco are more reluctant than other places you've visited with getting their picture taken? Because I've heard stories of vendors throwing food at photographers.
But either way, it's a great image Jim.