Rand Farm
A week off work meant I had the chance to go out with the family. We opted for a trip to Rand Farm, which is a working farm that the public can visit in Lincolnshire. The weather wasn't the most inviting, but it gave me the chance to try out getting wide angle closeups of animals. This was a technique I'd seen many times in magazines, but since I don't usually find myself out in a field surrounded by cows, I haven't had many opportunities to try out!
Wide angle closeups?
Generally, in photography, you have 'go to' lenses for particular situations and subjects. For example:
- Wide angle - landscapes
- 50mm - Portrait
- Telephoto - sports or closeups
Wide angle shots don't tend to get used for things like closeups or portraits, due to this distorting effect. In particular, when used closeup it has the effect of exaggerating the distances between points. This means if, for example, you take a picture of a person with a wide angle lens closeup, things like noses can suddenly seem a lot larger (and funnily enough, some people feel this is a little unflattering!)
Of course, like anything photography related, guidelines are not hard rules, and sometimes you can get much more interesting results by going against them, mainly because it provides a different perspective. Case in point is using wide angle lenses with animals. For starters, animals don't tend to take offence if you take their photo with the 'incorrect' lens, which is a big help. More importantly, animals like horses and cows who already have long faces can look even more interesting and compelling through a wide angle than if you'd stuck to a more traditional lens.
In reality, the shots I've been trying aren't exactly new and original (and in the case of the cow photo are borderline cliched), but it's still a fresh view on things for me!
General tips (from my experience so far)
Choose your subjects carefully
As mentioned already, not everyone (or thing) is suited to wide angle closeups, or wants to be taken in that manner. Think about subjects that would benefit from the distances between points being magnified. Animals with long snouts, for example, are great choices, whereas something like a cat's face may not be so well suited.
Think about the angle
The purpose of this sort of photo is to maximise distances for impact. Therefore, you need to ensure you get at a good angle to the subject to allow the other points in the photo to trail off. A great example of this is photographing a person in wide angle; straight on and you may not get that much effect, but shoot above them or from the ground and you can make them seem gigantic.
Move slowly when photographing animals
The animals at Rand Farm are fairly docile, given they are regularly in contact with noisy humans. You should still approach slowly though, if you don't want them to dart off when it comes to the photo. The clue is in the title 'close-up'; you may be getting a lot closer than you (or the animal) is used to with a camera. This is where having a flip out screen like on my 60D helps, as you can get yourself into position before finally snapping the photo.
Cool 'Fro
This was my favourite of the alpacas, all down to the 'fro which he happily sported. He was actually quite happy to have his photo taken, more so than this photo suggests. However, I liked the level of contempt that this photo gave off. Here, the wide angle means his head seems out of proportion to his body, as well as helping to provide focus to his nose (and his cool 'fro of course).
Cow in closeup
This is the more cliched wide angle shot, mainly because cows will play along with being photographed up close a lot more than some animals. I was fortunate in this case that the cow was having a drink, which gave me a chance to set up the camera low and wait for an opportune moment. I also made sure I didn't actually come between the cow and the water, as for all cows are generally considered peaceful creatures, it's worth remembering they're big enough to do damage to something like a camera with their heads!
In summary
I liked the shots I managed to get. Given I have an APS-C sensor coupled with a generic kit wide angle (both of which means it isn't really an 'extreme' wide angle), I think the effect comes across quite nicely still. Now I just need to find more willing subjects to get more practice with!
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