wide angle lens first outing - several pics

all taken with Sigma 10-20mm on Nikon D60, unedited other than camera compresed to jpeg.
Id be grateful of your opinions on my pictures, opinion of the lens itself and any way to improve

I think you need to take photos of things further away. These close-ups look a little like fish eye to me. But maybe that was what you wanted.
Isn't this lens a landscape type of lens?

I got it for landscapes really, but with being in a fairly flat boring area I chose to shoot things in a more bizzare way. I will try and get some scenery tomorrow

Shots #2 and #3 have some big "elements" that are distracting from your subject. Shots #4 and #5 have big distracting elements that could eradicated with a with a hard crop leaving you with a much stronger image.

One example...

bechdan said:

I got it for landscapes really, but with being in a fairly flat boring area I chose to shoot things in a more bizzare way. I will try and get some scenery tomorrow

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I like them. Seemed right, except maybe the one horses nose was overdone (just one opinion, it depends on what you were trying to get).

Even on landscapes, its always great to have some feature up fairly close. Dramatic, it adds depth to your picture. Try such a scene twice, once including the close feature, and then walk forward a few feet to just omit it. See?

Like this:
http://www.backpacker.com/march-2010-shoot-like-a-pro-landscapes/skills/13846

bechdan said:

all taken with Sigma 10-20mm on Nikon D60, unedited other than camera compresed to jpeg.
Id be grateful of your opinions on my pictures, opinion of the lens itself and any way to improve

Click to expand...

I have heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing before but never a horse in zebra's clothing. :hypnotysed:

You do have to be careful when shooting a wide angle but sometimes it is fun to break the rules and just have some fun.

as an aside, my friends brother was at their place this weekend and he has several really nice lenses including an F2.8 14-24 which is mahoosive and weighs a ton but takes superb pictures compared to the sigma, but is about three times the price.
Tomorrow looks a little cloudy but bright, could be challenging but Im going to go up some hills after work to get some quarry / lake photos which im really looking foreward to getting in wide angles. Anyone got any examples of similar?

thanks Horoscopefish, that crop is definately an improvement over miles of carpet.

bechdan said:

thanks Horoscopefish, that crop is definately an improvement over miles of carpet.

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That crop removes a lot of unnecessary carpet but it also removes some distracting elements (like that person in the background, and the clock on the wall). Just as importantly the crop also puts kitty's all seeing peeper on two intersecting Rule of Thirds lines.

In this second crop, Kitty is looking *into* the frame instead of out of it yet the eye is still on a (horizontal) Rule of Thirds line. Unfortunately we have someone causing distraction the background. Cropping is a harsh Mistress and this is why it's always best to crop "in frame" whenever possible.

some good pointers there, thanks

Ive got quite a few shots today and will post them after Ive had a chance to sort through them, heres one for now

I´ll need to put a mirror like that in my photo bag

An old quarry above Tanygrisiau, North Wales, about a 4 mile walk, nice but not a great time of day for the sun, spoiled quite a few good shots.
Advice and suggestions welcomed please

bechdan said:

An old quarry above Tanygrisiau, North Wales, about a 4 mile walk, nice but not a great time of day for the sun, spoiled quite a few good shots.
Advice and suggestions welcomed please

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I like all of them but this one really is nice. The composition of the old rusty truck coming from off frame and pointing to the old crumbing building is wonderful. And the blue sky white the white fluffy clouds set off the whole shot. It just works!

Really good skies in those shots, as compared to many of mine.
WM

Wahey, going to part ex the D60 for a D5100, still waiting on my NDgrad filter though, come on whilst the sky is still blue!

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re: #13

Hello Dan,

Very nice demonstration of some composition and perspective options you're offering
there! Very good descriptive and journalistic approach there… very nice work!

Have a good time!

The first picture seems to have the same I´m having with my wide-angle lens, distortion.
I looked for tips on how to correct and did not find anything that seemed practical till now, except for photoshop.

Vincent said:

The first picture seems to have the same I´m having with my wide-angle lens, distortion.
I looked for tips on how to correct and did not find anything that seemed practical till now, except for photoshop.

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Hi Vincent,

Most serious app offers that type of correction. The name they give it very often is
"Keystone". Have a look…

Vincent said:

The first picture seems to have the same I´m having with my wide-angle lens, distortion.
I looked for tips on how to correct and did not find anything that seemed practical till now, except for photoshop.

Click to expand...

I am not certain which effect you refer too, but for wide angles lenses, esp ultra wide angle,
it is very important to take special pains to keep the camera pointed level ahead. I don't mean sideways, I mean not aimed up or down any at all. This angle would tilt the walls, makes them lean. You can see this in the viewfinder if you look for it. The trick is to keep the sensor (the back plane of the camera) exactly parallel with the walls. If you really wanted to aim up or down some, it may mean you have to later crop off some of top or bottom of the picture. And there is software now to tilt it back the other way.