Fisheye Lens Photography: Tips and Techniques

Hi, I'm Ian Plant, managing editor of Outdoor Photography Guide. If you're looking to inject a healthy dose of creativity into your photography, then you should consider using a fisheye lens. A fisheye lens is a specialty lens. It's a wide angle lens. All wide angle lenses have what is known as barrel distortion, which causes the center of the image to bulge out. And any straight lines that don't pass completely through the center of the image will be rendered as curved lines. Most normal wide angle lens designs will correct for this barrel distortion. These lenses are known as rectilinear lenses, because they correct for that distortion. A fisheye lens, however, does not correct for that barrel distortion, instead it embraces that distortion and by using a fisheye you can get some really interesting and creative photographs. Fisheye lenses are characterized by an extremely wide angle of view. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, fisheye distortion. So it limits the number of applications where you might want to use a fisheye lens, but there are some specific circumstances where a fisheye can really excel. For example, if you need a super wide angle of view and you don't have a lot of straight lines where that fisheye distortion will be obvious, a fisheye lens can be really useful. It's especially useful if I'm working in small interiors for example, if I'm in a slot canyon or a CK, I can reach for the fisheye, because I don't have any straight lines that I need to keep straight. The fisheye distortion, won't be evident. I can use that wide angle of view to really open up the space. Sometimes, however, I want to use that fish eye distortion creatively. So when I'm shooting landscape, wildlife, or people, I might reach for the fisheye even if I've got a lot of straight lines, even if that distortion is going to be evident, because I want to use that distortion creatively to impart a really unique look onto my photographs. There are two basic types of fisheye lenses. One is known as a circular fisheye and a circular fisheye has a 180 degree field of view both horizontally and vertically. So the end result is the image doesn't fill the entire image frame. Instead there's a black circle around the image on the edges of the image frame. The other type of fisheye lenses is known as a full frame fisheye. Covers the entire image frame. You don't have that black circle around the image like you do with the circular fisheye. Most fisheye lenses have a boldest front end which means that the glass protrudes from the lens barrel. So you have to be extra careful when you're working with a fisheye lens, not to accidentally nick or scrape your lens against something. Also, you want to be extra careful when you're working outside in sunlight, because of the bulbous front end. It's easy for a straight light to strike the front element of the lens and create lens flare. So using a lens hood and shading with your hand very carefully can help you prevent that. Most fisheye lenses are fixed focal length, but there are a few fisheye zooms out there. For example, I'm using the Canon eight to 15 millimeter zoom lens which is a lens built for a full frame camera. At 15 millimeters it's a full frame fisheye. When you zoom out to eight millimeters, it becomes a circular fisheye. Because the fisheye is such a specialty lens, you need a specialty approach when you're working with the fisheye. Fisheye has an extremely wide angle of view. So it's very similar to the way you would use an ultra wide angle lens in the sense that you have to get really close to your subject to fill the frame with your subject. So you have to get a lot closer than you might be used to when you're working with a normal lens. And with a fisheye I'm often two or three feet away from my subject. Sometimes even closer to really fill the frame with my subject and get that dramatic perspective. So unlike with a wide angle lens that's been corrected for the rectilinear distortion, with a fisheye all of your straight lines are going to be rendered curvy. And the farther that those straight lines get away from the center of the image the more pronounced the curve is going to be. So you have to think critically about how you're going to use that artistically to create your compositions when you're working with a fisheye lens. The thing I really love about a fisheye lens is the way in very obviously distorts reality compared to how your eyes perceive the scene. And to me, this is the essence of photography is showing your viewer something that they haven't seen before. So if you're looking to get very creative and artistic with your photographs, consider using a fisheye lens.