Portrait photographers are inclined to keep away from barrel distortion by utilizing customary or telephoto lenses. But when used deliberately, excessive barrel distortion may be a good way to seize inventive portraits. And it doesn’t get rather more excessive than a fisheye lens.
These ultra-wide optics are so-called as a result of they replicate the ultra-wide imaginative and prescient possessed by fish. They’re usually used to seize avenue scenes, structure, skateboarding and infrequently portraits. The latter is especially efficient on pets, because the excessive barrel distortion emphasizes the topic’s options – very similar to a caricature.
Since a canine’s snout is one in every of its most poignant options, artists usually select to amplify this characteristic when designing cartoons – suppose Scooby-Doo, Snoopy and Dug from Pixar’s Up. By getting very near your topic whereas they stare instantly into the lens, the distortion will enlarge the canine’s snout and make for a humorous (and charming) caricature impact.
How to photograph pets with a fisheye lens
1. Choose the widest lens you have
2. Get really close to your subject
To emphasize the extreme barrel distortion, get close to your subject. Small subjects, like my puppy, may require you to get close to the lens’ 0.5ft minimum focus distance. On more than one occasion, the excitable pup licked the front element – so a lens cloth is essential!
3. Remove the lens hood
The 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5’s lens hood isn’t visible at 15mm, but when I was shooting at wider focal lengths it started to creep into the frame. At 8mm – as the picture above illustrates – it dramatically encroached on my shot. I therefore removed it altogether.
4. Find a clean, open space
Super-wide focal lengths cram in a huge portion of the surrounding area. To prevent unwanted details detracting from my subject, I shot in a wide-open space that was free from distractions – a field, park, or large garden are ideal locations. I further eliminated distractions by shooting down at my subject from a higher angle.
5. Make it fun for your pet
Animals can be difficult to work with; however, it’s important not to get frustrated with them. I spent a few minutes before the shoot playing with my pup. This meant she was less excitable, more relaxed and more pliable during the shoot, while also providing me an opportunity to introduce her to the camera gradually.
6. Focus on the eyes
As always, when shooting portraits, it’s best practice to focus on the eye that’s closest to the camera. I used single-point AF to pinpoint the correct eye and continuous-servo AF to help lock onto my bouncing subject. If you’re using one of the best mirrorless cameras, there’s a chance you can use an animal AF mode to make things even easier.
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Want more tutorials? Make sure you know the exposure triangle inside and out. My fisheye pet portrait isn’t the only thing that looks like a cartoon character: this robot camera looks like a PIXAR character and is ready to photograph the moon. And for a change of pace, try my photography-themed crossword.