Imaginary view to the next room.
It was one of those circumstances when I didn't bring the right lens for the job, so I had to make do with what I brought. I brought a crop frame camera, and two lenses -- a 100-400mm lens, and an 18-135mm lens. I was going on a hike in the Devil's Backbone area. The big lens was on the off chance that I encountered some wildlife, and the little lens was for everything else.
We came upon an spot called Keyhole, which is a natural hole in the wall of rock, through which anyone could pass to the other side. (Not THAT other side!) Of course, this natural wonder deserved a photo. Normally, 18mm, on a crop frame, is wide enough for most things I want to do, and if it isn't, I just back up. In this case, however, backing up meant backing down, thus losing the hole. I would have preferred to show more of the Backbone wall, to give the hole a place in the environment, but I just couldn't back up far enough. (I can't tell you how many times I've brought a 10-18mm lens with me, on a hike, and it just sat in the backpack, because it just wasn't needed.)
Even though it wasn't what I wanted, I still thought it was cool enough to process and keep. Then, one of my sisters told me she wanted some Colorado scenes for canvas prints. I thought of this one, because it could look like a view to a different room. The natural framing is certainly there. (My guess is that she won't pick this one, but one never knows until one tries.)
Re your dilemma: how about a series of vertical shots, stitched into panorama? A pretty cool scene nonetheless.
Linda's suggestion is a good one.
Excellent capture, Jim! Remember the pano for future shots.
Thanks, all, for your suggestions.
Creating a pano shot by stitching together several shots, each taken in portrait orientation, is something I've done many times, and the results have always been pleasing, but I've always done that using a fairly long focal length -- 100mm. I never tried doing the same thing with individual shots taken with a focal length in range of a wide angle lens. I always assumed that the distortion on the edges would make a such a pano look goofy, even if it could be stitched together.
I just put my assumption to the test. I went out into the yard, with the same camera and same lens. Using an 18mm focal length, I took five, vertical shots, hand held. I made sure I used a rather significant overlap, maybe about a third of a vertical frame, though I wasn't exact. I was about as exact as I would have been in the field.
Someone alert the media! My assumption was incorrect. The resulting pano turned out beautifully.
Thanks for suggesting this.
Anvil wrote:
Thanks, all, for your suggestions.
Creating a pano shot by stitching together several shots, each taken in portrait orientation, is something I've done many times, and the results have always been pleasing, but I've always done that using a fairly long focal length -- 100mm. I never tried doing the same thing with individual shots taken with a focal length in range of a wide angle lens. I always assumed that the distortion on the edges would make a such a pano look goofy, even if it could be stitched together.
I just put my assumption to the test. I went out into the yard, with the same camera and same lens. Using an 18mm focal length, I took five, vertical shots, hand held. I made sure I used a rather significant overlap, maybe about a third of a vertical frame, though I wasn't exact. I was about as exact as I would have been in the field.
Someone alert the media! My assumption was incorrect. The resulting pano turned out beautifully.
Thanks for suggesting this.
Thanks, all, for your suggestions. br br Creating... (
show quote)
I took a great many vertical shots with my T3i and 18-135 mm lens. I think distortion has a lot to do with if you are pointing straight ahead (level with horizon) or if you're pointing upward. The 10-18 mm definitely had fun results, even straight on
I like this shot. It does draw you through "to the other side." Rather than a panorama, perhaps portrait instead landscape would have helped.
Ed
It works very well for me. Not only is there a "doorway" into a another realm, the the composition, besides the triangles, is circular/spiral, swirling you in.
Thanks, all!
It might have been a doorway to another realm. While I was setting up the shot, a very attractive young woman walked through, from the other side. She was camera shy.
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