Fisheye Makes The World Go Round
I’ve wanted a Fisheye lens since I was 14. Skateboarding around St. Albans Vermont, hanging out with my friends down main street, hoping to capture some of their amazing athleticism.
Its a pretty renown way and effect to capture Skateboarding. The sphere of the lens making their board look big and filling the frame, and easy to capture because of the field of view.
What I Did Learn
I learned how to think outside the box. To always utilize what I had.
And at the time, that was my dads Handicam with an 8mm tape, and a fixed aspect ratio. No detachable lenses, and no special cameras.
I remember trying to pan the video camera to keep my subject in frame. Heck, I even had film making books discussing the importance of angles and filming techniques. I was into it.
Fast Forward 26 Years
I found myself in a creative rut. Its summer. It’s scorching hot. I’m bored with the season. I’m bored in my house. And I’m bored with my creative process. And that’s the bane of any creative persons existence.
Getting Tired Of Reinventing the Wheel
But it can be done. Time and time again. It’s important to realize that what’s new to someone, or old and dull can be all you need to hone your vision. I thought back to the days in my youth thinking and dreaming about Skateboarding.
Sure, I still have a board. Even with soft wheels so maybe one day I can film like I dreamed about. But I never did get that fisheye effect..
So I Made A Purchase
I set aside $200 and started the search. I happened to find a bargain priced fisheye lens from a company called 7Artisans. I did a few searches online for some image quality tests and found that it wasn’t bad for the price. I decided to purchase it on Amazon in case I wasn’t satisfied since their return policy is pretty generous.
Here is the lens I bought.
I purchased it on Amazon for $139.
I looked on KEH, and various used sources.
But in the end this seemed like the most logical purchase.
What’s New Is Also Challenging
What’s exciting when you’re a creative person, is when you get something new to try is how it entices you to think about the process differently.
To step out of your comfort zone. As a photographer this can sway people to put the camera down, or to try new things and ignite the passion you have for the craft.
What This Fisheye Accomplished
Immediately I was faced with a new approach to my symmetry. The way I envision lines, and composition was now crippled with wonky and weird curves.
How do I utilize this to make the scene or subject stand out?
Luckily for my first outing with this lens, I had an incredible sunset. It really added a unique depth to the images. I felt like I didn’t need to plan anything substantial.
I just took a normal walk around my area with a new lens.
Keep It Casual
Do you have a Fisheye?
This was just my first time using the Fisheye lens, I’ll do more in depth approaches to Portraits, and different subjects in the future. So be sure to check the blog