Established photographers who use wide angles 21mm or wider?

[hatidua]

Probably best to define "established", as many a commercial shooter has paid countless mortgage payments via lenses shorter than 20mm.

 

[jsrockit]

Yeah, I knew some would be sensitive to that word. No need to get offended. I meant anyone who has a body of work that used these lenses successfully. Commercial is fine for sure.

 

[hatidua]

Yeah, I knew some would be sensitive to that word. No need to get offended. I meant anyone who has a body of work that used these lenses successfully. Commercial is fine for sure.

Not offended, just not sure what "established" means in this context. I'm fairly difficult to offend 😉

 

[jsrockit]

No problem hatidua... I just didn't want the thread to be another 21mm free-for-all. Its a hard lens to use and wanted to see photos from people who were successful at using the focal length.

 

[jan normandale]

So far it's been a bust for me... but each situation I tried it in a longer focal length would have been the better choice. I'll keep trying.

js... I think you've got to let that lens "do what it wants" if you think you're going to shoot street with it I think you have to accept the fact that this lens will make you stand about 8 - 10 feet from your subjects and still give you a lot of context. If you don't like that style of street then you should check out something between the 21 and a 50 until you get a length that suits your style.

Sometimes trying to make something work in a personal field like photography ends up frustrating. Better to shoot with a lens that works for you that's shorter than a 50 and slowly see if you can back into a 21 and keep your style intact.

Thats my 2¢, so good luck. Post some images and remember what you may not like ... others may find very good.

 

[jsrockit]

js... I think you've got to let that lens "do what it wants" if you think you're going to shoot street with it I think you have to accept the fact that this lens will make you stand about 8 - 10 feet from your subjects and still give you a lot of context. If you don't like that style of street then you should check out something between the 21 and a 50 until you get a length that suits your style.

Sometimes trying to make something work in a personal field like photography ends up frustrating. Better to shoot with a lens that works for you that's shorter than a 50 and slowly see if you can back into a 21 and keep your style intact.

Thats my 2¢, so good luck. Post some images and remember what you may not like ... others may find very good.

Well, you're right... I've shot with 35mm and 50mm lenses for over 20 years, so I'm comfortable with them (and they work for 99% of my work). The 21mm was just a curiousity for me. To me, and YMMV, the 21mm has specific purposes and I might not have that need. Then again, it's always nice to try something different and see if it sticks. If it doesn't, it's no big deal to me.

 

[jan normandale]

@ js... I'd be interested to see you insert a few of the shots with the 21 into this thread. I'm trying to get an idea of "what isn't working" for you. I'm not doing a sales job just trying to get an idea of what could be a negative with a 21mm. I use one and like it but I don't do street with it.

 

[kbg32]

I really like getting up close and personal on the street with my 28 and 21. I have to get a bit too personal with the 21. Sometimes my subjects don't appreciate it. And I don't appreciate it when their hygiene is less then satisfactory.

 

[VictorM.]

Thinking? What a concept!😀

what were you thinking!! ;D

 

[kbg32]

Sometimes it is good to get out of your comfort zone. Get close! I hate those street shooters that photograph from across the street. To me, they're not "involved", too distant from what they are shooting.

 

[Nokton48]

Hi Sanders,

This Guy is freakin' amazing.

Wow.

NSFW

http://garybreckheimer.com/

 

[charjohncarter]

Bill Brandt's camera for -

"The Nudes

Since 1945, too, he has created a magnificent series of nudes, which are a significant landmark in the evolution of the photographic nude. His series was started in 1945 with the discovery of a camera that would give him 'an altered perspective and a less conventional image' that would help him to see 'like a mouse, a fish or a fly'. It came in the form of an old mahogany monster created by Kodak. It had no shutter, the aperture in its wide-angle lens was as small as a pinhole, and it was permanently focused on infinity. It had been used by Scotland Yard for police record work and by auctioneers to make inventories. He loaded the camera with a fast film, and started experimenting. The image on the ground glass was so dim it was useless for pre-planning the picture. The camera had to do its own seeing. Each exposure was a gamble; a picture could never be duplicated. Yet he was immediately excited by the weird results. Perspective was so steep it created an entirely new feeling of picture space."

Any idea what the equivalent 35mm focal lenght would be? His shots are very interesting.

 

[jsrockit]

Sometimes it is good to get out of your comfort zone. Get close! I hate those street shooters that photograph from across the street. To me, they're not "involved", too distant from what they are shooting.

Right, which is why I ask for established photographers... too many far away shots in the ultra wide threads here.

 

[jan normandale]

Thinking? What a concept!😀

heh.. thanks Victor.. btw that avatar... from Queen West?