Established photographers who use wide angles 21mm or wider?

Probably best to define "established", as many a commercial shooter has paid countless mortgage payments via lenses shorter than 20mm.
 
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.
 
jsrockit said:
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.
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Not offended, just not sure what "established" means in this context. I'm fairly difficult to offend ;)
 
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.
 
jsrockit said:
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.
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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.
 
jan normandale said:
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.
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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.
 
@ 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.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
kbg32 said:
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."
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Any idea what the equivalent 35mm focal lenght would be? His shots are very interesting.
 
kbg32 said:
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.
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Right, which is why I ask for established photographers... too many far away shots in the ultra wide threads here.
 
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