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Fisheye Lens – Everything You Need to Know

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Fisheye Lens – Everything You Need to Know for fisheye lens photography and more.  There are so many ways you can be creative with fisheye photography!  Here you will learn fisheye lens effects, fisheye lens portrait photography, fisheye lens price and how to master using a fisheye lens. 

Fisheye Lens – Everything You Need to Know

One of the most creative and fun lenses there is! The fisheye will bring a whole new level of drama to your photos. Depending on the focal length and brand you choose, fisheye prices are on the lower end of the spectrum as far as pricing goes. One lens that is becoming very popular in the photography community is the Sigma 15mm Fisheye lens which sells for around $600. Say hello to beautiful sun flares, amazing colors, and details that this lens creates! With a fisheye lens, you can turn ordinary scenes into a creative playground. As simple as pointing the lens up or down, you can dramatically change the whole scene.

A fisheye is a prime lens, meaning that you can’t zoom in or out with it. Therefore, this means that you need to act as the zoom for the lens. You need to move back and forth to get closer or further away from your subject. Be sure to change perspectives and experiment with different angles and lines. Get down low to the ground, even if it means laying on your stomach. Stand on top of a ladder. Lean up against a wall and use the distortion of the lens to wrap the wall around the frame. Get creative.

Here are some different ways you can use this lens.

Fisheye Lens Effect

1. Embrace the curve and use the distortion to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to tilt your lens up and down as well as move yourself above or below your subject to create distortion on the edges and to curve the horizon lines! Those lines and curves may help lead your eyes to the subject of the image you’re focusing on.

Fisheye Portrait Photography

2. Get close to your subject and keep them centered (remember the fisheye is a prime lens, so you need to be the zoom for it by moving yourself closer). This keeps the subject prominent in the frame and turns an otherwise ordinary scene into a photo of fun! It will create the feeling of being part of the scene.

 
3. Use it in tight places. It’s perfect for those indoor shots that you may not have a lot of space to maneuver to get the entire scene in.

Using a Fisheye Lens for Landscape

4. Shoot wide landscapes without the fisheye look. There are times where you may want to get everything into the scene like a wide-angle lens, but without the distorted lines. Try to keep your horizon line centered in the frame, and stand as straight as possible as you can to the scene.
 
5. Take full advantage of the amazing details in the sky this lens retains as well as the awesome sun flares it can create! I typically underexpose slightly or expose more for the sky to prevent losing details in the sky caused from overexposing. Then in Lightroom or Photoshop I will bring down the highlights and brighten shadows a bit to help bring out the sky even more! To create a more dramatic sun flare or starburst, narrow down your aperture to around
f 5.0 or higher (most other lenses you need to narrow down to around f 1.8 to get a sunburst, but not with the fisheye because it is so wide!).
As you can see, you will not be disappointed with purchasing a fisheye lens! Stuck in a rut? I challenge you to buy (or rent) this lens and see where it takes your creativity. There are SO many ways you can use this lens! Take your camera wherever you go. Document those moments that you don’t ever want to forget. Most of all, just have fun!
Fisheye Lens - Everything You Need to Know
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Hello everyone!  My name is Rachel.  As you can see, most of my time is spent with my family enjoying the outdoors with our animals!  Born and raised in Michigan (although I would LOVE to move somewhere else for a few years), winters are VERY long here so when summer finally rolls around we spend as much time as possible outside enjoying it!  I live for those amazing sunsets!  Documentary and lifestyle photography are my absolute favorite!

Comments

  1. Dorota says

    Wonderful shots!
    Were the y taken with Full Frame camera?
    I consider buying fisheye lens for my Nikon D5200, but I’m affraid I would’t be able to get such effects.

    Reply

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