4 Uses of a Fish Eye Lens

For photographers, a great piece of equipment to own is the Fish Eye Lens. This camera accessory is an extreme wide-angle lens that distorts images into a spherical orientation  Historically, the Fish Eye Lens was created by meteorologists to capture the formation of clouds. Photographers have adapted this lens type due to the artistic distortion it creates.

There are two main types of Fish Eye: the circular and the full-frame. The circular shows dark edges, as if the image is being viewed through a tunnel. The full-frame doesn’t show any dark areas. Here are different ways photographers utilize this wide-angle lens:

1. Landscape

The Fish Eye Lens is very popular in landscape photography because it can capture everything within a 170-degree angle. The hemispherical effect, especially when taking a picture of a seascape, artistically portrays the curve of the Earth.

2. Wacky Portraits

Due to the extremely concave nature of the Fish Eye, subjects that are depicted in the middle of the lens are enlarged and enhanced. This results in a comic and distorted profile picture. You can do this on people, animals, and even inanimate objects with a very interesting focal point.

3. Architectural Photographs

Because the Fish Eye is a very wide-angle lens, it’s perfect for architectural photography. Wide buildings are shows to be even larger than life, and tall towers are distorted to make them appear more gargantuan. Know how to angle your Fish Eye properly, and take several test shots to find which one works best on the structure you’re photographing.

4. Astrophotography

The Fish Eye is perfect for the purpose it was initially invented for – watching the skies. For astrophotographers, there’s nothing better than being able to effectively portray the spherical characteristic of the planet while also showing the movement of the stars.