The Art of the Fisheye
After my recent talk on the “Art of the Fisheye†at ImagingUSA, one of the Facebook posts I saw about it summed it up.
 “It’s hard enough to try to stand out in a crowd of new photographers. So having a fisheye in your arsenal can get you that extra edge.â€
The advantage of having a Fisheye lens is you can shoot things at an “impossible†angle to see from the human eye.
The reason a Fisheye is so different from any other lens – is that it’s the only lens where you DO NOT have to look through the viewfinder to compose and focus.
This one advantage frees you up tremendously.
Think of all the angles that are now open to you.
You can shoot from above… below… from the side… from behind…
I call it the Fisheye Five.
That is in each shooting situation – find five different angles to shoot from. And from there… find five MORE angles within each angle.
Each new angle you find, gives you a competitive advantage over the other photographers in your area.
I personally have two Fisheye Lenses.
I have the Sigma 15mm 2.8 and I have the Sigma 10mm 2.8.
The difference between the two is that that the 10mm distorts a little more than the 15mm.
Which one do I use?
Sometimes one. Sometimes both. And at the same time.
I dual wield.
I use one in my right hand and turn the other camera upside down and shoot the other camera with my left hand.
I pioneered this technique so I can cover a great deal of “real estate†when I shoot candid pictures at weddings. Never missing a moment.
I can shoot what’s in front of me… and I can also shoot what’s behind me by putting the camera around my back.
I can do this simultaneously.
I can stand between the bride and her brides maids. The bride throws the bouquet. I have my Sigma 15mm on her.
But my Sigma 10mm is behind my back. At the same time – I’m shooting with my left hand to get all the action behind me.
It takes practice to dual wield. I urge you to get your Fisheye out and practice!
Use it at your next wedding! And not just at the reception. Think going down the aisle shots.
See what you come up with!
You might just be surprised!
See more of my pictures on my website. And to stay up with my latest tips and tricks – check out The Underground, a blog for professional photographers.
Gene
