Friday 20 April 2012

Focal lengths

Exercise: Focal Lengths (3-10 photographs)

This exercise was to demonstrate how using different lenses and therefore different focal lengths can have effect on a photograph. This was achieved by setting the camera on a tripod and taking a series photographs at varying focal lengths of open view with detail in the distance. For this exercise I used a Nikon D300 fitted with 18-50mm lens as well as a 70-300mm lens.



Image 1 - taken @ 29mm


Image 2 - taken @ 46mm


Image 3 - taken @ 70mm


Image 4 - taken @ 300mm


The photographs were taken looking westward from Princetown towards Merrivale on Dartmoor. In image 1, I used a focal length of 29mm and this gave a wide angle view of the moorland and houses and the old Merrivale quarry in the distance, this angle of view is quite flat and boring. 

Image 2 was taken at 46mm and gives a slightly tighter view. It gives a better impression of the quarry and surrounding area with the granite and heather moorland in the foreground. 

Moving in to 70mm in image 3 and some of the detail of quarry is lost, this is due to the increase in focal length, as the focal length is increased, so the angle of view is decreased. This is demonstrated to a greater extent on image 4 which was taken at 300mm. The detail of the quarry and surrounding farm buildings have been lost and the photograph is dominated by the large white house. In this photograph, I varied the composition slightly and placed the house the right of the photograph as the driveway goes out to the left and the parked van suggest movement to the left. 

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