Ersion

exaggerates another kind of distortion: a stretching outward from the centre that becomes more and more pronounced toward the corners (see The egg-head effect, below). The strategies for dealing with this perspective distortion are entirely in your hands, and depend on how you compose the shot.

The exaggeration of geometry is strongest when you have a close foreground and a deep shot, but these are exactly the conditions that give ultra-wide lenses their special character. Using an ultra-wide for style needs minute attention to the camera position and angle. At 14mm, for example, it’s less a matter of how much distortion than where, and the slightest movement when you’re framing a shot makes a big difference. An inch to one side can change things dramatically, so shooting with one of these lenses is an intensive experience. Doing it quickly and well takes practice.

Shot at a focal length of 14mm. When this photograph was taken I tried to keep heads and other distortion-prone shapes away from the edges

A combination of my tilting forward and the man in orange leaning back makes his head oval in shape (note the increase in size of the console)