Paget House

[tegan]

well... two things with the polarizer.... the first these were both shot at 12mm.... such wide angles can not always be accommodated effectively with the polarizer.... the second thing is the sun was setting behind me.... the polarizing effect is lost if not at 90 degrees... the polarizer for this shoot would have just ended up being a 2 stop ND filter....

passive HDR's and exposure blending are just something I'm into experimenting with right now... i think dodging and burning using multiple exposure layers might produce some desirable results... it's just getting the balance right that can be the trick...

the NIK plug ins you recommend are high on my list..... I just started shooting RAW again so I bought LightRoom2..... between that and PSPX2 I've got too much on my plate to absorb.... I'm tempted to download the NIK trials but I'm afraid I'll get hooked... I've already out grown my camera body and still need a 2.8 zoom... I think I'd have better cashflow with a crack habit then photography....

thanks for your input though...

OK, why would you ever shoot a building at less than 28mm (35mm equivalent)? The distortion even at that focal length from some angles is difficult to correct. Without DXO software I would not even attempt shooting a building inside or out with a 12mm lens (18mm at 35mm equivalent) and even then only on rare occasions.

The problem with wide angle lenses is that they flatten an image from any distance and distort an image from close-up. It is necessary for the photographer to balance the two evils with just the right camera position on just the right subject. Certainly not easy for beginners.

My preference is a 28mm prime (35mm equivalent) or a zoom that goes from 28mm to 75mm or more that allows the photographer to control the amount of distortion or flattening in the image. Even then I too often tend to frame too tightly and not leave sufficient room for distortion correction.

Tegan