In this exercise on focal lengths and different perspectives, i was struck to see that distance and focal lenghts do play a significant role in the final image impression. I took two pictures of the car. The first shot using my 18-105mm lens was at 105mm all zoomed in at maximum focal length as shown below.
Observe the image very well and compare it to the 2nd image shot at very wide angle 18mm. I moved closer and closer until I filled the frame taking note of the edges in the first image. The 2nd image is shown below.
What was not captured in the first image is shown in the 2nd image;the surroundings.The angle of view has also increased making the roof more visible now.
The Photographers Eye (Michael Freeman, 2007) discusses perspective as the appearance of objects in space, and their relationship to each other and the viewer. A heigthened sense of depth through strong perspective tends to improve the viewers sense of being there in front of a real scene. It makes more of the representational qualities of the subject, and less of the graphic structure.
Looking at the two images, I tend to prefer the second image because i think its stronger. it is more representative of the environment.
LESSON LEARNT: Perspectives and viewpoints strongly affect the message of the image.
