SHORT AND SWEET
- To create a star burst, use a wide angle lens and a
small lens aperture like f/16 to f/32. If the sun is some-
what obscured by thin clouds, the star will be dimin-
ished a little. In a clear blue sky, the rays of light are
sharper and better defined. Check the LCD monitor
-- not the histogram --to determine the exposure.
- When doing outdoor portraits, don’t forget to use
a wide angle lens to create environmental portraits.
You get extensive depth of field and great context to
the subjects. This is a family of Himba tribal people
in Namibia. I used a 24mm focal length, and even
though this isn’t super wide, it still has a great look.
- Notice how I didn’t include the sky in this com-
position of Venetian models during carnival. Even if
the sky was overcast, the bright area in the top of the
frame would have been distracting because it would be
so light. I used a 16-35mm wide angle lens, so I had to
angle the camera downward to avoid the sky. §
2. Keep your camera available when moving through
airports. Sometimes the architecture is surprisingly
dramatic. I took this picture in the airport in Detroit,
Michigan -- it’s a corridor between terminals. An-
other amazing airport is O’Hare in Chicago. A wide
angle lens is what’s best.