Hans Strand

Photo Gallery

Wide angle composition

The composition of an image is the most important step in the photographic process. It is here the impact of an image is determined. It is here the personality of each photographer comes out. Many might say that it is the content of an image which is the most important, but a content without interpretation is totally uninspiring.

As photographer your task is to frame a scene in a personal way and transmit an expression to the viewer. It is not a matter of catching what you see, but what you feel.
 

A wide-angle lens can be
used either to :

#1 Frame as much as possible
of a scene. The greater wide-angle
the more you get.

#2 Enhance the feeling of depth
in a composition.

#1. Here the object is treated more or less as two dimensional. There is no significant foreground or background. It is more a matter of finding the right distribution of objects within the frame of the image. How you compose an image is how you distribute the objects in the frame. It can be a composition with one or several “strong objects” which attracts the eye of the viewer. The “strong objects” can be bright objects on a dark background or dark objects on a bright background. The shape of the objects can be all kinds of geometric figures such as circles, rectangles, lines, irregular shapes etc. If the eye is attracted to the centre of the image it a “centrifugal” composition and if the eye is attracted to the corners it is a “centripetal” composition. In the centrifugal composition the objects are scattered and the viewers eye is free to move from the centre over the whole image out to the corners , like the centrifugal force in a carousel. The composition is lively and vivid and there are no “strong objects” attracting your eyes. Moderate wide-angles like Super-Angulon 90mm:5.6 or even Super-Symmar XL Asperic 110mm:5.6 are suitable for such compositions. The centripetal composition however gives a concentrated image where the eye always is ending up looking at the same “strong object” somewhere in the central part of the frame. The eye is sucked in the same way as the centripetal force of a vortex in a bath tub. Super wide-angles like Super-Angulons XL 47-72mm more or less automatically expresses centripetal compositions.

Examples ::

Centrifugal compositions:
Compositions of chaotic objects such as forest and forest floors, where there are numerous visible objects of different shapes and colors. Tree trunks and branches are having a scattering effect by guiding the eye in different directions whereas rounder objects such as rocks,
leaves, pools etc. have a stopping effect.
 

#2. Here the object is treated as 3-dimensional and is divided in foreground, middleground and background. The camera is placed fairly low and close to an object, with a “strong character”, which makes the foreground. It can be a rock formation, a tree root, patterns in sand, a field of flowers, etc. The foreground will take large proportions and will get bigger the greater wide-angle you use. My favourite lens for this kind of composition is Super-Angulon XL 72mm:5.6. To obtain full depth of field you use the Scheimpflug effect of the view camera. The lens plane is tilted until you find an “optimal” focal plane This is easy with flat surfaces such as flower fields, patterns in sand etc. Since a flat surface is more or less two dimensional, every object in the image will be reproduced sharply on film when you find the right tilt of the lens plane. There is also no need for stopping down the lens to the smallest aperture. It is more tricky when there are vertical objects in the composition, such as tree trunks in a forest or a steeply rising background. Then you need to find the best possible tilt to obtain the best possible depth of field. You also need to stop down the lens to its minimum aperture. I normally find such a “best possible focal plane”, on a 4x5” camera, by tilting the lens plane until I find one sharp point about 2 cm down from the upper side of the ground glass and one about 2 cm up from the lower side of the ground glass. The elements inside these points as well as the ones outside will be reproduced sharply on the film by the natural depth of field of a small aperture.

Examples ::

Workflow: First shift then tilt:
With a view camera you can correct the perspective from convergence of straight lines by shifting the lens up or down. The shift can be done either on the lens plane or the film plane. I normally place my camera straight ( by watching the spirit levels) in the photo direction and then shift until I have the composition I want on the ground glass. Then all straight lines will remain free from convergence, which is one of the benefits with large format cameras. I always begin with the shift operation to determine the composition before I do the tilting and focusing. Tilting preferable on the lens plane.

I prefer to do the tilting on the lens plane. This since you do not affect the perspective. By doing the tilting on the film plane you are getting conversion of straight lines and you also loose elements from the initial composition in the upper and lower edges.

The only time I use the film plane for tilting, is when I am risking vignetting. This happens when there is no more image circle to play with. The Schneider XL lenses however have large image circles and crispy sharpness all the way out in the corners and you seldom have to worry about shifting too much. In the typical landscape situation #2 where you enhance the foreground, you shift down the front (or rise the back) and tilt the front forward. The shifting and tilting are here working in opposite directions on the image circle and therefore lesser risk for vignetting.
 

Strategy ::

To get as good as possible images you need some kind of strategy when you approach a photo situation. Personally I try to be as free as possible in my mind and not look for just one type of composition such as #1 or #2. The best images are sometimes combinations of #1 and #2.

Try not to repeat yourself and just stick one type of composition. As a large format photographer you might get tempted to stick to #2 type compositions and always show impressive depth of field and big foregrounds in your images. That is boring in the long run, believe me.

If you always are a #2 photographer your photography will become very stereotype and without surprises. It is good to know the recipe how to make a #2 composition, but do not let it become your only way of making images. When I enter a forest I normally first think of #1 and when I am in open landscapes like coast, deserts and mountains I think of #2. That can however change if something special shows up. In the forest situation I look for complexity with some kind of order. In the open landscape I look for interesting foregrounds with strong character.
 
The ”strength” of the foreground is important since it takes a big part of the image. Just an anonymous rock without color or interesting shape is not interesting enough. I therefore spend a lot of time looking for good foregrounds.
 

  Hans Strand