Wide-angle lenses don’t automatically make interesting pictures – they demand more intentional and considerate composition. I find shooting with a wide angle to be challenging, but with some practice I now feel that I have mastered it and now I know how to take good photos with a wide angle lens.
Here are my thoughts:
It Requires More From You If You Want To Take Good Photos With A Wide Angle Lens
1. Wide angle exaggerates emptiness if you don’t give it something to work with
Most “boring” wide-angle photos fail because there’s no strong foreground. Without something close to the lens, everything in the photo looks flat and distant.
Here is a photo using my wide angle lens at 14mm, I deliberately put the colourful rocks close to the lens to create a foreground. Noice the curved tape of the rock is emphasised by the wide angle lens.
2. Getting close matters a lot
Wide-angle only works when you physically move closer to your subject. Standing back and pointing a wide lens at a scene usually produces weak images.
3. Composition has to be deliberate
Wide lenses show everything – including clutter, bad edges, and weak structure. You need to actively manage:
– foreground / midground / background
– leading lines
– frame edges
In this photo, my tripod was in the water and I was very close to the waterfall so that the water completely filled the bottom of the frame.
4. Perspective is the real feature of how to take good photos with a wide angle lens
The appeal of wide isn’t “fitting more in” – it’s perspective distortion. Objects close to the camera feel dominant; distant elements fall away quickly. Used intentionally, this creates depth and drama.
5. Camera height and angle matter a lot
Small changes in viewpoint make a big difference with wide lenses. Shooting lower, higher, or slightly off-axis often transforms a scene more than changing settings.
I took this photo in Valencia using my wide angle lens at 14mm and the camera was actually on the ground. The Lins you can see coming toward the camera are actually in the floor.
6. Wide-angle photography is slower and more physical
Unlike longer lenses, wide shooting often means:
– walking the scene
– testing positions
– crouching or climbing
– waiting for elements to align
It rewards patience and movement.
Andrew Mason is a professional photographer and the founder of the 36exp Photographers School plus the London Photo Show.
He shoots mainly commercial portraits for a living, and likes to shoot landscape, portrait and travel photography.
He is a master of lighting and portrait photography, plus leads photography trips with 36exp.