I got a really good question for the creative photographers

RumDaddy · Jun 28, 2009

Which one of your lenses helps you get the most creative, unique or unusual shots?

You know the kind of images that would set you apart or help your one special image stand out or be just THAT much more special!

Right now Im led to believe its a the fish-eye lens.

But now Im hearing about a super wide angle lens.

The boring question is, which fish eye lens do you suggest for a Canon 50D or what size?

tsaraleksi · Jun 29, 2009

You can get creative images with any lens. I'd suggest a fast 35mm lens like a 35/2 for a 'normal' but still fairly fast lens.

A normal lens will force you to find creative images without relying upon a crutch of a specific "creative" lens. A fisheye is something that will quickly grow tired, and the same is true of a super wide angle.

What do you want to photograph?

musicaleCA · Jun 29, 2009

Whatever lens I have on my camera at the time. And if I have a moment to spare, whatever lens I have in my bag.

RONDAL · Jun 29, 2009

lenses, cameras, filters....they are all simply tools that allow me to get the creative thought IN MY HEAD, and make it something tangible in digital format, in most cases an image on a computer screen.

i wouldn't say one is any more "creative" than another.

That's like asking a painter which brush is more creative....

Sachphotography · Jun 29, 2009

A photographer's creativity is limited only to their own imagination. Each person observes things in a different way. I use all of my lenses for everything I do. I feel my creativity is the ability to create a dreamy creamy wispy like picture. My style = Ethereal.

"A photographer's creativity is limited only to their own imagination" LOL or what version of photoshop they own.

musicaleCA · Jun 29, 2009

Pft. Photoshop is for wussies. Hard-core photographers do it all in camera. :greenpbl: :lol:

Garbz · Jun 29, 2009

18mm or my 105mm Macro. They open up a new world. One that can't be seen with the naked eye. Nothing gives me more feeling of accomplishment than taking a photo of some ice and having someone reply "what the heck is that".

If they can't recognise it, and I haven't photoshopped it to death, then I must have got a unique or creative angle.

bigtwinky · Jun 29, 2009

whichever lens suits the situation.

there is no magical lens that will be creative. I've seen some truly inspiring shots done with all focal lenghts, from 10mm to 400+

SpeedTrap · Jun 29, 2009

There is one lens that is the most creative it is in your eye!

No one camera lens will do it, that is why many of us have 3 or more lenses in your bag (I carry 6)
I have shot the same subjest with several lenses to get the look I am going for.

c.cloudwalker · Jun 29, 2009

Garbz said:
18mm or my 105mm Macro. They open up a new world. One that can't be seen with the naked eye. Nothing gives me more feeling of accomplishment than taking a photo of some ice and having someone reply "what the heck is that".

If they can't recognise it, and I haven't photoshopped it to death, then I must have got a unique or creative angle.

Either that or the shot is really bad :lmao: Just a joke.

The lens and body are just objects and objects are not creative. The person using the objects is where the creativity comes from. Or not.

I agree with tsaraleksi that the fisheye or superwide effect gets tiring real fast. It does work with some photos but, imho, very few.

inTempus · Jun 29, 2009

There's not one "creative" lens on the market, there's a whole catalog of them. What's creative is the loose nut behind the camera, nothing that you can attach to the camera itself.

With that being said, I find myself using my 17-40 wide angle lens the most for the types of images I like to capture. But my style changes as do the ideas I have. Sometimes you don't want the heavy distortion that a 17-40 offers (especially at the 17mm end).

First envision what you want to capture, then pick the right tools to create that picture.

dxqcanada · Jun 29, 2009

Some of the most outstanding images I have taken were not credited to the Lens ... it was the quality of Light and the Subject that made the picture outstanding, and of course my ability to capture it.

Jeremy Z · Jul 3, 2009

For me, the best type of creative lens has been either the 90mm macro on my old film camera or the 35mm wide angle on my rangefinders.

The macro opens up a whole new world of photography that most folks dont' even notice. They just walk on it on their way to the real subject.

The 35mm is special because since it was a prime lens, and a versatile focal length, it forces the photographer to think around the lens. Forces him/her to move around more and see more before making the shot.

Also, the B&W medium has been a great thing for creative work. B&W is just beautiful to me. When I see B&W compared to color shots I prefer B&W for about 50%.

Try looking back at some of your favorite shots, de-saturating all the color out, then boosting the contrast. You might be surprised how much you like the result. (especially for portraits)

Dwig · Jul 3, 2009

SpeedTrap said:
There is one lens that is the most creative it is in your eye!...

Agreed, the eye (read: Eye+Brain) is the one creative component; the only one.

For the truely creative artist, the lens never is the source of the creative flow. At best, the lens is a facilitator. Anyone who relies on the camera and its lens to "be creative" isn't a particularily creative photographer. At best, they are a decent editor, one who can select the good images afterwards.

So, to answer the question "what lens(s) are most useful for realizing my creative ideas?", I would have to say relatively wide angle lens. In my old film days, my most often used lens for 35mm was a 20mm lens and for 4x5 and 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 (Polaroid 665 PN film) I used a somewhat less wide 90mm lens. I have lenses for my 35mm system up to 300mm, all primes. My 4x5 kit relied primarily on the 90mm and a 180mm (a beautiful Nikkor-W) though there were a few other odd old lenses including a 200mm Imagon. The second most common lenses that I would pull out of the bag for creative work would have to be my macros, 55mm and 105mm for my 35mm kit and a 150mm Vivitar VHE enlarging lens (actually a rebranded Schneider Componon-S with less elaborate coatings). Occasionally a fast normal (35mm f/1.4) on 35mm fit the bill.

Today I shoot only digital and rely on a zoom that covers the equivalent of 24-85mm on 35mm or roughly 75-270mm on 4x5. I still find that replicating my "eye's vision" requires the wide end of this zoom most of the time.

JerryPH · Jul 3, 2009

Primes... they are the most challenging and the most incredible results over my other lenses. Focal length doesn't seem to be a factor... 15, 50, 85, 105... all are so much more fun to get the best out of them. Thats not to say that I do not have any zooms, I do, and use them a lot too, but the moment I slap on the prime... I'm in a totally different thought process.