The four essential lenses

When it comes to “starting out” as a photographer, there’s plenty to learn about technique. Most amateurs will go out and buy a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, which is a good first step. Once they have this camera, a lot of time can be spent tweaking settings to get the right pictures. From ISO to shutter speed to focal length (often known as “f-stop”), these settings will determine a photographer’s technique and are invaluable for increasing a photographer’s skill. As they begin to take more pictures with these settings, they can learn more about composition (like the “rule of thirds”) and improve their style even further. With the exception of the purchase of the camera, the amateur photographer can learn a lot for free just by playing around with the DSLR and taking lots of photographs. And yet, there is a point where knowing how to compose a good picture and knowing what settings to use for said picture...
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Fun with a Fish-eye lens

Of the variety of lenses I own for my camera, I would have to say that the wide angle (or fish-eye) lens is perhaps the most fun and the most challenging to use. There are a number of interesting effects that can be achieved with a wide angle lens. Cramped spaces can suddenly be captured in a single frame, extreme close-ups can focus on a single object while also showing the world around it, linear compositions can become twisted and distorted. While all of these aspects are interesting to the photographs I produce, I find that it's actually quite challenging to set up the right shot. With every other lens I own, it's easy to mentally frame the shot I want just with how I see the scene with my eyes. With a wide angle lens, that's not the case. Because the wide angle lens distorts everything that isn't in the center of the frame, it can be difficult to know...
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