How to take great Ultra-Wide shots

Ultra-wide photography is hard to pull off. People tend to use ultra-wide lenses to just get everything in. That's not how they are supposed to be used. They are intended to get up close and personal with your subject, and show things in a new light.
Here are some tips I use to get some truly memorable shots.

Step 1 Choosing an Ultra-Wide lens

Ultra-wide lenses are different from fisheye lenses, where the latter distorts the image, an ultra-wide will keep everything straight and normal. The focal lengths of the lenses are on the low end of the scale For a DX sensor like the Nikon D40, D60, D80, D90, and similar, anything under 16mm can be considered ultra-wide.
For a Full frame, or FX sensor you only need to go down to 20mm or less. The shorter the focal length, the wider the field of view is.

Ultra-wides are expensive.
The ultra-wide I have is a Tokina 11-16mm. It's hard to come by because its almost always sold out, so I suggest eBay/Carig's list, or waiting, or checking out another lens.

Comments

[CameronSS]

The concept of tilting the camera only works when it's at a fairly steep angle. Otherwise, it just looks like you weren't paying attention and held the camera crooked.

[Deadly Computer]

I mean holding the camera on an angle in all three axis. Crouching down and looking up, tilting it alittle vertical, and/or skewing it horizontal. It depends on what your photographing you have to use any or all of those, and even alittle angle in the right direction works.

[CameronSS]

A very slightly tilted horizon NEVER works.

[mowie]

That reminds me. a few months ago i was on this big hill so i could watch these fireworks (a yearly thing that happens in canberra australia) i took like tons of pics using a tripod and made sure the tripod was level but there was a half fallen down barb wire fence infront of me that made all the pics look unlevel'd so most of my pictures were un usable.. it was a shame i was waiting up on the hill for 6 hours to get the best spot lmao. Here is one of the only pictures that turned out ok. That red smoke is smoke bombs stuck to air force sky divers called the red berrets

[jeffreywriter]

Correction...the Tokina 11-16 is a 2.8 lens, not a 1.8 lens....I have one too.

[Deadly Computer]

you're right, typo on my part, thanks for pointing it out