2485 - Low, Low, Low


Using my new Olympus 9-18 I finally feel it again, the joy of using an ultra-wide lens. OK, it’s not as hyper-ultra as others, but if you forget about the idea of getting everything in focus from the nearest foreground to the farthest background, if you just come in a little closer than usual, you see that you can get all the weird wide-angle distortions that you may crave for.

Take this image for example. I’ve set the camera down on the carpet in this church, focused pretty far away, and although the immediate foreground is not sharp, the effect of the monstrously enlarged pattern playing off of the gothic choir and the baroque ornaments compensates completely.

I’ve taken the image to B&W, simply because the red carpet was overwhelming the background. Apropos background, the background is already beginning to fade out of focus, but the result is still acceptable due to the smaller sensor’s DOF advantage. Advantage? Yup! Shallow DOF is not everything 🙂

The Song of the Day is “Low, Low, Low” from the 1993 James album “Laid”. Hear it on YouTube.


There are 5 comments

Art   (2013-08-06)

Great DOF. Sharp and beautiful. Cool B&W! Art ----------

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Joe Jarosak   (2013-08-07)

I finally picked up the Lumix 7-14. Nice B&W 🙂

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Earl   (2013-08-07)

Andreas, I've enjoyed following your recent thoughts and impressions of different lens for the Olympus. This image is a very creative use of the both the width and DOF this particular lens and camera offers. I also have the Olympus 9-18 and find it a fun lens to use with the OM-D. Perhaps not everyone would weigh the merits of a "fun factor" but it ought to be a part of everyone's selection process -- if it's not fun to use you're not likely going to use it much.

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andreas   (2013-08-09)

Absolutely. And if you can't carry it, you won't either 🙂

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Cedric Canard   (2013-08-10)

I'm enjoying your down-to-earth, functional impressions on the various lenses you are using, or have used. The "fun factor" (along with portability) will always trump quality for me. I'm sure my view would be different if I was dependent on my photography for a living but since that is not the case, fun rules. This particular shot is engaging. The ground level viewpoint creates a lot of impact, especially with the pattern on the carpet. Very cool.

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