Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1262648
26 | OHCC LIVING | JULY 2020 | Once again as members of the OHCC Photography Club, due to the COVID-19 virus, we find ourselves unable to attend meetings in the Clubhouse but not easily or safely able to join in outside functions with multiple attendees either. What to do? Well, as photographers we have access to technical equipment and resources that facilitate our participation in a favorite hobby. So, one channel for our creativity is to explore the potential scope of our equipment. It is important to note that the equipment you use may be sophisticated and complex or could be relatively simple and limited in the sophistication it can attain. This is particularly true when comparing cell phone photography with images shot with cameras such as DSLRs, with scope for different, interchangeable lenses, etc. Having a range of lenses allows for a variety of effects, such as extreme close-ups or wide-angle shots. As it happens, many cell phones can also be amenable to wide angle operation but they are still less versatile. One extreme wide-angle lens that I bought several years ago is the fish-eye, and I have often enjoyed different types of shot with this. Some examples are shown here. The picture of the skyline in downtown San Francisco was shot looking straight up into the sky from a point surrounded by skyscrapers. As the camera is pointed upwards, each building appears to be distorted with increasing height. This is hard to avoid. Fish-eye lenses always distort subjects that are close to the camera, turning straight lines into curves. A more conventional wide-angle lens was designed not to distort the image, as shown in the night shot of the Legion of Honor in Golden Gate Park. Finally, it is possible to use post-production software, such as Photoshop, to straighten some features of the fish-eye images. The image looking up the garden path was treated like this. Here I am dealing very briefly with a single aspect of photography, which is the role focal length plays in controlling the nature of the photographic image. I hope this might whet your appetite for probing other technical factors that explore the full potential of your equipment, studies that can be fascinating and rewarding. Photography Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. San Francisco Skyline Legion of Honor Up the Garden Path