Wide angle / short focal length
For other examples:
Cristina Garcia Rodero p. 15
Melanie Einzig p. 103
Holly Andres’s set-up images linger somewhere between memory and make-believe. In this image see how the wide-angle lens presents us with an unusually expansive view. This has allowed more elements to be included in the composition, which, in turn, starts to piece together a story – albeit an ambiguous one.
Wide-angle lenses (or short focal lengths) cause periphery details to play an allimportant role.
First the wide angle suggests that the viewer is in the boot of a car, like the victim of a deal gone bad. Then the shop front, the lampposts and telegraph poles all hint that this is a quick stop en route to a more final destination. And then there’s the couple. Shorter focal lengths seemingly elongate distance. This has made the woman in the background appear so small compared to that unnerving hand, which looms large in the very foreground.
When shooting with a short focal length, always keep an eye on what’s happening around your actual subject, as this context will be an important part of your image. Also, make sure you get close to your subject as shorter focal lengths make everything seem much further away.
Wonder from ‘Full of Grace’
Holly Andres
2009
Lanzarote
Jeanloup Sieff
1975