Wide-Angle Macro Photography: Another Perspective…

Don Silcock · Issue 52, Jan/Feb 2010 · pp. 30–33

Products mentioned: Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens, Kenko 1.5x teleconverter, Subal DP54B dome port, Subal D200 housing, Nikon D300, Sigma 17-70mm lens, Tokina 10-17mm lens, Inon 240 strobes, Inon 45 degree viewfinder

Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest from of flattery…. so let me start off this article by thanking Alex Mustard for sharing his experiences pioneering the technique of using wide-angle lenses to shoot macro type subjects. I really like trying new techniques to produce images that are “different” and Alex’s results with the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens coupled with a teleconvertor (TC) made me want to experiment and see what I could produce. The basic concept behind the technique is to use the close focusing capabilities of the 10.5mm fisheye, but adjust it’s field of view using a TC so that you get a sharp image of the creature and a sense of it’s overall environment. This approach differs from the “normal” macro photography, where we tend to isolate the creature from its environment. The key to the technique is maneuvering the camera really close to the subject so that it fills a sub…