Architectural photography is an art in itself. Much time is spent with a great deal of
attention devoted to detail. For this, we use a special architectural lens that has the
capability to shift and tilt the focal plane.
Why is this necessary?
To explain Shift, the example of photographing a building exterior is an easy one for
most to follow. Normally, if you use a wide-angle lens and try to photograph a fairly
tall building, you’d aim the camera upward to include all of the building in the frame.
The problem? In aiming the camera upward, you introduce a perspective distortion.
The sides of the building bow inward, giving a sort of pyramid-like effect. In our
everyday photography, we’ve seen this so much that we’re usually acclimated to it
and accept it. But to a critical professional, there are times when this distortion is not
acceptable. Here is where a shift lens comes in.
With the lens’s movements all set to their centered “zero” position, the camera is
aimed carefully at the building, with critical attention paid to insure that the vertical
lines and sides of the building are perfectly straight. (Parenthetically, the new Live
View feature of current EOS digital SLRs, combined with its on-screen Grid Lines
display, is ideal for this type of use.) However, with the sides of the building straight,
there’s a catch — the lens is pointed straight ahead, and we can’t see the top of the
building. Shift now comes into play. Simply turn the shift knob to raise the front
section of the lens upward, and the entire image begins to rise in the finder or on the
Live View display. But since the entire camera isn’t being tilted upward to achieve
this, the lines remain straight. Of course, tripod mounting is ideal for this type of use,
but it can be seen even in hand-held applications.
Narrative courtesy: Canon Camera Co.
attention devoted to detail. For this, we use a special architectural lens that has the
capability to shift and tilt the focal plane.
Why is this necessary?
To explain Shift, the example of photographing a building exterior is an easy one for
most to follow. Normally, if you use a wide-angle lens and try to photograph a fairly
tall building, you’d aim the camera upward to include all of the building in the frame.
The problem? In aiming the camera upward, you introduce a perspective distortion.
The sides of the building bow inward, giving a sort of pyramid-like effect. In our
everyday photography, we’ve seen this so much that we’re usually acclimated to it
and accept it. But to a critical professional, there are times when this distortion is not
acceptable. Here is where a shift lens comes in.
With the lens’s movements all set to their centered “zero” position, the camera is
aimed carefully at the building, with critical attention paid to insure that the vertical
lines and sides of the building are perfectly straight. (Parenthetically, the new Live
View feature of current EOS digital SLRs, combined with its on-screen Grid Lines
display, is ideal for this type of use.) However, with the sides of the building straight,
there’s a catch — the lens is pointed straight ahead, and we can’t see the top of the
building. Shift now comes into play. Simply turn the shift knob to raise the front
section of the lens upward, and the entire image begins to rise in the finder or on the
Live View display. But since the entire camera isn’t being tilted upward to achieve
this, the lines remain straight. Of course, tripod mounting is ideal for this type of use,
but it can be seen even in hand-held applications.
Narrative courtesy: Canon Camera Co.
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Copyright 2010 Gold Seal Photography and Aerial Images Photography 1285 Bradley Lane Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (847)985-7685
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