CHOOSE YOUR ANGLE (3/5)

By Sofia Sjöberg

 

First thing to think about, what do I want to capture with this photo?

Am I looking for a pure action shot with the skier close to the camera or is the background the most interesting part? Photo 1 & 2 and respectively, 3 & 4 are taken at the same location, just with different lenses/focal length. So they are two different runs at the same spot with different framing.

Pretty basic stuff:
- if you want a close-up action shot put the rider close to the lens so he/she fills up the frame,
- if the backdrop is the more beautiful part you pick a longer lens.

So a wide angle is best to use when you want to capture the speed and force of the skier.
It also works well if you shoot clothes in action, for example a lookbook photo or ad.

Photo 1& 2 are taken with the same lens, just different framing. I both wanted to capture the crazy light and snow texture as well as having a closer photo of the clothes.

Photo 3 & 4 are taken with different lenses. As you can see on the snow texture in photo 3, the snow isn’t too good. So having all the focus on the skier is probably not the greatest idea. As you can see the backdrop is pretty amazing with the Mont Blanc, so I switched to a longer lens (70-200 mm) and reframed the photo. In this photo, what’s interesting are the different layers of nature. You have the snowpatch where Jacob makes his turn and the Aiguille du Midi in the background. I always shoot both the turn and the moments after the turn is done, there are often dreamy moments when there is still the snow in the air from the previous turn.

 

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Photo 1: Canon 16-35 mm at 35 mm

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Photo 2: Canon 16-35 mm at 16mm

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Photo 3: Canon 16-35 mm at 16 mm

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Photo 4: Canon 70-200 mm at 70 mm.