Canon Note to self: question assumptions

Jock Elliott

Hall of Famer
Location
Troy, NY
The epic grandeur of the sky fascinates me. Cloud structures and associated weather systems can stretch for hundreds of miles and can be staggering in their magnificence.

So, the assumption: if you need to take a picture of something really big, you need a space-gobbling wide angle, right?

Maybe not.

Yesterday, the better half and I were headed north on the Adirondack Northway. Dead ahead were magnificent clouds. I set the Canon G12 on C1 (a custom preset that gives me full wide -- 28mm equivalent -- and focus on infinity, because the G12 sometimes has trouble locking focus on clouds).

Using the optical viewfinder, I aim through the windshield and get this:

G12 clouds 001.JPG
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Doesn't look very epic to me.

Would zooming in help? Here are the results at 88 mm equivalent:

G12 clouds 006.JPG
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G12 clouds 007.JPG
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G12 clouds 008.JPG
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G12 clouds 009.JPG
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These, I think, say "epic grandeur" much better than the first one.

Comments? Suggestions?

Cheers, Jock
 
Although "negative space" can be a powerful tool in composition, I think the old standby of "fill the frame" works best here.

This is a great example of a typical exercise taught to beginning photographers (and should serve as a reminder to myself). Pick a subject and photograph it in as many different ways as possible.
 
I’m also a great sky fan - sometimes to the extent of being momentarily distracted from the task of driving. When I’m a passenger, I tend to look up and aside a lot, being taken with vistas, clouds, mountains … But, I have stopped taking pictures through car windows. Their multi-laired construction (especially the windshield) reduces contrast and detail, probably shifts colours, and the vibrations of the moving vehicle could have an effect on image quality.

BTW, I87 is one of my favourite routes in the northeast, as are the other interstate highways. For a more leisurely ride, NY 30 is also beautiful.
 
I’m also a great sky fan - sometimes to the extent of being momentarily distracted from the task of driving. When I’m a passenger, I tend to look up and aside a lot, being taken with vistas, clouds, mountains … But, I have stopped taking pictures through car windows. Their multi-laired construction (especially the windshield) reduces contrast and detail, probably shifts colours, and the vibrations of the moving vehicle could have an effect on image quality.

BTW, I87 is one of my favourite routes in the northeast, as are the other interstate highways. For a more leisurely ride, NY 30 is also beautiful.

Amen to all of that!

Cheers, Jock
 
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