*click to enlarge

focal length: 14 mm
shutter speed: 1/2000
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
flash: none

As a warm up to my wide vs long focal length article coming up next, here is one taken with my widest lens, the 14-24mm f/2.8. I had just gotten this lens and was testing it out while the cherry blossoms were in bloom. I like to use wide to get interesting effects both for shooting people and for landscapes. Wide angle seems to be especially nice for cloudy sky shots making it seem more dramatic. When I took a look at the RAW file for this shot, I was surprised at how vibrant the colours were. I guess good glass makes a difference!

*click to enlarge

focal length: 18 mm
shutter speed: 1/125
aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 400
flash: none

I shot this last December when I was lucky enough to have seen this gorgeous rainbow. Believe it or not, I shot this with my 18-55mm kit lens. It was the widest I had at the time and I remember wishing I had a wider lens! I took two shots and stitched them together in Photoshop. I just spent about 15 minutes working on it so it’s not the best, but it’s ok. I did have to doctor this one up quite a bit as the RAW files were dull and not nearly as beautiful as what I saw with my naked eye. It was so much more amazing than this photo can depict. Next time, I’ll be ready!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.