Photography tips

Using a wide angle creatively

View of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky.

Key tips

  1. Select an ultra-wide angle lens with a 12 mm focal length to effectively frame the vast sky and cloud formations.
  2. Use an ultra-wide angle of 12 mm to capture a vast landscape, such as Lake Lucerne and the Pilatus massif, in its entirety.
  3. Use a wide angle lens to frame your main subject between foreground elements.

Photographs on this topic

135 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects City Architecture Mountains Landscape Lucerne Pilatus Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
View through an ornamental metal gate onto the Wasserturm and Kapellbrücke in Lucerne at dusk. 12 mm · f/22 · 1/10 s · ISO 125 Stone Nölliturm in Lucerne viewed from a low angle 12 mm · f/22 · 1/13 s · ISO 160 Facade of Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne illuminated in blue at night with a crowd in the foreground 12 mm · f/8 · 1.6 s · ISO 160 Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night 12 mm · f/8 · 1.6 s · ISO 160 View through the wooden Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in the morning sunlight 12 mm · f/16 · 1/15 s · ISO 500 Wasserturm of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at sunset 26 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 320 View from the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne towards the Water Tower at sunset 12 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 800 Water tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in the soft light of the evening sun 12 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 1000 Close-up of pink magnolia blossoms in front of the historic Musegg Tower in Lucerne 12 mm · f/14 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 Facade of Villa Schweizerhof with garden and terrace in Lucerne 12 mm · f/18 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 View from a flowery meadow at the facade of the Villa Schweizerhof in Lucerne. 12 mm · f/18 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 White Villa Schweizerhof in Lucerne in front of a meadow with daisies in the foreground 12 mm · f/18 · 1/160 s · ISO 200 The white facade of Villa Schweizerhof in Lucerne with daisies in the foreground. 12 mm · f/18 · 1/125 s · ISO 200 Double exposure of Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne with reflection in a puddle 12 mm · f/8 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 View of the hotel facade of the Schweizerhof in Lucerne with a street in the foreground 13 mm · f/11 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 Wasserturm and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne with reflection in the water at sunrise 21 mm · f/22 · 1/200 s · ISO 500 Water Tower and Chapel Bridge on Lake Lucerne at sunset with an iron mooring ring in the foreground. 12 mm · f/22 · 1/250 s · ISO 500 Close-up of dark pansies in front of the wooden construction of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne 18 mm · f/20 · 1/60 s · ISO 800 Red Camellia flowers in the foreground with the historic Chapel Bridge and Lake Lucerne in the background. 14 mm · f/20 · 1/60 s · ISO 640 Yellow pansies in front of the wooden gable of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne 21 mm · f/20 · 1/60 s · ISO 1000 Close-up of purple pansies in the foreground with the historic wooden structure of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in the background. 24 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 1250 Silhouette of the Water Tower and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne against the setting sun 12 mm · f/22 · 1/160 s · ISO 200 Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne with colorful decorations on the facade and a passing bus in the foreground 12 mm · f/16 · 1 s · ISO 200

Related topics

  • City
  • Architecture
  • Mountains
  • Landscape
  • Composition
  • Camera settings
  • Light
  • Perspective
  • Lucerne
  • Pilatus
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Central Switzerland
  • Evening light
  • Sunset
  • Blue hour
  • Night
  • Snow
  • Rain
  • Fog
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