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

186 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 of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky. 12 mm · f/14 · 1/15 s · ISO 200 View through a round railing at the sunset-lit Reuss river in Lucerne 13 mm · f/18 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 View through an ornate metal railing towards the old town of Lucerne and the Reuss river at sunset. 12 mm · f/16 · 1/200 s · ISO 200 An anniversary flag of FC Luzern waving against the backdrop of the city of Lucerne at Lake Lucerne. 29 mm · f/16 · 1/160 s · ISO 200 View across the Seebrücke bridge in Lucerne with pink flowers in the foreground at sunrise 12 mm · f/16 · 1/800 s · ISO 500 Wasserturm and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at sunset 15 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 400 View from the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne overlooking the Reuss River with historic buildings in the background 20 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 500 View from the Chapel Bridge towards the Jesuit Church and the Reuss river in Lucerne at sunset 12 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 250 The Reuss river in Lucerne with the Rathaussteg bridge in the backlight of the setting sun 16 mm · f/22 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 View of the Chapel Bridge with water tower and Mount Pilatus in the background in Lucerne 16 mm · f/22 · 2 s · ISO 64 Reflection of buildings and a passing bus at Schweizerhofquai in a puddle under a cloudy sky. 19 mm · f/11 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 Front view of a wet green park bench on the lake promenade in Lucerne with a view of the Hotel Schweizerhof. 12 mm · f/10 · 1/10 s · ISO 200 Green park bench in the foreground on the lakeshore promenade in Lucerne in rainy weather 12 mm · f/11 · 1/10 s · ISO 200 Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne in overcast light with passing tram 15 mm · f/13 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 View from a park bench towards Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne under a cloudy sky. 13 mm · f/13 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 Lucerne Schweizerhofquai with traffic light and passing vehicles under a cloudy sky 15 mm · f/13 · 2 s · ISO 200 View across a quay chain towards the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne 12 mm · f/22 · 1/320 s · ISO 500 Embankment wall with iron chain and view of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at sunset 12 mm · f/22 · 1/400 s · ISO 500 Rathaussteg in Lucerne with the water tower in the background during sunset 12 mm · f/22 · 1/160 s · ISO 500 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne in golden backlight with pedestrian and iron ring in the foreground 14 mm · f/22 · 1/200 s · ISO 500 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne on the Reuss river during daylight 12 mm · f/22 · 1.3 s · ISO 160 Silhouette of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne backlit with a view of Mount Pilatus 16 mm · f/22 · 1/80 s · ISO 200 Rainbow over the Reuss river with a view of the Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church in Lucerne 12 mm · f/14 · 1/320 s · ISO 400 A rainbow stretches over the rooftops of the Lucerne Old Town with a Swiss flag. 28 mm · f/6.3 · 1/320 s · ISO 64

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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