articles/Lens/ctt-page2

Charlotte Takes a Tilt - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5

by Mike McNamee Published 01/10/2014

Now I wouldn't suggest that you put together a whole portfolio full of shots that were taken with a Tilt-Shift lens as that would quickly become repetitive. However, throwing one or two in amongst your other shots can really add something different to your image selection. It is, like anything else, a technique that has a time and place to be used, but it is a valuable one to add to your toolbox that can add variety.

For me the largest benefit of using a TS lens is that it causes me to slow down and think about exactly what I'm shooting. Not only do you have to manually focus but also you have to choose exactly where you want to focus and which parts of the shot you want to defocus - manual focusing with the Canon 90mm TS-E is hardly a chore though considering the large and smooth focus ring that you have to use. In addition, the lens has great contrast and saturation and is fantastically sharp when used without a tilt. On a full-frame camera body the sharpness goes all the way to the edges, making this a great choice for a portrait lens. Indeed if I didn't already own the Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro for portraits, this may have been my go-to lens instead. The only real downside is that sharpness falls off quickly the more that you tilt the lens. However, since there is no real competition in the TS lens category, it's hardly something that can be fixed by choosing a different brand or product.

So while we're all familiar with the 'toy-town' effect that many use a TS lens for, here's some other ideas for the kinds of shots that can be produced when you get creative with a lens capable of tilting the focal plane.

People

One of the most beautiful features of this lens is the sharpness and the bokeh. For that reason alone it's worth using frequently as a portrait lens. It has an unmistakable watery quality that is hard to describe adequately. The blurred areas aren't just blurred; they flow and blend into the in-focus areas in a way that not many other lenses can manage.

By using a severe tilt on a portrait shot, you can lead your viewer's eyes to wherever you want them to go. They'll naturally find the sharp point of the image first, before letting their eye wander to the other areas of the image. Along with colour and composition this can be a useful way to control where your viewer looks and what they see first.

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