P#8: Photographing a Chameleon Using a Wide Fish-Eye Lens for an Interesting Effect

A chameleon standing on a granite spire

Roy Toft: The next picture is a picture of a chameleon. I just photographed this last month when I was in Namibia.

The interesting thing about this photo is using the right lens and the right distance. This was a 15mm lens -- it's a fisheye, so it's kind of a unique lens.

If you notice the background on the mountains and the horizon will be quite curved because that's where the fisheye comes in. It's not corrected to have a flat horizon.

This type of lens is wonderful for shooting close-up critters. I was maybe two inches from this chameleon, and this chameleon is about five inches long.

With 15mm, you have a huge angle of view. You can put a lot of things into the viewfinder, even when you're very close to it.

I think this chameleon turns from a lizard into an alien by shooting so close and having him on this little granite spire that he's standing on. (click the image for a larger version)

It just gives a wonderful perspective to work close and wide, so that's why I like this photo.

In closing

It's fun to use different lenses, like this 15mm fish-eye lens. This image of the chameleon shows how you can get very interesting effects when you experiment with different lenses and distances.