Are you trying to recreate that cinematic “Hollywood” feeling in your photos?
Well, stop trying in Photoshop or Lightroom and start looking at the lens you use! With an anamorphic lens, you can get the movie-style photography results you wish for.
Cinematographers use anamorphic lenses to capture widescreen images on 4:3 sensors.
These lenses actually capture a squeezed and distorted widescreen image onto the sensor. By doing so, editors don’t need to crop the image, which loses valuable information. It just needs to be stretched to widescreen in post production.
Most videographers use anamorphic lenses for one reason—the Hollywood look. Most movies these days have a super-wide aspect ratio. The most common one is 2.39:1.
But aspect ratio is just one of the reasons to go anamorphic.
With an anamorphic lens, you can capture wide-angle images with a super shallow depth of field. This is what creates that epic cinematic “Hollywood feeling” we so long for. This style can definitely make your photos stand out from the rest.
Another feature of this lens is that distinctive horizontal lens flare that has the ability to create a mysterious atmosphere. Watch any JJ Abrams movie and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
You don’t need to be a cinematographer to use anamorphic lenses.
Why not try one with your DSLR? It’s fun to experiment with and a must-try if you’re looking for the real Hollywood look.
You can mount an anamorphic lens onto a prime lens by using an anamorphic clamp. You focus the prime lens first, then the anamorphic lens second.
But it does takes some practice, especially when you want to focus on an object that’s not centered.
In fact, it’s easier to shoot landscapes with an anamorphic lens first. Once you’re used to that, you can try and shoot some anamorphic portraits.
Filmmakers use either spheric or anamorphic lenses. Shooting anamorphic creates oval lens flares and bokeh. And the depth of field is shallower, which creates an even more cinematic feeling.
An anamorphic lens projector stretches the image to a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This way, you’ll keep both the full resolution and the image quality of a movie.
You have to mount an anamorphic lens on a prime lens. To do so, you need an anamorphic clamp with screws.
It’s popular these days to create a cinematic look. Most photographers try to achieve it by using Lightroom presets. However, the key to creating a real cinematic look is using anamorphic lenses.
Using an anamorphic lens will give your photos a unique touch!
