6+ tips to help you master working with a wide angle lens

Wide Angle lenses are great to work with in the right setting. You want to spend plenty of time playing around with a wide angle lenses to master it. Here are 6+ tips to help you master working with a wide angle lens.
Wide angle lenses are great for landscapes and other scenes that you want to keep large enough to let the viewer get to see as much of the surroundings as possible. Keep the below tips in mind when first starting out with a wide angle lens.
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1. Vertical shots
Practice shooting vertically for some interesting wide angle shots. Try this out in a city with tall buildings to see the effects. You can also bring in the foreground or sky with vertical shots.
2. Distortion
Distorted pictures may result with these lenses due to how wide they are. Distortion can be a good or bad thing. Start off by keeping your camera in line with the horizon to avoid distortion. Distorting lines in a picture can make for an interesting composition too, as long as its done correctly.
3. Foreground
Have something intriguing in the foreground to draw the viewer in on such a huge shot. This could be people, objects, or some natural shapes and items in a landscape shot. Explore the area and see what you come up with.
4. Center people
Place people near the center of your composition. Since wide angled lenses tend to distort, people on the outer corners will appear wider and shorter, not showing their best features. So, try to have people in the center of these shots.
5. The sky's the limit
You can enhance an already great sky by blowing it up with a wide angle lens. A clear blue sky or interesting clouds can really add to a landscape at the right angle. Use 1/3 to 1/2 of your composition as sky and you will see the difference.
6. Low shots
Shooting low with wide angles can make things on or near the ground much larger than they really are. Find interesting buildings and objects that can be fitted into the entire frame to create beautiful wide angle compositions. This can also allow the viewer up close and personal views of what you see from your low angle.
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7. Lines
Lines also have a way of drawing in the viewer. A wide angle lens may also make the lines larger than they are. Look for lines to add to your photos in a city or natural setting and see how they add movement to your composition.