FISHEYE LENS EXPLAINED: WHAT IT IS AND WHEN TO USE IT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
A Fisheye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens that creates strong visual distortion to capture a wide panoramic or hemispherical image — often as much as 180°.
What makes a Fisheye lens different:
Curved distortion: Straight lines appear to curve outward, especially near the edges.
Exaggerated perspective: Objects close to the lens look huge; background feels far away.
Creative effect: It’s not about realism—it’s about visual drama.
Two types of fisheye lenses:
Circular Fisheye
Captures a full circular image within the frame
Usually shows black around the edges
Full-Frame Fisheye
Fills the entire frame
Still has heavy distortion, especially along the edges
When to use it:
Creative portraits
Skating, BMX, or extreme sports
Architecture (for surreal effect)
Abstract or experimental work
Interiors, when you want to exaggerate space
When to Skip It: Situations where a fisheye might be too distracting, headshots, clean product photography.
Below are some examples of how I have used a Circular Fisheye:
In this post, I feature images created with a circular fisheye lens—notice how the frame forms a full circle with deep edge falloff and black borders.
All content © 2025 Leticia Valdez Fotografia
A fisheye lens is not practical for every photographic situation—but when used with intention, it can produce bold, unexpected images. Sometimes, breaking perspective is exactly what makes a photograph unforgettable!
As always, best of luck!
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All images distributed by Leticia Valdez Fotografia are professionally copyrighted works. These images cannot be used or altered for any purpose without permission. Copyright © 2025 Leticia Valdez Fotografia LLC.