Converging Vertical

Don’t let your Image Collide with itself

As an art form or by design converging vertical can introduce an element of mystique into an image.  But more than likely it is an indication you weren’t holding your camera level when you tripped the shutter.  In a cityscape with lots of tall skyscrapers this is to be expected.  When taking images that are important for architectural or technical purposes it is important to remove converging verticals.

What is a Converging Vertical

These are the lines of a building (usually walls) that if the line were mathematically extended beyond the image they would eventually converge or cross.  In real estate photography this is the one biggest complaint pointed out by the pros to the amateur newbies.  “You have to watch those converging verticals”.  It is like a rite of passage.  First to be told, then to tell a newbie once you have learned to fix your own.

See the walls compared to the grid

You can see when the grid is overlayed the walls in this image appear to be tipping back away from the street.  This isn’t the case.  It has to do with the angle of the camera lens to the subject.  In software like Photoshop Elements you can use the Filter Menu, Correct Camera Distortion tool to correct both vertical and horizontal distortion.  Here is the after of the same image with the vertical fixed.

Verticals Fixed

You can see how much better this looks and I’m sure the people inside the building feel better about the walls not caving in on them.

Whenever possible avoid converging vertical by checking your camera for level, or using a viewing grid in the view finder itself.  When you can’t avoid converging verticals remember to leave room around the photos edges.  When you fix converging vertical the image will be smaller.  Don’t crop the shot in camera then find out when you go to fix the verticals the top, bottom or sides of the building are removed from the image.

Converging Verticals Rule of Thumb

Allow 20% around the image edges when you know you have converging verticals to fix.  It will save you having to go back and reshoot.

Fix those verticals and your photographic reputation will improve.  Trust me, there are plenty of people judging your work and one item on everyone’s check list who is a serious photographer is converging verticals.

The photos for this post were graciously provided by Teresa Boardman.  She even put the grids on the images.  Thanks Grass hopper.

Tags: converging verticals, photography as an art form

Shooting With An Ultra Wide Angle For Real Estate

Cropped with slightly converging verticals

Not Shooting for Real Estate?  I’ll cover using an Ultra Wide Angle for Fun later this week.

I bought my 12 -24mm Nikor lens back when they were just at $1000.  The response at the time was “FOR A LENS?  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?“  I wasn’t.

It was time to take our real estate photos where they needed to be.  This could only be accomplished with a super wide angle.

Shooting Ultra Wide and Converging Verticals

You can get in amazingly close with an ultra wide angle and get the room that otherwise wouldn’t be worth trying to capture.  Why?  It would look to narrow and small. We all know you don’t sell a house by making it look narrow and small, even if you describe it as “cozy”.

There are always to sides to everything.  The thing you have to watch with an ultra wide are converging verticals.  This is one lens that DEMANDS to be level.  If it isn’t the walls won’t be straight.  Not only does it need to be level it should be shot straight as possible in a room.  “But the room looks bigger from the corner”.  Yes it does, and you won’t find a straight line in your shot making the room look like it was built by a blind carpenter without a level.

Maybe all those horrible virtual tours with the bowed walls and ceiling lines have desensitized all to the effects of things looking surreal.  But if you want to have your photos even considered as acceptable among the real estate photographers you have to learn to control converging verticals.

Don’t shoot below 14mm

Yes the lens goes to 12, but anything below 14mm will distort the walls and make the room look even bigger than it is.  “But that’s what I want”!  You might think that is what you want, but it isn’t.  You want an “Accurate” representation of the home.

Do you ever shoot at 12mm?  Yes I do.  Sometimes, usually outdoors, I will get in as close as I can and shoot at 12mm to get the entire front or back of a house.  Outdoors, the distortion isn’t as noticeable.  Not as many lines from all four directions.  Also, I will use post processing to remove lens distortion from the final image.

Be Prepared to Crop

Most of the time when shooting with an Ultra Wide you will get a lot more sky and foreground than you want in the image.  Cropping either top, bottom, or both parts of an image will greatly enhance it’s appearance.

check out this thumbnail image which is the original image before cropping.  A lot of sky and a lot of parking lot, neither of which were necessary.

An Ultra Wide Angle lens will produce great interior shot results.  Is it expensive?  You know it is?  Is it worth the expense?  Yes, it is.  You will get more listings with great photos, you will get great photos with an Ultra Wide Angle.

Tags: converging verticals, ultra wide angle lens