The last thing you want when capturing hundreds of photos during a shoot is to have everything start to look the same. There are lots of ways to add variety. One of my favorite techniques to mix it up is with an ultra wide lens.

Sebastiani Theatre, Sonoma, CA, moments before a screening of "Pretty Problems" during the Sonoma Int. Film Festival. Rokinon 7.5mm fisheye lens on an Olympus PEN-F. f/3.5, ISO 3200, 1/50th - Photo by Derrick Story.

For my coverage of the Sonoma Int. Film Festival, I packed an inexpensive Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Ultra Wide-Angle Fisheye Lens for Micro 4/3 that's currently available for $219. It's compact and provides remarkable results.

An Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Ultra Wide-Angle Fisheye Lens for Micro 4/3 on an Olympus PEN-F

It's a manual focusing optic, but let's be honest: how much focusing do you really need to do with a fisheye lens? It doesn't take up much space in my bag, but it provides big pictures and a completely different perspective than the other optics I use for event coverage. I particularly like it for establishing shots.

If you want to mix it up a bit on your photo shoots, this is a great addition to your bag of tricks.

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