Canon EOS 5D ,Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Fisheye
1/200s f/5.6 at 15.0mm iso800

We visited the redwoods in Northern California. There are several State Parks and the Redwood National Park that are home to these giants, many of them more than 300 feet (90 meters) tall. This photo in particular is from the Founders Grove loop trail in Humboldt Redwood State Park.

How does one capture these enormous trees on camera? Well, try a really wide lens! I had two wide angle lenses with me: a 16-35 mm regular wide angle lens and the Sigma 15 mm fisheye lens. This photo is taken with the latter lens, as you can probably tell from the strongly curved tree trunks. A fisheye perspective isn’t always suitable for just any subject, but I think here it worked out quite well. Just be aware that the composition can be fairly sensitive to even small movements of the camera. Use a tripod if you can, although this photo was taken without one, since I was shooting straight up and just didn’t want to take the time to set up the tripod.

Incidentally, there are a substantial number of great online rental companies for camera and lens rentals. I’ve personally used lensprotogo.com and borrowlenses.com (the latter being my current favorite). Another leading site is lensrentals.com. If you have only occasional need for a specialty lens (such as a fisheye), or simply want to get a good feel for a piece of equipment before committing to a purchase, these rentals are a great option.