New York Angles: Brian Cho's Ultra-Wide Shoot with the Atoll Art Lens

New York City is quite literally a grid, and when paired with extreme angles, can result in some dramatically cool photography. Following up on his last feature, we sent Brooklyn-based photographer Brian Cho one of our Atoll Ultra-Wide 2.8/17 Art Lenses to put to the test. In doing so, he transformed iconic city landmarks like the Metropolitan Museum and World Trade Center Oculus into otherworldly liminal spaces.

Lets take a look at these awesome photos and hear from Brian!

Hi Brian, welcome back to Lomography Magazine! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

Thanks for having me back! My name is Brian Cho, and I'm a photographer and videographer based in Brooklyn, NY. My photography style is quite versatile, and I tend to focus on different subjects depending on the project. I started capturing mainly outdoor and landscape scenes, but recently, I've been gravitating toward street and travel photography.

What made you want to try out our Atoll Ultra-Wide Art Lens? What were your first impressions of it?

The Atoll Ultra-Wide Art Lens caught my eye once I realized it's the only M-Mount ultra-wide lens that is rangefinder coupled. Most lenses in this range are hundreds or thousands of dollars and aren’t even rangefinder coupled. In the past, I’ve only used Lomography film or cameras before so the build quality of this metal lens surprised me. It handled like any other professional ultra-wide lens and it felt great to hold.

Can you tell us about what you decided to shoot with the Atoll?

I decided to test this lens inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and I loved being able to capture the vast spaces and architecture of the museum. The wide maximum aperture of f/2.8 allowed me to capture areas with limited light and the 17mm focal length made for some great dramatic photos. While I usually shoot portraits with a 50mm or 85mm lens, I tried to experiment with some wide-angle fashion shots. I loved how dramatic and powerful the models in my photos looked.

What camera did you use it with for this series?

I shot most of my photos with a Sony A7 IV with an M-Mount adapter.

Do you have a favorite shot taken on the Atoll lens?

This shot (above) is my favorite from this series of photos. The focal length of the Atoll Ultra-Wide lens allowed me to capture the architecture of the background while still focusing on the subjects in the foreground. I took this photo while lying on the ground and looking up at my subjects. The natural ultra-wide distortion from the lens, combined with this angle, helped to add a sense of drama and power to my subjects.

Do you have any tips or tricks for shooting with an ultra-wide lens like the Atoll?

Try to take advantage of this dramatic ultra-wide focal length! It’s a lot of fun trying to take photos from extremely unconventional angles and positions. When adapting this lens to a digital camera body, I’d recommend using focusing aids like focus peaking. If you’re shooting with a Leica M rangefinder, the lens also comes with a nifty external viewfinder that you can attach to your camera’s hot shoe. This will give you your approximate frame without having to guess!

If you could take the Atoll lens with you anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Taking the Atoll lens to other major cities like Seoul or Tokyo would be extremely fun! Imagine capturing ultra-wide photos in Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing!

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can share with the community?

I enjoy experimenting with unconventional photography genres. Recently, I jumped into wildlife photography with 35mm film, which made the already challenging genre even more complex.

Anything else that you'd like to share?

I’ve started becoming more active in uploading my photography experiences on my YouTube channel. Come check it out!

Thanks for sharing Brian! If you'd like to keep up with his work, you can find him on Instagram, YouTube, or his website.

written by alexa_alexiades on 2024-02-21 #gear #people #places #portrait #gear #new-york #usa #atoll #lomoamigo #atoll-art-lens #brian-cho