Any lens that is a standard (55mm) lens or wider is considered a wide-angle lens. Their characteristics are greater depth of field and they magnify distances between objects, but they are also prone to lens flare and often have poorer quality on the edges of the image.
A wide-angle lens is great for large groups, landscapes, tight spaces, and to add drama to an image. In its normal use it's very important to keep the lens perpendicular to the subject and parallel to the ground. Slight deviations from this rapidly create distortion. It's that distortion that we're going take advantage off.
Here are 6 things you can do with a wide-angle lens for more creative impact:
1. Get down low, close to your subject and tilt the camera up. This makes them look taller, stretching the legs out. The closer you get, the more altered the image becomes. Have your subject look off to the side. If your subject is raised to begin with it increases the drama of this "superhero" pose. Pick backgrounds that add to the drama.
2. You can also squash someone or something. This time go high and tilt down. Your subject now gets shorter. In getting shorter they also get thicker (that body stuff has to go somewhere). Makes for a fun gag shot.
3. Do something between those two extremes and you can make a person's torso longer or shorter; same with legs.
4. On a puffy or stormy cloudy day tilt your lens to the sky. Barely clear the horizon. The wider the lens, the more dramatic the effect.
5. Get up high, have your subject standing and looking up. You get the normal head but cartoon small body.
6. With animals or children, get in very close. Very comical distortion, especially with dogs. Clean background works best.
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