Is wide-angle over-used?

On 2011-04-17 14:53:15 -0700, Chris Malcolm said:

In rec.photo.digital RichA wrote:

Seems like that is what most people want first and foremost, except
perhaps wildlife shooters. Wide angle does have some weird attraction
to the human eye (maybe the perspective distortion reminds some of
pleasant drug-trips?) but it seems like in the last few years, it has
become too used in magazines. Maybe what we could use more of are
prime "normal" shots where the person made the effort to get far
enough away in order to frame what they wanted?

In the majority of my wide angle shots the only way to get further
back in order to use a less wide lens would be to demolish the
building at my back.

Wide angles are not so popular here in the Pacific Northwest. We all
have them, of course, but we find ourselves using 200mm or 300mm lenses
far more often. Wide angle lenses have a nasty habit of rendering that
gorgeous snow capped peak into a tiny smear of white in the distant
background. Unacceptable. No way are you going to get a great shot of
snow geese flying over Mt. Baker with a wide angle.

But that does bring up a serious safety consideration. A lot of
photographers are hurt or killed when they walk backwards off cliffs,
docks, into busy streets, etc.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor