Have small question about tulip lens hood

[Xain]

Just out of curiosity, I have gotten a tulip lens hood for my rebel t6, but I've noticed that when it's turned a certain way, the longer two "petals" tend to get in the shot. Is there something, other then always being zoomed in, that I can or should do so they don't show on the edges of every picture? I understand its to keep glare off, so I try to turn it to where the sun is, am I just using it wrong?

[ScottyP]

Because the sensor is a rectangle laying on its side, petal hoods are designed to be longer on top and bottom, and shorter on the sides. It is important to get it on there right or you will get the petals in the shot. 

The first day I shot with my 35mm lens I noticed all the shots had a dark smudge in the upper right and lower left corners. It turned out I had put the hood on but failed to turn it the last little bit to click into place. That meant the long petals were not fully on top and bottom, and were intruding into the corners enough to show up in the shot just a little. 

[Waddizzle]

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@Xain wrote:
Just out of curiosity, I have gotten a tulip lens hood for my rebel t6, but I've noticed that when it's turned a certain way, the longer two "petals" tend to get in the shot. Is there something, other then always being zoomed in, that I can or should do so they don't show on the edges of every picture? I understand its to keep glare off, so I try to turn it to where the sun is, am I just using it wrong?

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It sounds like you received a third party lens hood for your Canon lens, instead of the far more costly one from Canon.  One issue with third party hoods is that they make them as "one size fits all", which just simply is not the case.  

The size of a hood needs to match the focal length of the lens, not the diameter of the filter thread of the front element of the lens.  This is done by matching the length of the petals to the focal length of the lens.

If you had a Canon hood that was petal shaped, then it would mount with the petals in one position at all times.  The longest petals would be at the top and bottom.  A Canon hood is also self aligning because it snaps into groves on the front of the lens barrel, instead of screwing into the threads.

[ScottyP]

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@Xain wrote:
......."I try to turn it to where the sun is..."

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As Wadizzle says, if you bought 3rd party hood, it may be the petals are just too long for your particular lens.  Is it 3rd party? Some knockoff hoods are at least a direct knockoff of a particular hood, so they are at least the correct dimensions. Some 3rd party hoods are just generic hoods and they may not be the right size and shape to stay out of your way on your lens. 

Do check, though, to see that the longer two petals are absolutely perfectly on the top and bottom.  Even the correct tulip hood for a lens will show in your images if the long petals are not right on top and bottom. 

[Xain]

I had gotten it from Amazon along with a collapsible round hood, but it wasn't ordered from Canon. I'll be sure to keep the long ones on top and bottom until I can afford one directly from Canon. Thanks for the help. It's not easy trying to get into photography on a budget since the good deals may not be the right choice.