Ask any photographer what lens you should purchase for landscape photography, and the answer is almost always a wide angle. But let's challenge this conventional wisdom. Is there a strong case for using telephoto lenses in landscape photography? Telephoto lenses, often associated with sports and wildlife photography, have a unique potential in landscape photography that is yet to be fully explored.
By using telephoto lenses, you can shift the traditional perspective on landscapes, literally seeing them in a new light—pun intended. This approach challenges the traditional wide-angle scenic shots, offering a unique take on landscape photography that will inspire you to experiment and explore new horizons. A lens with a focal length greater than 70 mm is a , and a lens with a focal length of 300 mm or greater is a .
A telephoto lens allows you to bring your subject closer to you, isolating your subject from the surrounding environment and creating more intimacy. Telephoto lenses are great for wildlife and sports photography; they can also be an excellent choice for landscape photography. You may have heard of compression when using telephoto lenses.
What is compression? Compression brings everything together; the background and foreground will be closer in the image than in reality. Compression as a compositional tool will create more exciting photographs by creating layers in your image. Simplicity can be king.
While sometimes we like to make complex compositional images, tak.