Telephoto Landscapes
When heading out to shoot landscapes it's all too easy to pick up the wide angle lens and start out toward your chosen location for the shoot. You will (no doubt) have considered a host of things about the location, planned it for some time, waited for the right lighting and weather conditions and packed your ND filters. But, as you grab your tripod while making for the door, take a moment to pick up the 70 -200mm lens, just in case.
On the left below you can see the initial image I intended when I set out to Crescent City Beach in Northern California. A wide angle shot using long exposure to capture the sunset as it split either side of the rocks in the shallow water. While making the image I noticed the tighter shot on the horizon (shown in the red box). I switched to the 70-200mm and made a few images of the very simple sunset silhouette. There is an entirely different feel to the image on the right, the blue light is all but eliminated and the golden sunlight floods the entire scene making the image much warmer. This was not my planned shot but I'm very glad I had the telephoto with me because it has become my favourite from the session.
On the left below you can see the initial image I intended when I set out to Crescent City Beach in Northern California. A wide angle shot using long exposure to capture the sunset as it split either side of the rocks in the shallow water. While making the image I noticed the tighter shot on the horizon (shown in the red box). I switched to the 70-200mm and made a few images of the very simple sunset silhouette. There is an entirely different feel to the image on the right, the blue light is all but eliminated and the golden sunlight floods the entire scene making the image much warmer. This was not my planned shot but I'm very glad I had the telephoto with me because it has become my favourite from the session.
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On a scouting mission in the harsh light of a winter afternoon in the mountains of Kananaskis, good solid images are unlikely to come about. The abundant snow reflects the light back to it's source making for some heavy contrast with the surrounding dark forest, but, even in these conditions you can use the telephoto to pick out a small area of a scene and form an image. The little pump house in the adjacent image is somewhat lost in a wide shot of the area, engulfed as it is by the surrounding landscape. Using the 70-200mm I was able to zoom in and fill the frame with the forest, ensuring that in doing so the vast area of trees became infinite. I exaggerated the rule of thirds giving even more space to the forest by giving only a quarter of the frame to the bare white snow. Shot in 'open shade' the light balanced perfectly across the contrasting subjects, the color of the hut added further to the overall feel of the shot and the slight offset ensured a hint of discomfort for the viewer. |
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There is no right or wrong when picking out a subject in terms of the 'better image', such things are simply a matter of personal preference. The shots below show a nice wide angle view of Rawson Lake in Kananaskis, Canada and a tighter zoomed shot of the little isolated tree. This one I found interesting because the flattening impact of the zoom lens is not so prevalent this time. There is a foreground of snow in front of the subject and a soft blur to the background helping to provide depth. I like the simplicity of the telephoto shot but dislike the dark strip directly behind the tree.
On occasion the telephoto really helps you focus and select the 'right shot'. When faced with this spectacular sunset directly across the lake from my position I was unable to create any meaningful angle, this left a flat shot that really didn't do justice to the scene.
Again I used the 70-200mm lens to isolate one section of the illuminated ridge. I picked out a section with three summit bumps to maintain the 'odd numbers' rule and kept to the rule of thirds with one third shadow above the ridge and two thirds below. I ensured I exposed only for the beautiful orange light on the summit giving me some wonderful contrast against dull shadows above and below. Finally I ensured that no light exited the frame on either side to prevent it leading the eye out of the image. The result was a shot to be proud of and one I enjoy very much.
As you can see from the images above, taking along your telephoto lens on landscape trips is a absolute must and will help you make more images that you are happy with and on occasion may even rescue you from a total trip washout.