When I started taking photos way back when, I thought of lenses the way most people who are new to photography, or who aren't photographers at all, think of them. Specifically that telephoto lenses are used when things are far away, and wide angle lenses are for tight spaces or wide vistas. At the time, I was too new in my photographic journey to really understand lens selection from a creative standpoint. Now that I'm 30 years down the photographic road, I've come to understand why the decision behind which lens to use goes well beyond how far away your subject is.
The Creative Decision Behind Lens Choice
June 25, 2023
Mystic Dawn
Portland Head Lighthouse stands above the fog on a summer morning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, just after sunrise.
Wide Angle Lenses
Like most landscape photographers, I use wide angle lenses more than any other focal length. The reason is not just to show a wide vista, because the truth is, wide vistas, while pretty, don't always make the most interesting photographs, especially when photographed with a wide angle lens. When composing a scene, wide angle lenses emphasize whatever is immediately in front of the camera, while anything in the background appears much further away than it is in reality.
Tall White Asters at West Quoddy Head
West Quoddy Head lighthouse stands silent watch over Passamaquoddy Bay on a bright, sunny day in Lubec, Maine. In the foreground, tall white asters gracefully splay their petals among the lush green grass. The contrast between the vibrant wildflowers and the red and white striped exterior of the historic landmark structure create a stunningly peaceful image of a summer morning in down east Maine.
This distortion of perspective is useful in that it allows photographers to create a sense of place in the image, place objects in context, and create depth in the scene. The images in this section are all examples of images taken with wide angle lenses, in focal lengths from 12mm up to about 20mm.
Wolfe's Neck Reflections
Googins Island appears like a small oasis in the calm, glimmering waters of Casco Bay in Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport, Maine. The sky is painted with cobalt blue hues with a touch of orange at the horizon, while the evergreen trees on the island provide a captivating contrast of dark colors against the vibrant early morning sky. The serenity of the scene creates a spellbinding image, as if time itself has stopped in honor of the island's beauty.
Wide angle lenses create that feeling like you can just step into the image, because they have that feeling of dimensionality. One of the things I love about wide angle lenses is that they show people things in a way they aren't used to seeing them. Whether it's by emphasizing a foreground element, such as the wave in "Mystic Dawn", the flowers in "Tall White Asters at West Quoddy Head", or the reflection in the puddle in "The Bell House and the Beacon", wide angle lenses make those images possible and our eyes simply will not naturally see those scenes in the same way.
The Bell House & The Beacon
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and its bell house stand atop the rocky promontory watching the turbulent waters of Muscongus Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on a spring evening.
The downside of wide angle lenses is that in most cases, unless you can get close to your subject, they simply aren't as effective at creating a compelling image. This is why if you ever see me photographing along the coast, I'm generally standing close to where the waves are crashing to emphasize the splashes in the foreground.
Forgotten in the Fields
An old barn stands in the fields of winter wheat in the hills of the Palouse in Washington.
Standard Focal Lengths
Standard focal lengths tend to be anything above 35mm and less than about 85mm, generally speaking. The technical definition is a little more specific but I'm not being technical right now. Standard focal length lenses tend to mimic the way our eyes see, which is why those of us who took Photography 101 in college or high school were forced to learn using a 50mm lens when we started. The reason for that is simple. Wide angles naturally distort perspective, which can cover for a variety of compositional mistakes, and telephoto lenses compress perspective and bring the viewer in closer, which also can hide compositional mistakes. Most college professors encourage their students to learn composition with focal lengths similar to how they see the world naturally, so learning on a 50mm lens makes a lot of sense.
Tahoe Calm
Rocks worn smooth by millenia of rain, snow and wind line the banks of Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
Photographs made with standard length lenses don't have much perspective distortion or compression, so they tend to feel very natural to our eyes. If the subject is familiar, compositions made with standard lenses will look and feel very natural to the viewer. Looking at an image will feel similar to looking through a window.
Dawn of a New Day
The Atlantic Ocean crashes against the rocky shoreline of Cape Neddick, Maine as the sky glows brilliant hues of pink and orange just before sunrise on a spring morning.
I don't often venture into the mid range of my lenses, when compared to wide angles and telephotos, but the standard range is very useful, especially when I'm looking to create variety in my images of often photographed subjects.
The Nubble & The Full Moon
The Nubble lighthouse in Cape Neddick, Maine, sits beneath the full moon rising on an autumn evening.
Telephoto lenses
Telephoto lenses, also known as "long glass", tends to be for subjects that are further away from the camera, but that's an oversimplification. Telephoto lenses compress perspective, meaning that they make background objects appear closer to foreground objects than they really are. Telephoto lenses tend to be anything above about 85mm. "The Nubble and the Full Moon", above was taken with a 600mm lens. To give you an idea, I was about a mile from the lighthouse in that image, and focusing on the lighthouse with that lens at that distance also made the moon seem much larger in comparison to the lighthouse. Had I been closer to the lighthouse, to keep it the same size in the scene I'd need more of a standard length lens, and the moon would be much smaller in relation.
Sunset on Penobscot Bay
This essence of a summer evening on Penobscot Bay, Maine is captured in this photograph, showing a solitary buoy marking the channel into Camden Harbor. Behind it, Camden Hills rise up, the rich orange hues of the sunset creating a breathtaking contrast against the deep blue of the sky and the sparkling water. This image is truly a masterpiece of nature and light, a perfect representation of the beauty of the Maine coast.
Telephoto lenses in landscape photography help create more graphic looking images, allowing the photographer to fill the frame with the subject. In comparison to images made with a wide angle lens, photos made with a telephoto lens will have a flatter appearance, so depth needs to be created using atmospheric perspective or other compositional tools such as leading lines, layers, or light and shadow. There are times I will back away from my subject to make use of the characteristics of a telephoto lens.
Autumn at Bennet Bean Bridge
A cool mist hangs in the mountains near Wilsons Mill, Maine at Bennett Bean Bridge. Bennett Bean Bridge is a Paddleford truss bridge built in 1898 across the Magalloway River.
The image above of the Bennett Bean Bridge was taken with a 100mm focal length. That allowed me to keep the hillside covered with colorful autumn foliage large in relation to the bridge, and more prominent in the scene. The image of rolling green hills in the Palouse, below, was also taken with a 100mm focal length.
Afternoon Bliss in the Palouse
The rolling hills of the Palouse region in eastern Washington, freshly planted with crops of winter wheat, bathe in the warm spring sunshine as billowing white cumulonimbus clouds pass overhead near Colfax, Washington. The play of light and shadow over these lush green hills against a blue springtime sky creates a tranquil scene of natural beauty that will bring serenity to any space in your home or office.
The image below, "Appalachian Sunset II", was taken with a 400mm focal length to keep the disc of the sun large in relation to the mountain peaks in the scene. In the images that follow, you'll see pairs of images that are taken with two different focal length lenses, usually either wide or standard, as well as telephoto. It's interesting to see the difference in the way the same subjects can change based on the focal length used.
Appalachian Sunset II
The Great Smoky Mountains lay before the setting sun on an autumn evening at Clingman's Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The sun appears as a large yellow disc, casting warm rays over the peaks of the mountains. The sky is painted in a gradient of red, orange, and pink, creating a vivid contrast with the blue and purple hues of the mountains. The use of a telephoto lens flattens the image to large, graphic shapes, showcasing the natural beauty and grandeur of this stunning landscape.
Primes vs. Zooms
This tends to be more of a personal decision. Prime lenses are lenses that just one focal length, while zooms cover a range of focal lengths. I have used both, but my current kit consists primarily of zoom lenses. My lone prime is a 105mm macro lens, which I love for portraits and still life images. I prefer the flexibility of zooms for my landscape work simply because I can't always get as close or as far away as I might like, and zooms can cover more focal lengths and take up less space in my camera bag.
The Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell at Washington Pass in North Cascades National Park is captured in a breathtaking photograph that showcases the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The majestic peak towers over the rolling hillsides covered in lush Douglas Firs, spruces, and pine trees. The snow-covered mountainside and the pristine blue sky filled with cumulus clouds create a perfect contrast of nature's elements. Add a sense of tranquility and peace to your home or office with a museum-quality print of this stunning photograph.
I love the characteristics each lens offers. As I said, I tend to lean towards the wide angle simple because I enjoy the distortion of perspective and the challenge of composing with a wide angle lens, but each lens has a place in my bag and gets used when called for.
Above Washington Pass
The Liberty Bell Spires reach skyward above Washington Pass in North Cascades National Park in Washington.
Bailey Island Coastline
Waves from Casco Bay pound against the rocks on the shoreline of Bailey Island and the Giant's Stairs Trail.
Morning Glow on Bailey Island
The churning waters of Casco Bay relentlessly crash against the rocky shoreline on Bailey Island in Harpswell, Maine. The orange and pink glow in the east from the rising sun contrasts with the gray clouds and blue-green waves pounding the shore. Pinnacle Rock rises prominently above the scene in the background.
Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light
A cloudy autumn morning greets Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland, Maine.
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse shines brightly at the entrance to Rockland Harbor on a spring morning.
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