Telephoto Landscapes

Text and photos by Heather Cline 

Snags in Lake Isabella

Landscapes are one of the most popular genres among photographers and there is no shortage of landscape imagery out there. Because of this, it can become challenging to create images that are unique. One way to accomplish this is by capturing telephoto landscapes. In terms of focal length, anything greater than 50mm is considered a telephoto lens and these lenses have different characteristics that impact the final image. This article covers the different ways a telephoto lens can be leveraged to improve your photos. 

#1 - Compression 

Lens compression commonly occurs when you take a picture using a telephoto lens. This is simply because there tends to be a greater distance between the you and your subject than there would be if you were using a wide angle lens.

Both the longer focal length and distance to the subject creates an illusion that objects that are farther away are larger, which compresses the subject and background. In addition, longer lenses, or focal lengths, have a very narrow field of view. This is part of the magic that allows you to fill the frame with the subject without getting too close. One thing to consider is how much farther you tend to be from the main subject when shooting telephoto vs a wide angle.

Depth of field is affected by the aperture you choose, but also by focal length. Anything in the frame that is not in focus at (let's say 400 mm) is going to appear much softer than it would at 40 mm. 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse with clouds at sunset

#2 - Isolate The Subject

This is a great tool to have at your disposal because it also allows you to isolate your subject and remove any distractions, because what you leave out is just as important as what you include. This can help drive simplicity in your images which is also a powerful visual tool. 

Joshua Trees

#3 - Highlighting Atmosphere

Natural atmospheric haze can result in dramatic images. The greater the focal length, the more pronounced this characteristics becomes. Mornings with mist rising can be especially good times to grab the telephoto lens to highlight this feature. 

Tree lines at dawn

#4 - Panoramas

You might not think of shooting panoramas with a telephoto lens but they are actually quite useful for this type of photo. I often shoot with my camera/lens in the vertical position to capture as much height as possible. These benefit from the use of your tripod and level to ensure the images are straight across. 

Waves crashing on rocks on a stormy morning

#5 - Abstracts

Depending on how close you are, you can isolate the subject, highlighting the elements of design such as lines, patterns, and color that result in a strong abstract image.  

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park

I hope these ideas gave you some inspiration that you can use the next time you are out with your telephoto lens.