Bit of a long shot

Mike Harris ditches his wide-angle zoom and uses a telephoto lens to capture landscapes from a hilltop

- Mike Harris

It’s not surprising that wide-angle lenses are synonymous with outdoor photography. Wide fields of view are able to squeeze the vastness of a sprawling lake or the grandeur of a towering mountain into the frame, but they also have their limits.

Wide fields of view cause subjects to diminish, so unless you’re very close or your subject is very large it can get lost in the frame. If you’re not close enough to your subject, wide-angle lenses may cram in unwanted portions of a scene too, making the composition look unfocused, untidy and unbalanced.

The Mission

– Use a long lens to shoot landscapes that are more focused

Time

– One hour

Skill level

– Beginner

Kit needed

– Long lens

– Tripod

This is particularly prevalent when you’re shooting from a high vantage point like a hilltop. You may end up framing too much sky or unwanted foreground elements – such as the ground a few feet in front of you.