Are Long Telephoto Lenses For Shooting Landscapes? You Bet

OK, that title may be a little misleading, they aren’t FOR landscapes, but they certainly are good for them in the right scenario. // Image screen captured from video. Credit to Thomas Heaton. 

When many of you think about landscapes, and specifically photographing them, you probably think about standard to wide angle lenses. This is not an illogical thought, as a lens that allows for a wider frame of view will allow for a larger landscape to be captured. However, you would be surprised by the fact that many landscapes are taken with longer telephoto lenses.

Thomas Heaton is a youtuber known for his landscapes, and his videos largely center around topics related to that. In the video we are highlighting today Heaton focuses on his trip to Deadvlei in Namibia, in which he talks about his choice to use a [amazon_textlink asin=’B00PF39PEY’ text=’Canon 100-400mm’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’61a9b7d3-eb6b-11e7-817f-d1835dc80b87′] lens rather than a wide angle lens.

Heaton says the 100-400mm allows him to isolate subjects in a vast landscape which enables him to achieve more interesting and varied compositions within the same area. If he was utilizing a wide angle lens he would not have as much flexibility. This runs counter to how people view these types of lenses, with tele options being considered more limiting and wider options more flexible.

But this just goes to show how situational things can be with photography. It’s a great reminder that sometimes thinking outside the box can lead to wonderful personal discoveries.