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How-To

Long-Lens Landscapes

Get a different perspective on your favorite scenic vistas by experimenting with telephoto lens compositions

This Article Features Photo Zoom

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3 Composing For The Intimate
As is the case with other creative pursuits, using the right tool for the right job is paramount to the success of the final product, and long lenses lend themselves best to capturing intimate compositions. Intimate compositions rely on careful and well-balanced placement of key elements in the frame. The ability to both distill a scene down to its essentials and to make prominent elements that otherwise may be lost among a multitude of others requires great attention to detail.

While many landscape images draw their impact from sheer natural grandeur and the vast scale of the scene portrayed, intimate compositions rely on intricate visual relationships and a sense of discovering the order within the chaos.

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What may not be as obvious is that intimate compositions can be found anywhere, any time. As photographers, we’re not necessarily bound by the golden hours to produce effective images. Whether unique light is found in discrete areas within the scene or whether the light becomes secondary to the interesting features, colors or tones of specific subjects, making the conscious switch from grand scenes to intriguing vignettes can keep an observant photographer productive all day long and in any conditions.

4 Patterns And Abstracts
Another area where long lenses shine is in abstracting patterns out of the landscape. You can isolate and carefully fill the frame with select detail that offers you a powerful means of focusing attention on intricate natural designs that may be missed in a larger context. This ability is especially useful in environments rich in detail, where wider angles may yield chaotic and unorganized compositions.

While patterns and abstracts often are associated with close-up or macro photography, they can be found on much larger scales as well. Consider dense forests, interesting rock formations, sand dunes and bodies of water—all offer endless opportunities to compose discrete sections of any size that may produce interesting images.

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