Use and advantages of a Telephoto Lens in Landscape Photography

A photo of a Namibian Red Sand Dune taken with a 70-300mm telephoto lens

A telephoto lens is a type of lens with a long focal length, typically starting at 70mm and going up to 300mm or more. In landscape photography, telephoto lenses are used to capture distant subjects with clarity and detail, allowing photographers to zoom in on specific elements of a scene without having to physically get closer.

Just a quick hello: I am Muji and so glad you stopped by! I am a passionate writer, photographer, and filmmaker living in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.

If you don’t have a telephoto lens yet, let me give you GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Please note that I am sharing a photo tip; releasing GAS is your choice. This photo has a long story, but the short version is that park rangers in Namibia were not far off from me, about to close the gate for a fine of 500 Rand, and I needed to take a shot of this dune approximately 1 kilometre away. We hoped the lighting would strike over this red dune, which it did, but 50 meters or so out of the frame. Nonetheless, it’s a memorable shot and wouldn’t have been possible without a telephoto lens. A telephoto lens is usually 70mm or above. I have a 70-200mm zoom telephoto lens and another 70-300mm. This shot above was of a Namibian dune and was taken at 300mm from approximately a kilometre away.

Uses of a telephoto lens Landscape Photography

In my landscape photography course, I emphasise the importance of using a telephoto lens to my students. I love wide-angle photography myself, but I had to learn to use a telephoto to diversify my portfolio and creativity. I love using a telephoto lens now. 

Focusing on Details: Although I find them heavy to carry and take up space, telephoto lenses allow you to pick out details in the landscape that may be missed with a standard lens. These can include distant mountains, unique rock formations, or interesting elements in the foreground.

Compression of Space: They compress the perspective in a scene, making elements appear closer together than they really are. This can create a more intimate composition by bringing distant subjects into the frame with foreground elements.

Control over Depth of Field: Telephoto lenses can produce a shallow depth of field, which can help isolate a subject and create a beautiful bokeh effect in the background, enhancing the visual impact of the photograph. This feature particularly me when I do my portrait photography.

Capturing Wildlife: If you're doing landscape photography that includes nature, a telephoto lens is essential for getting close-up shots of wildlife without disturbing them.

Advantages of Telephoto Lenses:

Versatility: They can be used for a variety of photography styles, including portrait, wildlife, and sports photography, in addition to landscapes. I have a huge interest in portraits photography and I do it specially when walking in the streets.

Image Quality: Many telephoto lenses offer excellent optical quality, resulting in sharp and high-resolution images, even at longer distances. I prefer buying the lenses from the same brand as the camera, but my gear for portrait and landscape photography does have other, less expensive lenses with exceptional image quality as well. 

Enhanced Composition: They allow for creative compositions by enabling you to frame a shot in unique ways that are not possible with wider lenses. Most of my shots in Namibia wouldn’t have been possible without a telephoto lens. 

Reduced Distortion: Telephoto lenses generally have less distortion compared to wide-angle lenses, making them preferable for capturing more realistic representations of distant subjects.

If you have a passion for photography, you can enrol in my landscape photography course for beginners, which will teach you the basics, such as how a camera works and the different camera settings, as well as advanced skills to help you become a confident photographer. 

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Kind regards

Muji