When visiting a beautiful space in the outdoors, especially ones with grand scenes and views, it can be tempting to pull out the wide angle lens to capture the entirety of what you see. I remember the first couple years following my first purchase of a wide angle lens. I did exactly that, shooting mostly with the ultra wide lens and truly enjoying photographing scenes with great depth, foreground element, and a grand scene on the horizon such mountains or a colorful sky. Once I began moving on from that phase, my interest began to shift toward the smaller scenes within the grand picture.
Inherently, this process forces one to become more creative when searching for a subject to photograph. I would suggest using a lens with a focal range of 70-200mm or a kit lens such as the 55-200mm. By using this focal length, you must become very intentional when choosing your subject. Over the years, I’ve acquired the skill of looking a scene whether that be a fir forest during October, full of vibrant red or yellow vine maple, or a single oak tree standing in a field, and find something about that scene that intrigues me. I’m always searching for images that will evoke an emotional reaction within myself. Everyone is wired differently, but for me I feel like the intimate smaller scenes do this to a greater extent that the broader picture.
Let’s take this oak tree for example. I recently visited and photographed this tree with two different ideas and outcomes in mind. First, the wide angle image which included the entire tree, rolling hills, and light pouring through the branches and illuminating the grass below. This was shot at 24mm. The next image was a much tighter shot of the interior tree trunk branches, showcasing the texture and details of the middle section of the tree. This was shot at 70mm. Both images are of the same tree but each tells a very different story, potentially producing and evoking a different outcome within the viewer. As a personal challenge, I would encourage you to exclusively use a longer lens like the 70-200mm when visiting a place. See how this shapes the way you look at the landscape and forces creativity in a different way than you have previously experienced.
