I think this must be one of the most frequently asked questions by anyone looking to take up landscape photography. When I mention the 17-40L it doesn’t really come as a great surprise but when I say the Canon 100-400L is my favorite lens it is normally met with a raised eyebrow! Yes the 17-40L is a great lens but most of my best shots have been taken with the 100-400L.
I guess the surprise stems from the belief that landscape photography is about fitting as much of the landscape into one shot as possible. To that end a wide lens is often considered the best. It is true, a wide lens can create a beautiful dynamic shots that are packed with detail but it is far from being the life and soul of the landscape party.
I recall reading an article some time ago that recommended taking your camera out with a fixed lens or a lens you weren’t comfortable with. The principle being it makes you think more about what you are doing and helps to train you to spot shots you would otherwise miss out on with your normal lens. It forces you to adapt and step out of your comfort zone. Like many people, my comfort zone was a wide angle lens! This had to change!!
So, to get me off the 17-40L addiction I started to carry the 100-400L…
Yes it’s heavier to carry around the mountains but the more you carry it, the lighter it gets! A cotton carrier can make life a lot easier as well… I will review that bit of kit another time!
Finding shots can prove hard to begin with but that is to be expected! It takes time for the mind to tune in to the longer lens and recognise shots that your eyes aren’t used to seeing… Persistence and practice will pay off so don’t give up! Trust me!! Before long you’ll be able to find and frame long lens shots in you mind without having to even look through the view finder!
While your wide angle lens can create massive depth of field packed with detail the longer lens has the ability to compress distance and create beautifully simple and abstract images. This is really useful when you want to create a layering effect with a misty scene or if you need to isolate some detail in the landscape that would be lost in a wide angle shot. The long lens has the ability to place the viewer into the heart of the landscape rather than standing on the outskirts looking in.
These days I would never head out into the hills without my 100-400L, it has provided so many good shots and is so flexible it would be foolish to leave it behind. I don’t think my 17-40L is in any danger of being sold, I still love the shots I get with it but I will never again restrict my creativity by only using a wide angle lens!
So, if you are looking for a new landscape lens and you don’t have a telephoto, get yourself a good zoom, you’ll not regret it!!
Duncan Andison
Hey thanks for fresh stuff here! By the way I wanted to ask about material. From where are you getting these ideas?
Thanks… My ideas are based around discovering photography through my love for the mountains. Apart from a few weeks photography training at college while studying fine art, everything I have learnt is from research and trial and error. I guess some of my inspiration is about sharing those, “ah, that’s how to do it” moments but my blog also gives me a chance to explain why I take the photographs and what it means to me. I’ll also be documenting my trips here as well so hopefully it will be a good resource for places to go if your into the great outdoors as well as photography!!
Thanks again!
Great post and very well written, its been a while since i got into a blog like this and enjoyed reading your posts, I am going to subscribe to your feed so i dont miss any more and would also appriciate if you could take a look at my blog Holiday Scotland Good luck for the future with your blog and please update again soon so i have some more good reading. Thanks
Thanks very much, really appreciated!! I will take a look at your blog, love Scotland! We’ll be heading up to Stoer in the next couple of weeks, hoping for some good weather! Saying that, can’t wait for good winter conditions for the climbing as well!!
Duncan
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I am busy updating the template so that maybe the issue. I will check this out when I can access my desktop. Thanks for letting me know!!!
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