Nature Photography How To

If you ask most landscape photographers what’s the first lens they pull out of their bag, the answer is likely to be, “my favorite wide-angle.” That’s because the perspective these lenses provide is ideal for capturing expansive vistas.

Interestingly, however, that trend is no longer universal, as you’ll see in the tutorial below. In fact, one of our favorite landscape photographers says he’s changed his mind and now prefers using a telephoto lens more often than not. And from what we’ve seen elsewhere, this approach appears to be a growing in popularity.

We often turn to Danish landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen for the wisdom he shares on shooting and editing landscape scenes. In this eye-opening episode he discusses why and how he now tends to go long.

Keep in mind that Iversen’s imagery is recognizable for a unique, minimalistic look that is perhaps more conducive to telephoto photography than other conventional styles. In this episode he’s photographing a lonely Lighthouse in westernmost Denmark, as the sun is about to set.

As Iversen says, “I now tend to shoot landscapes with my 100-400mm telephoto zoom,” for reasons he explains. He also shoots at the long end of a 28-200mm lens. Iversen reflects on the reason for the shift away from wide-angle lenses, even though he used them to great effect for years in the past.

While watching this lesson you’ll pick up some great advice on various focal lengths, camera settings and composition, and how these considerations factor into Iversen’s success. You’ll also see how getting in tight can add impact to the landscape photos you make.

Iverson also presents some interesting diagrams and statistics to back up his notion of a growing preference among professional photographers for lenses with more reach. Whether or not you agree, how about this: The next time you head out to photograph the great outdoors, bring along a telephoto lens and see if it expands your vision.

There’s much more to learn by paying a visit to Iversen’s instructional YouTube channel, so don’t forget to check it out.

And for more sage advice for selecting your next lens, take a look at the recent tutorial we posted explaining why f/4 lenses are awesome compared to faster options. It may save you a lot of cash!