Section 2 Shooting
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Shooting with a telephoto zoom lens allows you
to locate and fine-tune a smaller composition from
within a larger scene, Figure 12-12. When using
the longer end of the telephoto zoom (for example,
300 mm), a shutter speed of at least 1/500 second is
required to avoid camera shake. Whenever possible,
use a tripod, even with a high shutter speed. Your
chances of a sharp image greatly improve.
Smaller-Scale Subjects
Smaller-scale landscape subjects are easily
accessible, whether you are in an exotic location
or your own neighborhood. The size of your
subject often allows you to walk around it to find a
viewpoint with the best composition and lighting,
Figure 12-13. Some photographers do this search
with the naked eye, while others find it easier to do
preliminary framing through the viewfinder of a
handheld camera. Once a viewpoint is established,
the camera can be mounted on a tripod and the
composition further refined.
Smaller-area subjects can usually be
photographed with zoom lenses in the middle of
the focal length range, typically 35 mm to 150 mm.
This focal length allows you to fill your frame
with a cascading woodland stream or to select a
tighter view emphasizing water streaming around
a boulder, Figure 12-14.
While grand vistas are usually shot as
horizontal frames, smaller-scale subjects often
lend themselves to being photographed in
A
Jack Klasey/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 12-12. Selective framing. A—A small water
reservoir in the Arizona desert makes a pleasant
composition. B—Zooming in and reframing provides a
vertical composition with the tree as its focal point.
B
Jack Klasey/Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 12-13. A smaller-scale nature study of plants growing
in an old, decayed tree stump. The photographer tried several
different compositions and angles before settling on this one.