Lens Choice and Composition

Notes on Composition: Choosing your Lens

Your choice of lens has a great effect on your composition.  Let's look at the implications of using a wide or telephoto lens.

- Telephoto lenses compress perspective. The longer the lens you use, the less depth the photo has. Perspective is compressed, and objects appear close to each other. The longer the lens, the more dramatic this effect is. Keep in mind, that for very long lenses, you will need clear water to avoid contrast and sharpness being diminished over distances. Motion blur and camera shake can become issues with longer lenses, if ambient light is used.

- Telephoto lenses isolate the subject. the longer the lens, the less of the background behind the subject that is visible. Telephoto lenses can be used for creating depth of field shots, blurring the background into beautiful pastels with a narrow depth of field

- Wide angle lenses emphasis depth and dimensionality. ultra-wide lenses exaggerate the depth of objects close to the lens, resulting in a unique 3d perspective.

- Wide angle lenses show off the background, allowing you to portray a subject in its environment.