Wide angle lenses versus Telephoto lenses

Reed Lake, Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area

I am a wide angle person. I put that wide angle lens to my eye and my eye and my brain swoon.

And, I find a place that intrigues me and work the place until it bores me and the images go stale. Such is the case with the Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area, an old strip mine converted to a wildlife refuge, where the overburden, the stripped out soil and rock, creates an intriguing landscape.

Reed Pond, Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area

Two weeks ago I purchased a new lens, a 55-200mm zoom with all the bills and whistles and took it out to the refuge to learn how to use it.

New pieces of equipment and new places make for bad images at first, and I discarded much of the work I did the other day, much of it poorly focused. But as I used the lens I began looking at this place that has become so familiar to me in new ways. That it’s winter and I can see things I couldn’t see when I discovered the place last fall added to my excitement.

I found a small pond in the overburden next to Reed Pond. I had to stand on a picnic table to really get the image. This image would have no impact using a wide angle lens.

Small pond in overburden off Reed Pond

I climbed off the table and noticed the top of a mound of overburden reflected in Reed Pond.

Reflected overburden

Reflected Overburden--Wide-angle Lens

I got out my wide angle and tried the image again. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying other approaches to the subject.

Reed Pond with Cedar Tree

The long lens allows me to document the overburden hills in ways the wide-angle lens doesn’t and see the landscape in a new way.

Overburden Hills

However, I had to discard many of the images, because they were not well focused. Bring on the light meter, manual selection of shutter speeds and lens openings, and a tripod.It’s February and I can’t wait for green.

Advertisement