essential skills: digital photography in available light
Scale
Where the photographer is unable to exploit foreground interest it is common to include subject
matter of known size. This gives the viewer a sense of scale which can often be lost in images
that seemingly exist on only one plane. The lone fi gure on the summit of an active volcano in the
photograph below adds not only a focal point of interest but also scale.
Focal length
A wide angle lens is a favourite tool of the landscape photographer. It has the potential to create
images with exaggerated perspective and greater depth of fi eld. Foreground detail is vital to
prevent empty images.
The telephoto lens is often overlooked when photographing landscape images. The photographer
Andreas Feininger made a series of dramatic images of New York using very long telephoto
lenses. Feininger did not like the distortion of scale when using wide angle lenses close to the
subject matter. He preferred to photograph the correct relationship of scale by shooting at a
distance with a longer lens.
Where a high vantage point has been found the compression of detail and subject matter can be
used to create dramatic designs. Photographers working at a distance with long lenses should
take precautions against overexposure due to excessive UV light. Slight underexposure and use
of UV or Skylight fi lters is strongly recommended.
ACTIVITY 6
Create a landscape image with a wide-angle lens or telephoto lens.
Discuss the differences in communication and design compared to an image that would have
been created using a standard lens.Mark Galer