How to use a long lens to capture the scene within the scene in landscape photography

posted Monday, December 18, 2017 at 10:00 AM EDT

Thomas Heaton is continuing to release videos from his photography trip to Namibia. While his recent videos have focused on his foray into wildlife photography, a discipline far different from his typical landscape photography, his latest video sees a return to the norm for Heaton. The video takes place in Deadvlei, Namibia, a location famous for its sand dunes and swaths of dead trees.

Landscape photography is often done using wider lenses, such as the very popular Canon 16-35mm f/4 and 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses, both of which are in Heaton's kit. However, in this latest video, he employs instead a long lens, a Canon 100-400mm zoom. When faced with a wide, expansive vista, it can be difficult to capture a compelling composition as there is simply too much to see and photograph. A longer lens can help isolate a subject and find the scene within the scene.

To see how Heaton did out in the dunes and to see the images he captured, watch his video below. To see more videos like this, be sure to check out his website and YouTube channel.