Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography

Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography

Released September 2013
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780133562446

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Book description

In Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography, author and photographer Rob Sheppard walks you through selecting the lens you need for capturing beautiful shots, whether in your own garden or farther afield in the great outdoors. He defines the basic focal lengths you have to choose from, including wide-angle and telephoto lenses, and he demonstrates how zoom features offer multiple focal lengths with one lens. He then shows you how to match focal length to the type of nature you are photographing and how to get that perfect close-up using special lenses. Finally, he discusses depth of field and perspective and what they mean for your images.

Follow along with Rob and you will:

  • Learn the right lens to use for the perfect shot, including wide-angle, telephoto, prime, single focal length, macro, and close-up lenses

  • Use different zooms to get multiple focal lengths with one lens, such as wide-angle and wide-range zooms

  • Understand the importance of depth of field, focal length, and perspective when shooting nature subjects and landscapes

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    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Dedication
    3. Acknowledgments
    4. About the Author
    5. Table of Contents
    6. Selecting Lenses
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. How Do You Choose a Lens?
      3. The Pro’s Secret
    7. Focal Lengths
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. What Are Digital Formats?
      3. The Normal Lens
      4. Wide-Angle Focal Lengths
      5. Superwide Focal Lengths
      6. Fisheye Lenses
      7. Telephoto Focal Lengths
      8. Short, Medium, and Long Telephoto Focal Lengths
      9. Extreme or Super Telephotos
    8. Zoom versus Prime Lenses
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. Poring Over the Picture
      3. Zoom vs. Prime Sharpness
      4. Lens Speed and the Aperture Challenge
      5. Types of Zooms
      6. Tilt-Shift Prime Lenses
    9. Matching Focal Length to Subjects
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. Landscapes
      3. Flowers
      4. Insects and Small Critters
      5. Wildlife
      6. Large animals, such as bison or elk, in national parks where they accept people being there
      7. Moderate to large animals photographed while hiking through landscape
      8. Birds at a refuge
      9. Birds at a feeder or man-made water
    10. Getting Close
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. Close-Focusing Lenses
      3. Macro Lenses
      4. Extension Tubes
      5. Achromatic Close-Up Lenses
      6. Why Use Different Focal Lengths
      7. The Minimum Aperture Challenge
    11. Getting the Best from Your Lenses
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. Camera Movement Problems
      3. Shutter Speeds and Camera Movement
      4. Depth of Field
    12. Focal Length and Perspective
      1. Poring Over the Picture
      2. What is Perspective?
      3. Examples of Perspective Change
      4. Deep Perspective
      5. Flat Perspective
    13. Final Words
      1. Poring Over the Picture
    14. Copyright Page
    15. Need More Fuel?
      1. Photography Newsletter
      2. Let’s be Friends on Social Media

    Product information

    • Title: Choosing the Right Lens for Nature and Landscape Photography
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: September 2013
    • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
    • ISBN: 9780133562446