A 500mm Landscape
Often times, I like using long lenses when capturing landscape images. I find something appealing about the compression of the scene that the longer focal lengths provide.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm not drawn to using the longer lenses simply due to their cost. The long prime lenses cost a fortune, so I try to use them whenever I possible can!
Last summer, I visited Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. I spent far more time in the valley than I wanted to, mostly because of the "bison jams" on the road that connects the Lake Area to the Canyon Area inside the park. Bison herds tend to gather in Hayden Valley. The herds constantly work their way onto the road. These massive animals tend to just stand on the road. There's no way to drive around them, so at times it would take up to 90 minutes to travel just 20 miles in this section of the park.
One night, I decided to stop at a pullout to kill time while waiting for the bison to move. I captured the following image with my 500mm lens attached to the Nikon D800:
I like the photograph, but wish that just a few bison would have worked their way into this portion of the valley!
Comments
Of course, solid long lens technique is important to maximize sharpness. I lock the lens down with a tripod, turn VR off, lock the mirror up and use a cable release. Yes, Shutterstock considers my long lens landscapes to be sharp enough for acceptance. The image that I've displayed in this entry currently sells through Shutterstock.
whenever I use a long lens for landscape, it is always soft and blurry. I have a good lens - it's the 300mm from Nikon.
Are your landscapes shot with long glass sharp enough to get approved by SS?
Nick