I had a suspicion. And I wanted to confirm it.

So I dusted off my external drives, booted up my old Lightroom catalogues and tallied the number of photos I took at different focal lengths.

In 2018, I took 56% of shots on my 16-35mm lens. That weighting seems about standard for someone who shifts between landscape and nature photography.

But by 2022? That number had plummeted to 23%. In fact, last year marked the point when I took more mid-range shots (38%) than wide-angle shots.

Charting my focal length data spurred me to think about two tendencies I see in landscape photography:

Limiting our frames to the lens that happens to be bolted on at that point in time. (Which, in landscape photography, is often a wide-angle.)
Staying anchored to one end on a zoom lens. When was the last time you opted for 28mm on your 16-35mm or 170mm on your 70-200mm?

Reflecting on these concepts, I want to share everything I’ve learned about focal lengths in landscape photography. And encourage you to reconsider why you choose certain focal lengths too.

(Before we jump in, a quick note on precise focal lengths. Some people may classify 28mm as wide or limit telephoto frames to 85mm and above. In truth, the specific range doesn’t matter. The more time we spend taking photos—and the less time quibbling over arbitrary boundaries—the better.)

Wide: 12mm to 24mm

Landscape photography and wide-angle scenes go together like… karaoke nights and soundproof booths.

Wide-angle lenses show an expansive field of view which is ideal for capturing sweeping vistas and brilliant sky shows. I’d wager that these grand scenes are why many of us started landscape photography in the first place.

But they’re (much) more than just getting everything in the frame.

Because of their unnaturally broad view, they’re also a tool to warp and emphasise foreground elements. Instead of standing back to include everything, go in close to accentuate a key supporting element in the scene—such as fanning ferns or textured rocks.

Just be mindful of what’s in focus when you go ultra close. Use a narrow aperture like f/16 to increase the depth of field. And consider focus bracketing—taking shots focused at 30cm, 60cm, 1m and so on, and then blending these frames back on your computer.

One downside of opting for the widest possible field of view is increasing the likelihood of extra distractions entering the side of your frame. Another one? The wider the focal length, the smaller your background subjects (like mountains) will appear.

To counter both of these potential issues, consider zooming in to 20mm or 24mm. Yes, the foreground may appear less dramatic. But a tighter focal length will allow those midground and background subjects to fill a larger proportion of the frame—say 30% instead of 20%.

Side note: Primes

Before we jump into mid-range focal lengths, I want to share a few thoughts on prime lenses in landscape photography.

Out in nature, we’re often exploring areas and dealing with unscripted scenes. So the versatility of a zoom lens is much more valued than it is with portrait or product photography, for example.

In more controlled environments, a bright, sharp prime will outperform an all-purpose zoom. Similarly, when I explored street photography last year, I found that a prime lens was ideal to snap fleeting scenes and encouraged me to be creative within the constraints of a fixed focal length.

In landscape photography, primes shine through with night scenes. The bright aperture of a 14mm f/1.8 lens will produce cleaner astro shots than is possible at f/2.8 on a 16-35mm lens. Likewise, if you often photograph sunrise seascapes, a 20mm prime will produce incredibly sharp results. (In fact, my first wide-angle lens was a manual focus Tokina 20mm f/2.)

Primes have their place in landscape photography—particularly when you head out with a set purpose. But if you’re not quite sure what you’ll find—such as in a forest or on a long hike? Then the one lens I’d pack is a mid-range 24-70mm zoom.

Mid: 24mm to 70mm

Mid-range lenses are ideal for capturing scenes as your eyes see them. They don’t experience the distortion of wide-angle lenses—nor do they compress scenes like telephoto lenses.

**48mm: Branch details from a hillside path**

My appreciation for them grew in 2021 when I dipped my toes into the world of street photography. My camera? The delightful Fujifilm X100V. The fixed 35mm equivalent lens helped train my photographic eye to what my actual eyes saw.

And that’s flowed into my landscape photography where I’ve gravitated to my 24-70mm lens.

When it comes to nature and forest photography, around 28-50mm is a perfect field of view. It’s often tight enough to exclude bright patches of sky. But it’s still wide enough to include foreground ferns or other complementary trees around the main subject.

Mid-range focal lengths allow you to start to focus on specific features (like shapely trees or textured rocks) within the wider scene. And if you want to focus in tight on a frame within the scene? A telephoto is the way to go.

Telephoto: 70mm to 200mm+

Telephoto focal lengths allow you to isolate frames within the frame. You can be more creative with your compositions and create distinctly unique images.

So when there’s an epic sunrise overhead, you might instead focus on ripples and reflection in the water. Or pick out a specific mountain peak—rather than capture the entire range.

**157mm: An isolated scene within the wider landscape**

Zooming in to 100mm or 200m allows you to frame scenes that aren’t immediately obvious to the eye. You might pick out a few branches in the forest canopy or look out across sweeping sand dunes.

As you take more shots with a telephoto lens, you’ll begin to notice quieter, smaller scenes within the wider scene. (And often, you’ll instinctively exclude the sky altogether.)

At the extreme end of the telephoto range (300mm and beyond), you’ll be able to pick off tiny details in the broader landscape. Perhaps a single tree in a far-off valley. Or the rugged edge of a mountain dusted in snow.

When it comes to using a telephoto lens, there are two things you need to look out for:

Camera shake: The longer your focal length, the steadier your camera will need to be to prevent blurry images. I’ll often use a tripod (even on bright days) and set a shutter delay of 10 seconds.
Atmospheric haze: With a telephoto lens, you could be shooting across hundreds of metres of air. So on hot hazy days, far-off scenes may begin to shimmer and appear less sharp. The fix? Try to get closer to your subject (if possible) or return again on a cool crisp morning.

Final thoughts

Selecting the right lens and focal length is all about creative control and asking yourself a few questions.

Do you want to include more context? Or exclude context?

Do you want to focus on smaller frames? Or show the grander scene?

In landscape photography, sometimes more is less. And sometimes more is more.

The key is to be mindful of your focal length choice and its effect on your images. A few mm on a wide-angle lens can disproportionately alter your scene. While switching to a telephoto lens will help you to notice more original compositions.

The choice (and opportunity) is yours.

Want to sharpen your skills and take stunning landscape shots? Check out my 8 essential guides and lessons, packed with insightful theory and practical tips.