Jagged rocks. Crashing waves. Bold colours. Stunning views.

They’re the essence of seascape photography. Venturing out on sunrise and sunset, hoping the sky will explode in a carnival of colours. Using a wide-angle lens to emphasise foreground elements and capture grand, dramatic scenes.

It’s how I’ve been photographing the coast for a number of years.

But I wanted to break the formula of long exposures under glowing clouds—of capturing the entire view in a single frame. I wanted to challenge my notion of seascape photography. To capture something new, something captivating, in the process.

Leaving my trusty Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens in the bag, I opted to shoot with my Sony 70-200mm f/4 telephoto lens. An enthusiast lens that’s half the price of its f/2.8 big brother, yet more compact and better suited for extended use on the go. Plus it’s tack sharp open at f/8.

I ventured out to Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island to see what I could create. I set out mid-afternoon, allowing myself time to wander through and experience the coastline. A light breeze and wisps of cloud drifted overhead, softening the light, yet still turning the ocean sapphire blue.

The entire Cape Woolamai circuit is 8km long starting from the surf beach car park. The best views of the rugged coast begin at the Pinnacles lookout—about 2km into the walk. To take in more photography opportunities, I’d recommend trekking counter-clockwise around the circuit, via the Pinnacles, and then double back to catch the views again in a different light.

I made my way up to the lighthouse beacon—the highest point on Phillip Island—before returning back via the Pinnacles. Wildlife greeted me at each turn in the trail with flocks of ibis, soaring albatross and curious wallabies watching me through the scrub. As the sun set, scores of shearwaters glided over the Southern Ocean, taking in one last catch before returning to their burrows on the Cape.

I had packed up shop, walking back when a hint of colour appeared on the western horizon. Soon the sky exploded in shades of magenta. It was well after sunset, so I opted to capture long exposures of the incoming swell, panning my telephoto in the process. Shooting handheld, the technique was hit and miss, but I was pleased to capture a number of abstract frames to highlight the endless swell receding into the horizon.

Tips for Telephoto Seascapes

When there’s little foreground to emphasise, we must look to other features to ground and structure the image.

For me, the two key elements of the afternoon were the breaking waves and the colour contrast between the blue water and orange rocks. Walking along the trail, I looked for frames that would highlight these features. 

Working with the large swell helped to convey a sense of motion in an otherwise static image. Once I lined up the composition and focal length, I waited in position for the waves to release their energy against the rugged rocks. I used low-speed bursts to capture multiple images as the waves crashed, allowing me to select the best frame back on the computer.

Longer focal lengths provide an opportunity to bring attention to key features in the scene. Perhaps a particular seastack or a powerful breaking wave. While a wide-angle captures the entire grand scene, a telephoto isolates subjects from their surroundings, distilling a landscape into its essential elements.

When shooting along the coast, haze in the atmosphere creates distinct zones in the image. A natural layer structure emerges, with clarity, saturation and contrast tending to drop the more distant an element is from the camera. These factors combine to emphasise depth in an otherwise two-dimensional image. Also consider shooting towards the rising/setting sun as this often creates a glow down the coast as the seaspray is ignited by the light.

Instead of spending an entire sunrise finessing the single most compelling wide-angle composition possible, try setting aside a moment to fire off a telephoto image or two. Try to zoom in on a particular texture in the rock formation or a tight long exposure on a breaking wave. The variety of framing options with a telephoto lens allows for more opportunities to capture a unique view.

Final Reflections

At first I found the limited focal length a challenge—I’m surrounded by stunning views, yet I can’t capture it all in the image. Yet I soon rolled with the limitation, using it to my advantage.

I began to visually identify why the grand scenes were so grand. The curling waves. The backlit colour as they broke. The contrast (in texture and colour) between the rocks and the ocean. The prehistoric rock formation. The energy released as the waves collided with land. The depth and layers along the coastline.

Rather than work to capture all these elements in the frame, I found the telephoto lens liberating. It freed me up to hone in on a key element or two. Soon I was capturing compositions that my eyes had never seen (at a location I’ve visited many times before). 

My wide-angle lens isn’t going away anytime soon—capturing rushing water between rocks under a colourful sky just isn’t possible at longer focal lengths. Yet a telephoto lens encourages you to think outside the box. To think beyond epic views and explosive skies. To look for patterns, light or motion to isolate with the longer lens. 

A telephoto lens allows you to experiment, create something new, and move on.