Compression

Quercus Grove Road near Carpenter, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood
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A wide-angle lens is often the best tool to use in capturing a landscape, but not always. Sometimes the features of a landscape become more interesting if they are slightly compressed. And that's exactly what a longer, telephoto lens can do. In this photo of Quercus Grove Road, the telephone poles seem closer together. So do the gently rolling hills. Even the distant fog where the road disappears looks less far away. In fact, if you stood where I took this picture, you might be disappointed--it only looks like this through a long lens. Shutter: 1/250; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 800; Focal length: 200 mm.