Photography tips

Telephoto lens

View of Mount Pilatus in the background, with blurred palm fronds in the foreground

Key tips

  1. Use a telephoto lens to optically compress the foreground and background.
  2. Use a telephoto lens with a focal length of around 150 mm to isolate specific details from a distance.
  3. Use a telephoto lens to make the moon appear large in relation to landscape elements like a railing.

Photographs on this topic

20 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects Mountains Architecture Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Lake Lucerne
View of Mount Pilatus in the background, with blurred palm fronds in the foreground 225 mm · f/13 · 1/320 s · ISO 200 The waxing half moon in the blue daytime sky over a rocky path on Mount Pilatus with wooden fence and snow 150 mm · f/11 · 1/400 s · ISO 500 White chapel on the snowy ridge of Mount Pilatus against an evening mountain backdrop. 200 mm · f/8 · 1/320 s · ISO 800 Snow-covered Pilatus massif under an intensely colored evening sky 135 mm · f/8 · 1/50 s · ISO 400 View of the staggered peaks of Mount Pilatus in golden light 400 mm · f/32 · 1/80 s · ISO 400 Mountain range of Mount Pilatus in Central Switzerland at sunset 400 mm · f/8 · 1/1000 s · ISO 400 Layered mountain ridges of the Pilatus region in Central Switzerland during sunset 400 mm · f/8 · 1/800 s · ISO 400 View of the Pilatus massif with snow and cloud-covered rock faces at dusk 400 mm · f/8 · 1/250 s · ISO 400 Portrait of an alpine ibex in profile against a rock face on Mount Pilatus. 400 mm · f/8 · 1/80 s · ISO 400 Stone decorations in the foreground and Pilatus massif in the background over Lucerne 200 mm · f/16 · 1/250 s · ISO 400 The snow-covered mountain range of Mount Pilatus near Lucerne in evening light 200 mm · f/8 · 1/400 s · ISO 200 Snow-covered peaks of Mount Pilatus near Lucerne in evening light 400 mm · f/8 · 1/640 s · ISO 320 Crescent moon in the evening sky directly above the summit ridge of Mount Pilatus near Lucerne. 400 mm · f/8 · 2 s · ISO 1600 Mount Pilatus with Hotel Bellevue in evening light behind an old wooden building 300 mm · f/8 · 1/125 s · ISO 400 Close-up of a church tower top in the foreground with snow-covered Mount Pilatus in the background during sunset 281 mm · f/8 · 1/200 s · ISO 400 White flowers growing out of a rock crevice on Mount Pilatus 138 mm · f/11 · 1/2500 s · ISO 400 Summit cross on a rocky peak of Mount Pilatus with snow-capped mountains in the background 400 mm · f/7.1 · 1/1000 s · ISO 200 Birds flying in front of the snow-covered peak of Mount Pilatus near Lucerne. 184 mm · f/10 · 1/640 s · ISO 100 Silhouette of the Pilatus massif against an intensely colored evening sky 200 mm · f/20 · 1/8 s · ISO 400 Silhouette of Mount Pilatus against an orange evening sky 200 mm · f/22 · 1/100 s · ISO 125

Related topics

  • Mountains
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Composition
  • Camera settings
  • Perspective
  • Light
  • Pilatus
  • Lucerne
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Snow
  • Evening light
  • Sunset
  • Blue hour
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