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better travel photography
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Website, Images and text © Steve Davey/stevedavey.com 1990-2012
Telephoto Masterclass
What will I learn on
this course?
Learning to make the most of telephoto lenses has as much to do with how you see your subject and where you position yourself as it does with pure handling issues. Working in an area of central London, we will explore shooting people, urban scenes and landscapes using the longest lenses in your bag. A tripod is strongly recommended but not essential. We will finish with a critique session in which we assess your work and suggest ways to improve.
• Techniques for making compositions with telephotos
• Steadying and stabilizing telephotos for the best results
• Adjusting camera settings to maximize telephoto images
• Using long lenses to make composited panoramic and wide angle images
• Techniques for shooting subjects without attracting attention
The telephoto lens presents the biggest set of challenges of any lens you own. A lens with a focal length of 105mm or greater tests your photographic abilities to the maximum. Telephotos are physically demanding: you must hold the lens steady to prevent camera shake; panning and follow focusing on a moving subject can also be hard to master. In addition, most DSLR’s have sensors that are smaller than full frame, adding about 50% to the focal length, multiplying the challenges involved in using long lenses.
There is no substitute for getting close to your subject and telephotos are crucial for bringing in the action. Telephotos are the lenses that new photographers tend to leave in the bag but with a few simple techniques, we will help you get the most from them – isolating the elements in a scene that are most important and meaningful.
The conventional wisdom for travel and landscape photography is that wide angle lenses are necessary to take in an entire scene. However, with close observation and creative use of composition and depth of field, picking out a telling detail, face or piece of the action describes the scene differently and adds perfectly to your scene-setting wide shots, making a true series of images that has visual variety and depth in terms of the edit.
Cost of this course: £85
£80 if booked in conjunction with another course
Dates for this Course
Not currently scheduled
This specialized course will help you master the use of long lenses to increase the visual range and variety of your images. Telephotos require a certain diligence to get the best results but your effort will be more than repaid in great images.
Better Travel Photography was created by Steve Davey to celebrate the art of travel photography and to help people improve their travel photography skills and get more out of their travels. Some of the highlights of the site are image galleries, travel photography features and 501 Travel Photography Tips. This site also features Steve's exclusive range of travel photography tours.
Marc is from Chicago and has lived in London for over 20 years. He studied photojournalism at the London College of Communications (formerly the London College of Printing) and began his career shooting news and editorial assignments.
He has contributed to many publications worldwide. His work has evolved into a mix of shooting corporate, travel and reportage for various companies and charity sector clients. Having chosen London as home, he loves the city and sees London with the enthusiastic eye of a visitor. More...
