Once you see him...

The wide angle lens has long been regarded to be the best optic amongst landscaper photographers for getting the job done, and while this may be true for the majority of subjects, it is not always imperative. Large skies, or sprawling foregrounds - or both - are characteristic of the shorter focal length lens, but if not used carefully they can reduce the size of the focal point of a photograph to near insignificance. In other words, the eye doesn't know where to rest.

There are times when longer lenses are just as effective for capturing the essence of a vista: I have occasionally used a 300mm telephoto for such purposes, useful in isolating just a small detail of a scene: Just as effective as including everything that sprawls before the camera.

Today's image, a man fishing from Southbourne beach, Dorset, employs a different technique yet again, buy including a human figure. Although small and placed out of the way in a corner of the frame, once the eye sees it it is drawn to that point, in spite of the fact that the sky and sea dominate by far the greater percentage of the picture.

50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor, 1/640 second at f/11. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

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