- The Milkyway — Earl Mallia

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Blog/6 - Why Wide Isn’t Always Right

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- Northern Lights

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- Nightscapes

- Sun, Moon & Eclipses

Astrophotography

Prints

Tutorials

The Milky-Way

Landscape Photography

Astro Panel

Workshops

Reviews

- Nikwax Tech Wash and TX.Direct

- Optolong L-Pro Filter

- Sky Watcher / Star Adventurer

- Datacolor SpyderX Pro

- Astro Panel Software

- Benro Filter System

- Pluto Trigger

Blogs

Blog/6 - Why Wide Isn’t Always Right

Blog/5 - Capturing the Northern Lights

Blog/4 - The 10 Best Places to Visit in the Dolomites

Blog/3 - Tuscany & The Lights Of Val D'Orcia

Blog/2 - Capturing The Heavens

Blog/1 - The Land Of Fire & Ice

About

- Bio

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- Newsletter

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Back

Landscape Photography

Astro Panel

Workshops

Folder: Reviews

Back

- Nikwax Tech Wash and TX.Direct

- Optolong L-Pro Filter

- Sky Watcher / Star Adventurer

- Datacolor SpyderX Pro

- Astro Panel Software

- Benro Filter System

- Pluto Trigger

Folder: Blogs

Back

Blog/6 - Why Wide Isn’t Always Right

Blog/5 - Capturing the Northern Lights

Blog/4 - The 10 Best Places to Visit in the Dolomites

Blog/3 - Tuscany & The Lights Of Val D'Orcia

Blog/2 - Capturing The Heavens

Blog/1 - The Land Of Fire & Ice

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Watching The Stars With Magdalena web.jpg

Chinque torri Milky Way Panorama web.jpg

St Marija Tower Undser The Stars web.jpg

Watching The Perseids With The Fungus Rock web.jpg

Dwejra Tower under the night skies web.jpg

🌄 The Wide‑Angle’s Allure and Its Limitations

Wide‑angle lenses naturally increase the sense of space by exaggerating the distance between foreground and background, and they bring depth into view by pulling the viewer in. They’re perfect when you have a strong foreground element under dramatic skies , think leading lines, flowers in focus near the lens, expansive skies above. Ian Plant says: “big clouds + close foreground = extreme photo awesomeness” KelbyOne Insider.

Yet wide angle comes with trade‑offs. The same exaggeration that adds depth can flatten distant mountain faces, diminish drama in the background, or include so much in the frame that nothing stands out. As “wide angles leave very little to the imagination” everyone sees the whole context, making images feel generic.

✅ Why the 70–200mm Telephoto Is a Must

1. Compression Creates Drama

Telephoto lenses compress perspective, bringing distant ridgelines, cliffs, and mountain layers closer visually. This compression intensifies relationships between scene elements—giving your viewer a sense of scale and grandeur in a single frame

2. Intimate, Personal Compositions

By narrowing your field of view, you force yourself to isolate what matters: a sunlit peak, a misty ridge, a lone tree illuminated in the early light. You edit the scene in‑camera, creating more personal, unique interpretations of the landscape

3. Focus on Form, Light and Texture

Telephotos demand compositional precision each element matters. You look for layers, textures, contrasts, light hitting a distant ridge, patterns of shadow, or lines winding through dunes

This is beautifully illustrated by photographing Textures : when capturing the shapes, ridges, and trees , the telephoto compressed elements to reveal interaction between form, light, and scale

4. Creative Challenges = Rewarding Results

Telephoto work demands sharper focus, accurate aperture selection, and stronger intent, because you’re not relying on vast foreground depth or sweeping skies to save the framing

5. Stand Out from the Crowd

Most photographers gravitate toward wide angles for landscapes so telephoto imagery gives you space to create something less expected. It’s a less populated creative playground with unique visual possibilities

✨ A Real-Life Example

I was photographing at dawn in the Dolomites Italy (light breaking over ridgelines). With my wide‑angle, I captured the classic panoramic vista, towering peaks, soft pink alpenglow. Technically good, but emotionally flat.

Then I zoomed in with my 70–200mm at roughly 150mm - 200mm. I framed one ridge glowing in early light, mist curling between ridgelines, a tree at the edge of the foreground adding scale. The image felt intentional and poetic. It carried the emotion I felt which wide‑angle never did from the same spot.

📊 Wide-Angle vs. 70–200mm: At a Glance

FeatureWide-Angle (14–35mm)Telephoto (70–200mm)Field of ViewVery broad—entire sceneNarrow selective framingPerspectiveExpands distances; exaggerates depthCompresses elements; layers closerForeground ImportanceCrucial for depth and interestOptional can work without immediate foregroundCompositional FocusBalanced, immersive environmentPrecise, minimal, graphic storytellingCreativity / UniquenessPopular, well-trod styleOffers a fresh angle, less photographed scenes

🎯 When I Choose My 70–200mm

When light hits a peak or ridge in dramatic fashion.
When I want layers of mountains or ridgelines compressed.
If mist or haze is distancing elements, telephoto draws them closer.
For isolated subjects a lone cabin, a single tree, a moody cliff face.
When I want simplicity and minimalism compose only what counts.

Final Thoughts

Wide-angle photography is powerful but not always the right tool. The 70–200mm lens allows me to create emotional, evocative, and unique photographer‑driven images. It forces me to see scenes differently looking not for everything, but exactly what matters.

It’s about capturing essence, emotion, and intention not just expansiveness. If you only ever grab wide-angle, you're leaving a whole world of landscape imagery undiscovered.

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